The Oxnard traffic initiative appears to be on track to get on the Nov. 4 ballot, a city official and an attorney for the proponents said Monday.

"As far as I'm concerned, we have time to get it on the November ballot," City Clerk Daniel Martinez said, adding "barely, just barely."

The City Council is set to decide how to proceed with the initiative at a 7 p.m. meeting today at City Hall, 305 W. Third St.

If approved by voters, the initiative could significantly restrain growth in Oxnard.

Even if the council requests an impact report on the initiative and the city took the maximum 30 days allowed to prepare it, the council still would have one day to approve a resolution to put it on the ballot and get it to the Ventura County clerk by an Aug. 8 deadline, Martinez said.

At this point, it's uncertain how that would occur if necessary. No council meetings are scheduled in August because of an annual vacation break.

Attorney Richard Francis sued the city unsuccessfully last week on behalf of Councilman Tim Flynn in an effort to force the council to consider the initiative at a meeting July 1. However, Francis said Monday: "It seems to me they are making an effort to put it on the ballot."

Martinez contacted ballot proponents Thursday and asked them to forward a ballot argument to him, Francis said. Ballot arguments for and against a measure are part of the paperwork that must be submitted to the county clerk's office. Francis said the pro argument has been submitted.

The initiative would provide that commercial or industrial developments of more than 10,000 square feet or housing developments of more than five homes could not be approved by the city unless all intersections within a five-mile radius of the proposed project have had a peak level of service of C or better for the preceding year. Traffic engineers rate intersections from A to F, with A having the best traffic flow and F the worst.

Any project not meeting the C level would have to be approved by a majority of the city's voters, and the developer would have to pay for the election.

Public facilities, churches and low-income housing projects would be exempt.

An impact report on the initiative prepared in September 2007, when proponents were first attempting to qualify the measure, concluded that it could prevent the construction of 10 proposed projects totalling more than 8,300 dwelling units and 13 million square feet of commercial and industrial space.

"The city should not waste time on another study," said Richard Castillo, an Oxnard resident. "They should put this on the ballot right away."