This Referendum IS NOT About Hiring A City Manager
September 24th Special Election
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Voting "Yes" Will Drastically Reduce Your Representation
The "Yes" signs around Homewood aren't telling you what this vote is really about. If the referendum passes, the City Council will be reduced from10 to 4. In addition to that reduction, we may see a decrease in representation across other government boards in the city...from the school board to the planning commission, since no plans have been outlined about how these boards, currently associated with the 5 wards, will be handled when there are 4.
The good news is you don't have to Vote "Yes" to get a City Manager. State law allows our current structure to hire a professional city manager with all of the operational authority that the citizens are asking for without radically changing our government.
We Can Have A City Manager
Without A Referendum
So don't let anyone tell you it's either now or never when it comes to hiring a City Manager. There is a better way. We believe that professional management for our city shouldn't come at the expense of limiting the voice of the people of Homewood. Reducing the number of councilors reduces the opportunity for diversity of opinions and representation on the Council.
Homewood is a diverse community in so many ways with residents that care deeply about their city. Every citizen deserves to have their voice heard and every public official must be accountable to the people.
Proponents of this referendum are counting on low turnout and a lack of understanding from voters in order for this to pass. Homewood Needs You to spread the word and VOTE NO on September 24th.
3 PEOPLE COULD CONTROL EVERYTHING ABOUT OUR CITY
That's right. If the referendum passes, it would take only 3 votes to pass legislation. That means 3 people could rezone Downtown Homewood, control the makeup of our schools, and make other sweeping changes to our community. The risk of radically transforming our city far outweighs the supposed benefits of this short-sighted proposal. City Hall needs more, not less oversight from the citizens of Homewood!
The referendum calls for the elimination of executive powers from our Mayor. Currently, the Mayor has veto power over votes made by the City Council. It can be overridden by a 2/3 majority of the council, but it is one more level of safety over a rogue vote of the council. That protection is entirely eliminated if you Vote "Yes."
To sum it up, passing this referendum means that an enormous amount of control is put in the hands of very few people.
This is the BiggestDecision Homewood Has Ever Faced
It doesn't get any bigger than drastically changing the kind of government Homewood has. We have to get this right. It will be extremely difficult to reverse if our city decides to go forward with this radical plan.
We would also be making this transition while our city is under investigation from the State of Alabama and is seeing major uncertainty in our Mayor's office. In addition to that, we are fresh off of a Federal investigation stemming from the embezzlement of $1 million from the longtime Finance Director. We are in no position to confidently alter our form our government.
That is why we Oppose this "City Manager" Referendum. Homewood needs professional management, however the stakes are too high to get this wrong.
We Can't Trust This Council To Make Major Decisions For HWD
Are you tired of the scandals, the bad headlines, the lack of vision, and the shortage of transparency?
Are you tired of seeing our taxes go up
while our city services get cut?
Are you tired of the absence of strong leadership from our city officials? Are you tired of the lack of accountability?
Yeah, So Are We....along with everyone else.
A recent poll of Homewood voters showed that 75% do not trust this council with making major long term decisions for the city. Their track record of failure is clear. They had their chance and they have not led.
We can't afford to put such a huge decision for our city in the hands of this City Council.
We Love Homewood! We are a grassroots group of Homewood citizens who advocate for integrity-driven leadership and a culture of accountability within the City of Homewood.
We are committed to promoting better transparency, better integrity, better leadership, and a better vision for our community. Simply put, we want a Better Homewood! Join us and let's help Homewood become the special place that we all know it can be.
