CRESTVIEW — Voters will be asked to decide several amendments to the city’s charter.
If passed, the amendments will add the Foxwood Estates neighborhood to the city, make city districts more proportional, make city government more efficient, increase municipal election participation, and save residents money by moving municipal elections to a cycle that coincides with state and federal elections.
Because these issues appear at the end of the crowded, two-sided presidential election year ballot, Mayor JB Whitten offered a suggestion.
“Try voting from the bottom of the ballot up, otherwise there’s a lot to go through, such as retaining or rejecting judges, before you get to those matters that most affect us locally,” he said.
With early voting starting Oct. 19, city officials want to be sure “ballot fatigue” doesn’t cause voters to miss important provisions requiring Crestview voters’ attention.
To be decided are these ballot issues:
Foxwood Annexation Question — “Ordinance 1775 allows for the annexation of the area generally known as Foxwood Estates and Foxwood Country Club.” Voting “yes” will bring the former country club and its residential neighborhood into the city, affording residents expanded recreational opportunities such as youth sports, and providing city services such as faster fire and police response.
Charter Amendment 1, efficient daily operations — “Parts of the city charter relating to city manager, city clerk and use of ordinances and resolutions are not conducive to the efficient daily operations of the city of Crestview.” Voting “yes” will improve the efficiency of day-to-day operations.
Charter Amendment 2, aligning city districts — “The current voting districts defining precincts for elected council members are disproportionate to the population of those precincts.” Voting “yes” will allow the city’s three districts “to more directly represent the population of the voting districts.”
Charter Amendment 3, city election dates — “The current election dates for the city of Crestview are in March of odd numbered years.” Voting “yes” will move dates for city elections “to coincide with the general election held in November of each even numbered year.”
“Changing the date will likely lead to a greater voter turn-out for the local election,” Whitten said, as well as saving taxpayer money from having to fund a separate election.
“We encourage residents to read the amendment details on the city’s website before voting,” he said.
To see the complete proposed revisions to Crestview’s charter, visit https://bit.ly/3nO3cyX.
Brian Hughes is the city of Crestview's public information officer.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview voters to decide charter amendments