Photo by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.
City Attorney Mike Kendrick speaks to the Finance Committee of the Homewood City Council
The Homewood City Council will have to call a special meeting if it is going to meet the deadline for holding an election this year for residents to consider a change of government.
Councilmembers and others have collected signatures on petitions to meet the requirement for holding a referendum to determine if the city will change to a council-city manager form of government.
City Attorney Mike Kendrick said during Monday’s Finance Committee meeting that petitions had been submitted to the probate court to be verified. Once verified, the mayor, city clerk and council will be on the clock when it comes to meeting mandatory deadlines for the election.”
Once verified, the mayor has 10 days to call an election. Kendrick said he and Council President Alex Wyatt learned from the Board of Registrars that the only time Homewood can have the election this year is September 24.
“That's the only time we can get [voting] machines,” Kendrick said. “After that they're tied up with the presidential election."
Board of Registrars Chairman Barry Stephenson said September 24 is the day since special election for cities must be held on the second or fourth Tuesday of the month.
“It'll be September 24 or it'll be after the first of the year. That's what he told us,” Kendrick continued. “Hopefully, we'll get something back to the mayor this week. I have a proclamation for him to sign, calling the election. Then the council has to adopt a number of documents.”
Kendrick said the city clerk will have a lot to do relative to some really important timelines.
“We have to get the council to essentially set the election, all the voting places [and] identify the issue that's going to be on them,” Kendrick said. “The issue simply is, we approve the council-manager act of the 1982 and the [council’s] composition will be five members – the mayor elected at-large and four [councilmembers], one from each district."
He noted that this must be approve before the ballots are printed. The absentee ballots are the most time sensitive, and Kendrick says they're going to need to have a special meeting before the 12th to meet the deadline.
Wyatt echoed that sentiment.
“We can't wait till the 12th to get it all done,” the council president said. “We're gonna have to call a special meeting before that, whether it's on the fifth when we have committees. Quite frankly, we're in a little bit of a holding pattern until we hear from [Probate] Judge [James] Naftel about the certification."
The full council met after the Finance Committee. During that meeting, the council:
- Approved a budget amendment for the Fleet Management Department, which saw a 30 percent increase in its electricity bill. The department will transfer $7,000 from its memberships and subscriptions line item to electricity.
- Approved a budget amendment to move $10,000 from the Fire Department’s apparatus refurbishing account to fix the transmission on a 2012 model fire engine. The total cost of the repair is $24,000.
- Applied for an Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs grant to add an amenity to the Shades Green Greenway Trail. The grant would provide money to build a pavilion with restrooms and water fillers where there is currently an auxiliary gravel parking lot.
“We feel really great about our proposal and this grant,” Jennifer Andress said. “This project is made for this grant and we’re just real excited about that.”
