August 7, 2018
By Paragon News Director Paul Joseph –
On Monday night, Cordell city leaders got their first chance to chew on the new idea of changing their form of government. It’s an idea floated by current Mayor Bob Plummer and council members gave him the green light to continue discussions.
Plummer is asking the council to consider changing from an aldermanic to a council-manager form of government and its discussion was on the agenda for the first time Monday night.
Mayor Plummer says, though council members had a lot of questions – some still unanswered – they want to continue moving forward with the idea.
Mayor Plummer says a lot of communities have moved from the aldermanic form of government to the council-manager form and really like it.
As for next meeting, Plummer hopes to have an expert come and answer questions about the two forms of government, possibly an expert from the Oklahoma Municipal League.
Plummer says changing to the council-manager form will reduce the number of council members to five, one from each of the four wards plus one at-large position member. The most significant change would be not having an city-wide elected mayor for the council members themselves would vote a mayor from between their ranks.
By the next meeting in August, Plummer says he hopes to be able to have a summary brief with more facts and information for the council prepared for distribution to them.
He says in order to take it to a vote of the people, leaders will need to have an approved resolution from the present council to put it on a ballot. He says if the council likes the idea and wants to put it on the general election ballot in November, they have to start now. The mayor says the deadline to submit the proposition to the election board is August 22 giving Plummer just one more meeting for discussion to move the idea forward. He adds that the council will have to approve the measure this next meeting, on August 20, in time to give it to the election board two days later in order for it to go to a vote of the people in the fall.
Plummer says interested citizens can attend the Monday night meeting on August 20 to listen to the discussion.
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