By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
St. Joseph voters will face seven propositions to change the city charter on the April 2nd ballot.
City Manager Bryan Carter says likely the proposal that will make the biggest difference is Proposition One, which will create staggered terms for St. Joseph city council members.
“And that’s the thing that changes the way we operate pretty quickly and pretty significantly,” Carter tells host Barry Birr on the KFEQ Hotline. “The rest of the items are largely going to be kind of items that just clean up some matters in the charter.”
If approved, the staggered terms will elect the mayor and at-large council members in one election cycle and district council members in the next. It would take two election cycles to establish staggered terms. Under the proposal, the next election cycle would elect the mayor and at-large councilmembers to four-year terms and district councilmembers to two-year terms. The following election cycle would elect district councilmembers to four-year terms.
Mayor John Josendale notes Proposition Two would allow citizens to only run for one office at a time, prohibiting residents from taking out a number of signature petitions for several offices during the same election.
“All those play into the political side of it, not as much from the actual operations, but from the political side of it,” Josendale tells Birr. “And it can create some problems and need for clarification and that’s what we’re trying to do here.”
Josendale says it isn’t a theoretical issue. He says it has happened in the past when one candidate will take out several petitions, then assess the field in those races before deciding which to run in.
Proposition Three would require a two-thirds vote to remove the City Manager. Proposition Four gives the council the authority to modify city departments. Proposition Five would move the Personnel Board and the Museum Oversight Board from the city charter to the city code. Proposition Six broadens the media outlets the city could use for official notices. Proposition Seven would establish 70 as the retirement age for Municipal Judge.
Josendale characterizes most of the changes as clean-up work.
“As the world evolves, as we all do, I mean if you have a plan in place and you see ways to make it better you fix it and that’s what we’re trying to do with these changes,” according to Josendale. “People that are saying you’re changing the base rules, well you’re changing them hopefully for the better, because these are what we’re trying to explain to the public so that they understand that as we fine tune, you want to make it better.”
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