City manager referendum: yes and no explained

September 18, 2024

6:23 PM

Photo courtesy of city of Homewood

The city of Homewood will take to the polls on Sept. 24 to decide whether to change the city's government structure to include a city manager.

As the Sept. 24 referendum to decide whether Homewood will be getting a city manager or not sits less than a week away, voters say the results could go either way.

While the vote is posed as a yes or no question on the ballot, ward maps and city council seats could also change.

Conversations surrounding a Homewood city manager began in 2020 when two of the three mayoral candidates ran on the premise of hiring one. After Mayor Patrick McClusky was elected, he formed an ad hoc committee to do research on the different ways the city could obtain a city manager. The committee presented their findings in a report in June 2023, and the council then considered three options.

Each of the three models was labeled by the surrounding municipalities that utilize them, effectively being referred to as the Vestavia, Hoover and Mountain Brook models.

If passed, the referendum will create a city manager/council government format through the Vestavia model and allow the city, under Alabama Code 11-43a-28, to hire a full-time city manager to take over chief executive duties. Let’s take a look at how supporters and opponents are viewing these issues:

Proposed change to a city manager/council model:

Supporters: This is the best option as it would align the city with other similar sized municipalities in the state. The Hoover model is off the table because their population is nearly four times larger than Homewood’s. They also feel that the Mountain Brook model of hiring a city manager through an ordinance leaves room for debate on whether the mayor or city manager has the power in different situations.

Opponents: This referendum isn’t necessary at all. Passing a simple ordinance through the Council (the Mountain Brook model) would keep Homewood’s mayor/council structure and allow the city to hire a city manager under Alabama Code 11-43-20. They say the concerns over power struggles are resolved by a section in the code that would be enacted by the city manager ordinance, and this would supersede other sections to clarify the powers of the mayor and city manager.

Proposed change from a five-ward, 11-member council to a four-ward, five-member council with one representative per ward and the mayor as the council president:

Supporters: This change provides enough representation as residents would have a full-time city manager to contact along with their five councilors instead of the current mayor and 11 councilors who serve part-time. They also point to other municipalities of similar sizes that operate on the same model.

Opponents: The drop in members is a drastic decrease in representation and will lessen the voice of the people.

The communication and distribution of information surrounding the referendum:

Supporters: They largely feel comfortable with the information provided by the city and the reasons given as to why the Vestavia model was chosen as the best path forward. The city also feels they did their best in distributing necessary information to residents through their website and in what Alex Wyatt, council president, said was likely over two dozen public ad hoc committee meetings, city council meetings, city committee meetings and public forums held over the last two and a half years. However, they do recognize their efforts may not have reached every resident.

Opponents: Some people feel misled or like information wasn’t readily available, citing the council’s decision to move forward with a four-ward, five-member council instead of a six-ward, seven-member council without presenting ward maps that represented both options and allowing public feedback.

Benefits of voting yes or no:

Supporters: The benefit of voting yes on Tuesday is that Homewood will have a full-time city manager and the City Council and form of government will change to better align the city with similarly sized municipalities across the state and country.

Opponents: The benefit of voting no is that there is another way to get a city manager without changing Homewood’s form of government, and it doesn’t require a reduction in council representation. They also feel it would not trap the city in a model that is difficult to change if needed.

The vote is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 24. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the following locations:

Ward 1: Homewood Recreation Center, 1632 Oxmoor Road

Ward 2: Senior Citizens Center, 816 Oak Grove Road

Ward 3: Edgewood Elementary School, 901 College Avenue

Ward 4: Homewood Public Library, 1721 Oxmoor Road

Ward 5: Shades Cahaba School, 3001 Independence Drive