The Jefferson city council has the authority to change to an at-large council, but council members want to hear from city voters first.
An open forum will be held during the Aug. 23 city council meeting on the question of eliminating the current wards. Currently, the city is divided into three wards, and one council seat is filled by a resident of each of the three wards. The remaining two seats on the council are filled at large.
All voting is done at large. Residents of every ward vote for council candidates in every ward.
Earlier this summer mayor Craig Berry broached the subject of an at-large council. City attorney Bob Schwarzkopf was asked to verify the process of making the change. He reported at the Aug. 9 meeting that the council can do it by passing an ordinance; no approval of the voters is necessary.
In earlier discussion, all council members except Larry Teeples have said they favor an at-large council, saying that it would lead to a larger field of candidates and give more people an opportunity to serve.
Teeples has said he worries that the entire council could come from the same neighborhood.
It was Schwarzkopf who suggested a public forum on the question. “It would be more open, more transparent,” Ahrenholtz said after the suggestion. “It would take more time but it would be worth it.”
The council talked about scheduling the first reading of the needed ordinance at the same meeting, but decided instead to listen to comments and then put the ordinance on the agenda for the Sept. 13 meeting, should the council decide to move in that direction.
Bow hunting: The city council approved the third reading of an amended bow hunting ordinance that expands the area within the city limits where bow hunting is allowed to include property between Hillcrest Place and the Raccoon River. As with the first two readings, council member Lisa Jaskey voted “no.” The ordinance will go into effect after publication Aug. 18.
City council meetings begin at 5:30 pm on the second floor of the municipal building at 220 N. Chestnut St. The open forum will be early on the agenda.
