St. Albans council refers municipal-judge election and council-size review to ordinance committee

The St. Albans City Council on April 21 voted to refer two charter-and-code topics to the Ordinance Committee: whether the municipal judge should be an elected position and whether the size of the City Council should be decreased.

Councilman Page moved to send the question of making the municipal judge an elected office to the Ordinance Committee for further investigation and drafting. Page said there is precedent for elected municipal judges elsewhere and that citizens should have a say in who handles the matters dealt with by that court. The motion passed by voice vote.

The council also voted to refer review of decreasing the size of the City Council to the Ordinance Committee. The motion’s sponsor said the city’s population has declined since the current council size was set and suggested a review to determine whether fewer councilmembers would improve efficiency and align St. Albans with comparable municipalities. Some members expressed concern that downsizing could make it easier for a small clique of members to control decisions; others said a smaller council might be more productive. The matter will be discussed by the Ordinance Committee and a draft ordinance prepared if the committee recommends change.

Both referrals are study-only at this stage: the committee will research precedent, review charter implications and redistricting issues, and return recommendations to the full council. Any change to the municipal judge’s status or council size would require charter or code amendments and would not take effect immediately; council members noted such changes would be scheduled for the next applicable election cycle if approved.