Voters will not only be choosing city council members when they go to the polls on Tuesday, March 10, but will also be directing the financial future of the City of Holbrook.
The question of home rule, which will appear on the ballot, will ask citizens to decide whether the city should be able to set its own budget or follow the limitations imposed by the state.
“It won’t increase taxes, it won’t increase spending, it just allows us to continue on as we have been,” noted City Manager Ray Alley. “With this we set our own rules, not what the state imposes.”
State expenditure limitations put a cap on what the city can spend, regardless of the amount of income received. The limits were put in place nearly 30 years ago, and do not take into consideration the needs or actual budget of the city.
Voters have consistently approved home rule, but due to an error, it did not appear on the ballot when the previous approval expired, and voters had to pass a one-time override in order to allow the city to spend the funds it had collected. That override is complete, and now voters once again have the opportunity to decide whether the city should operate under home rule for the next four years.
Finance Director Randy Sullivan explained that the money that the city will be able to spend if home rule is approved is not earmarked for any certain project on the ballot, but it will be used to continue making road improvements and to complete work at city parks.
“The city really needs it in order to continue doing our streets,” he said. “Without it we wouldn’t be able to continue doing many of the things that we do.”
He also pointed out that future projects, such as adding features at city parks, could not take place if voters do not approve home rule. In essence, a vote against home rule would limit the city’s budget to the point that only the bare essential services would be offered, and other improvements and upgrades would be impossible to fund.
“We wouldn’t be able to do the things we’re doing like the splash park, streets and other large projects,” Sullivan noted. “The key is that the state is trying to tell us how to spend our money. This would allow us to set our own budget.”
If home rule is approved by voters, the city’s budget for the next four years will be set based on the amount of actual revenues received, as well as anticipated expenditures, rather than the one-size-fits-all formula devised by the state.
Polling for the March 10 election will take place at city hall. The election will also decide who will fill three vacant city council seats and the position of mayor. Councilman Bobby Tyler is the only candidate for the mayor’s position. The five candidates vying for the three council seats include David Newlin and C.J. Wischmann, whose names will appear on the ballot, and write-in candidates Tim Dixon, Earl Kester and Francie Payne.
