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.
Homewood residents will hit the polls next Tuesday, Sept. 24 to vote on whether to change the city’s form of government from its current mayor/council format and an 11 person council to a city manager/council structure and a five person council, and The Homewood Star wants to hear from you.
Are you planning to vote yes or no on Tuesday? Tell us why. If you plan to vote no, what are you proposing as an alternative? Let us know your thoughts.
To share your thoughts send an email to sowens@starnesmedia.com by 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 18. Please include “Homewood Referendum” in the email subject line.
The city has defined the purpose of the election as “determining whether or not the qualified voters of the city of Homewood approve the adoption of the ‘council/manager’ form of government.”
Those casting a ballot will be answering a yes or no question as to whether they support the change.
“The ballot will state the composition of the new council, so voters will know what they are voting for,” City Council president Alex Wyatt said.
Some residents throughout Homewood have expressed concern over the proposed ballot format, saying it does not allow for feedback from residents as to how many council members they would like to have representing them.
The proposed plan would change the city's ward map from five wards to four. Each ward would have one council representative, and the mayor would serve as the council president.
For some, a reduction to a five-member council seems too small compared to the current 11-member body, and they fear a decrease in representation. A group opposing the change has formed a website, https://betterhomewood.com/, to promote their concerns.
“I think we will never be able to reach a number that will please everyone,” Wyatt said. “In this case, our neighboring municipalities have a 5-member council. We would also be hiring a city manager, who would serve as the primary contact for the city. It would create a much more effective and efficient way to interact with the residents of the city.”
If the vote is approved, the city would change to the new structure in November 2025, with the election of a new mayor and councilors.
Wyatt mentioned in a Sept. 9 Finance Committee meeting that the city would consider hiring an interim city manager if citizens vote to change the city government in the referendum.
The council president said an interim city manager would keep the city from having a months-long void in the position as the next council and mayor work to hire the long-term city manager.
“That could provide the city with a better pool of candidates because they know they’re coming on at the beginning of a term rather than at the end of a term,” Wyatt said, acknowledging that his comments were simply to inform his fellow council members. “Obviously, we don’t need to do anything necessarily before the referendum because there’s nothing to do before the referendum."
To learn more about the referendum, visit https://www.cityofhomewood.com/city-manager-info and keep an eye out for more coverage this week, including a side-by-side breakdown of what it means to vote "yes" or "no" and what community members on both sides are saying.
