CRESTVIEW — The Crestview city council has unanimously approved three ballot questions to be voted on in the August primary election.
The council held a special meeting May 29 to vote on a variety of ordinances ranging from rezoning to an extension of the Community Redevelopment Plan. The most pressing issue, however, was the precise wording of the three referendum questions that will appear on the August 28 ballot.
“This is a long process,” council president J.B. Whitten said. “We wanted to make sure it got done expeditiously, so the reason we called a special meeting tonight was to make sure we got this done and over to the supervisor of elections.”
The deadline for ballot questions to be submitted is June 15.
The three questions will allow voters to decide on specific changes to the city’s charter that could alter the way the city operates.
Question one will ask voters to allow the city to repeal and replace the current city charter in order to modernize it and delete “obsolete and redundant” language. The second question will ask voters to approve a switch to a city manager form of government. The third question will ask voters to allow for the city clerk, currently an elected position, to be appointed by the city council.
Whitten has campaigned in favor of the changes, particularly when it comes to moving to a city manager form of government.
“This is the most important vote that you can have concerning the future of Crestview,” Whitten said at a May 24 town hall meeting.
Currently, Crestview is the largest city in Florida that still utilizes a “weak mayor” form of government. The majority of “weak mayor” cities have fewer than 6,000 residents. Proponents of the change argue that a professional city manager is needed to run the day-to-day operations of a city the size of Crestview.
Council member Shannon Hayes announced later in the meeting that he too would be holding town halls to speak to voters about the referendum questions.
“I plan on having one in June and at least one in July and maybe one in August,” Hayes said. “I’d like to make sure [the voters] are informed of this. I’m in favor of it, but I want to tell them why I’m in favor of it.”
Whitten has previously held two town hall meetings and is planning another in June.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview referendum questions set for August ballot