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Hannibal council gives first readings to five charter-amendment ordinances to appear on April ballot
Summary
Hannibal City Council gave first readings on Jan. 7 to five ordinances that would place charter amendments before voters on April 8, 2025, requiring prior notice from the Board of Public Works on pay, budgets and rates, and changing removal and meeting rules.
Hannibal — The Hannibal City Council on Jan. 7 gave first readings to five ordinances that would place proposed charter amendments before voters in the municipal election scheduled for April 8, 2025. The measures would require the Board of Public Works to give prior notice to the council before approving employee salary increases, before adopting a proposed Board budget and before approving utility rate increases; would change the number of affirmative votes required to remove a Board member; and would require the Board of Public Works to meet with the City Council upon the council’s request.
Mayor Lotterman said he brought the package to the open meeting to let voters decide. "All I'm asking of you guys is that we put this on the ballot in April and let the voters decide if they want more oversight or if they do," he said. He added that, if passed by voters, "these specific things would be under ordinance, not under charter." The council assigned readings to each ordinance; none of the measures were adopted or enacted at the meeting.
Why it matters: The proposed amendments would change how the City of Hannibal and the locally elected Board of Public Works interact on personnel, budgets and rates. Supporters argued the changes increase transparency and council oversight; council members pressed for clarity about which items would remain charter provisions and which could be adjusted by ordinance if voters approved the changes.
Discussion highlights: During discussion, one council member objected to lowering the affirmative-vote threshold to remove a Board member. "Anytime you go before any organization to try and impeach somebody, it's by more than a simple majority. And so I have a problem with lowering that right now from 5 to 4," the councilman said. The mayor and other council members responded that any future adjustments could also be changed later, either by council action or by returning to voters if necessary.
Next steps: The council scheduled the ordinances for readings and the city clerk read the measures into the record. Because the items are charter amendments, they must be approved by voters to take effect. If voters approve any amendment, the council and Board could then implement related details by ordinance as discussed at the meeting.
Votes at a glance: The meeting transcript records readings for the following ordinances; the council did not adopt any of the charter amendments at the Jan. 7 meeting—they were read and placed on the schedule for the April 8, 2025 municipal election.
- Bill number 20-431: Ordinance to place a charter amendment on the April 8, 2025 ballot to require prior notice to the council of salary increases to employees of the Board of Public Works. Action at this meeting: first reading assigned; outcome: moved for reading (no final vote on adoption recorded).
- Bill number 20-432: Ordinance to place a charter amendment on the April 8, 2025 ballot to require prior notice to the council of a proposed budget of the Board of Public Works. Action at this meeting: first reading assigned; outcome: moved for reading.
- Bill number 24-033: Ordinance to place a charter amendment on the April 8, 2025 ballot to require prior notice to the council of proposed utility rate increases by the Board of Public Works. Action at this meeting: first reading assigned; outcome: moved for reading.
- Bill number 24-034: Ordinance to place a charter amendment on the April 8, 2025 ballot to change the number of affirmative votes required to remove a member from the Board of Public Works. Action at this meeting: first reading assigned; outcome: moved for reading.
- Bill number 20-435: Ordinance to place a charter amendment on the April 8, 2025 ballot to require the Board of Public Works to meet with the City Council upon request of the Council. Action at this meeting: first reading assigned; outcome: moved for reading.
No amendment was enacted or finalized at the Jan. 7 meeting; the measures will appear on the ballot for voter approval on April 8, 2025.
Ending: The council completed readings and moved on to other agenda items. If any charter amendments are approved by voters in April, council members said they would work through ordinance language and implementation details afterward.
