Holbrook residents will have a choice in the upcoming city council election thanks to four citizens who filed write-in nominations prior to the Jan. 20 deadline.
Tim Dixon, Jeff Eavenson, Earl Kester Sr. and Francie Payne will join C.J. Wischmann and David Newlin in the race for three council seats. Councilman Bobby Tyler remains the lone candidate for the position of mayor.
The seats up for election are those currently held by councilmen Charles Haussman, Tyler and Phil Cobb, and mayor Jeff Hill. Only Tyler has decided to seek another term, this time as mayor.
A primary election is scheduled for Tuesday, March 10. A general election will only be held if none of the top three vote-getters receive less than 50 percent plus one of the total number of votes cast in the election. If necessary, the general election will be held in May.
The names of candidates Wischmann and Newlin will appear on the ballot since they filed regular nomination packets by the December deadline. The names of Dixon, Eavenson, Kester and Payne must be written in on the ballot in order to receive a vote since their nomination petitions were filed after the regular deadline, but in time for the write-in deadline.
City Clerk Cher Reyes noted that the names of write-in candidates will be posted at the polling place so that voters will have the correct complete list and proper spelling of the names of the candidates. Votes cast for write-in candidates must contain the full name as it appears on the list and the correct spelling or the vote will not count.
Council members serve four-year terms, with elections held every two years for a portion of the council seats. The staggered elections allow for a certain amount of continuity in city government and avoids the possibility of creating an entirely new council every four years.
As part of the upcoming March election, voters will also consider the issue of “home rule.” This question will determine whether the City of Holbrook can exceed the state-imposed expenditure limit, which is calculated using a decades-old formula.
The state expenditure limit does not take into account actual revenue that the city receives. Under the limitation, the city can only spend a certain amount, even if revenues far exceed that amount, and regardless of the need for specific services and improvements.
Home rule allows a city to ask voters to set an expenditure limit based on anticipated revenues and expenditures. It eliminates the state requirement and allows cities to create a budget based on individual needs rather than a one-size-fits-all formula.
“It would let us spend what we earn right now, and we can continue to operate as we are,” City Manager Ray Alley previously noted.
For the current fiscal year, the city had to ask voters to approve a one-time budget override. It is valid only for this year, and if it had not been approved the city could not spend as much as planned for street improvements.
