Diboll home-rule city charter approved

Diboll voters approved a charter for the city by an overwhelming margin Saturday, meaning Diboll will become a home-rule city with greater powers and more capacity for self-governance.

The vote on the charter was 254-150, a margin that surprised Mayor Bill Brown, who had expressed himself "cautiously optimistic" about the charter before the vote totals were released. Brown also said that if the charter didn't pass, he did not plan on pushing it again.

Texas cities of 5,000 population or more may vote to become home rule cities. Diboll has a legal population from the 2000 Census of 5,470. Many folks think the 2010 Census will show Diboll at below 5,000. However, now that the home rule status is official, it cannot be taken away.

The new charter creates a six-member city council, one more than at present, with four council members elected from districts and two at-large. The districts split the city roughly into northeast, northwest, southeast and southwest quadrants, with U.S. 59 the north-south divider for most of the city.

The newly seated council members will be assigned to district and at-large positions to take effect in the 2009 election. Councilmen assigned to a district they don't live in will have to move, seek an atlarge position next year or file to run in the districts in which they live. The council elected Saturday will appoint a member for the newly created sixth council position.

The charter gives the city authority it did not have as a general law city, most prominently the power to annex. City officials have said that Diboll has no plans at this time to annex, but that the power is needed for the future, as Lufkin continues to expand to the south.

The city now will have what is known as extra-territorial jurisdiction, giving it control over some aspects of land usage beyond its city limits. For example, the city can insist that a housing subdivision built just outside the city limits conform to city codes and have municipal water and sewage as well as streets that meet city standards. The city would not be able to assess taxes, however.

Features specific to the new charter will require future city managers to live within the city limits and department heads to live within 30 minutes of the city. A city employee must leave the city's employ a year before seeking an elected position. This provision will not apply to retirements. Similarly, an elected official may not resign to seek a city job. He or she will have to wait until a year has elapsed.

Generally, the day-to-day operations of the city will continue unchanged. Election times will be when most citizens will notice the change