May 10 municipal election on calendar
By Jerry Gaulding Free Press Editor

Diboll City Council Monday night officially called the May 10 municipal election, which will include a vote on whether Diboll should become a homerule city.

A 15-member Home Rule Committee also was appointed to work with City Attorney Jimmy Cassels to draft a city charter. Voters May 10 will vote on whether to accept the proposed charter. If they do Diboll will switch from being a general law city to the home-rule status.

Home rule cities have a bit more freedom in legislation and particularly annexation, Cassels said.

Members of the committee are Ronnie Coleman, Sam Coleman, Bruce Durham, Charles Havard, Emilio Hernandez, Julie Horton, Dave Martinez, Debbie Mitchell, Charlotte Parrish, JoAnn Rainwater, Leonard Robinson, Milford Ruby, Morris Tate, Nathan Terrell and David Winfrey. Alternate members are Charles Chatman and Harold Maxwell. All have agreed to serve, said Mayor Bill Brown.

Cassels said Diboll is one of six Texas cities eligible to switch to home rule that have not. A city must have a population of 5,000 to be eligible, but once home-rule status is achieved, it cannot be taken away, he said.

In response to a question from Brown, Cassels said he expects two or three public hearings on the proposed charter will be held after it is crafted and before the election.

In other business, council conditionally accepted a bid for maintenance of the police and fire building, subject to city staff meeting with the low bidder, DB Construction, to make sure the contractor properly understands the job. The winning bid of $16,000 was more than $20,000 less than the next lowest.

Council heard a representative of Oncor Electric Delivery explain that the city's current mercury vapor street lamps will be phased out and replaced as needed with sodium vapor lamps. The new lamps are more efficient and will lower the city's operating costs. There will be no charge to the city for replacing the lamps.

The city might, at some time in the future,, have another opportunity to vote on whether to sell alcohol in town limits. The Rev. Dr. Myrton Thompson and the Rev. Jerry Young, associate pastor and pastor, respectively, of Jubilee Baptist Church, vowed to research the legal requirements for a new election and begin a petition drive as soon as possible. The two clergymen, as well as other citizens, are upset by council's December vote to allow Brookshire Bros. Grocery in town to sell beer and wine. The store is next to the primary school.