Home Rule Commission changes Mayor's term
By Jerry Gaulding Editor, Free Press

Members of Diboll's Home Rule Commission got their first look at a draft city charter Friday and made one major change - returning the term of the mayor to two years - as they race a deadline to get the charter on the May 10 election ballot.

At the commission's first meeting the week before, a consensus favored a fouryear mayoral term, but members changed their minds Friday and went back to the current two-year term.

The commission retained the structure of a six-member city council, with four members elected from districts and two at-large. The mayor also will be elected at-large.

The districts devised by the commission will be divided east-west by U.S. 59. Dennis and Thompson streets will be the north-south divisor. Commission member agreed the district system would guarantee that every area of the

city will be represented on the council. Current council members all live on the east side of 59 and some are neighbors, according to discussion.

The proposed charter also allows recall of council members by petitions calling for a recall election. City Attorney Jimmy Cassels stressed that only the voters in a single-member district councilman could sign a recall petition. For the mayor and at-large council member, petitions would be circulated citywide.

The commission will meet at 5:15 p.m. Thursday, April 3, to review the modified charter and adopt final language. A public hearing will be held at 5:15 p.m. Tuesday, April 8, for citizen comments. Both meetings are at city hall in council chambers.

The city is required by law to mail every registered voter in the city a copy of the charter 30 days before the election, making Thursday, April 10, the last day that can be done.

If the deadline is met and the charter is placed on the May 10 ballot, if a majority of voters approve of the charter, it will go into effect immediately and Diboll will become a home rule city.

If the charter is adopted, a new council spot will be created, to be elected in even-numbers years. This position will be elected at-large but council would appoint the first occupant of this seat. Council members would assign four members to specific districts and one member to the second at-large position. Districts 1, 3 and 5 would be elected in odd years, 2, 4, 6 and the mayor in even years. Districts 1 and 2 would be to the west of 59; districts 3 and 4 to the east. Positions 5 and 6 will be the at-large seats