As a matter of formality, the Ceres City Council on Monday ordered the Nov. 5 election to be conducted by Stanislaus County Elections Office.

Voters living inside the Ceres city limits will be deciding on who should be mayor while residents of Districts 3 and 4 will be deciding on whom to send to the Ceres City Council.

The candidate nomination period opens Monday, July 15 and closes Friday, August 9. If an eligible incumbent does not file by the deadline of 5 p.m. on Friday, August 9, a five-day extension of the nomination period occurs to permit any qualified voter, except incumbents, to file nomination papers by Wednesday, August 14. Prior to qualifying as a candidate, the city clerk will verify the residency of each potential candidate through their nomination paperwork.

The Stanislaus County Registrar of Voters has estimated the cost for publishing a Candidate Statement on the ballot at approximately $1,000 for mayor, city treasurer and City Council (by-district) candidates. These estimates are based on the number of registered voters in the respective districts. Under the proposed policy, candidates will be billed for any additional expenses and/or refunded for any excess payment associated with the filing cost of the Candidate Statements on a pro rata basis.

The statement may include the name, age and occupation of the candidate and a brief description of no more than 200 words of the candidate’s education and qualifications expressed by the candidate himself or herself. The statement shall not include party affiliation of the candidate, nor membership or activity in partisan political organizations. The statement shall be filed in typewritten form in the office of the City Clerk at the time the candidate’s nomination papers are filed. The statement may be withdrawn, but not changed, during the period for filing nomination papers and until 5 p.m. of the next working day after the close of the nomination period.

The county has estimated that it will charge the city from $1.35 to $2.12 per voter. There are an estimated 23,478 registered voters in Ceres.

Thus far, two candidates have emerged for office of mayor. They are incumbent Mayor Javier Lopez and challenger Troy Arrollo.

District 3 Councilman Bret Silveira – who also serves as appointed vice mayor – has indicated that he will seek re-election. Planning Commissioner Cerina Otero has announced that she will be running for Silveira’s seat.

Also up for grabs this fall is the District 4 council seat occupied by Daniel Martinez.

The seat of city treasurer is also expiring at the end of the year and will be filled by the voters. Presently Kayla Martinez is the city treasurer.