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Freeport council clears several charter amendments for the May ballot, rejects some proposals
Summary
Council approved multiple Charter Review Commission recommendations to place housekeeping and policy updates on the May ballot (including mayor-pro-tem language, development agreement flexibility, tax payment methods and records publicity) but voted against placing a term-length change and a revised bond minimum measure on the ballot.
Freeport — The City Council on Dec. 15 considered seven charter amendment proposals from the Charter Review Commission and voted to send several to the voters while rejecting others.
Council voted not to place Proposed Change No. 1 — which would have reduced council and mayor terms from three to two years — on the ballot (3–2). Members who opposed the change argued that two-year terms would leave officials constantly campaigning and hinder multi-year project continuity; supporters countered that shorter terms increase accountability to voters.
The council voted unanimously to place housekeeping and compliance changes on the ballot, including Proposed Change No. 2 to eliminate conflicting mayor-pro-tem vacancy language and align with state law; Proposed Change No. 5 to allow the city to use any legally valid development agreement (rather than naming only Section 380 agreements), opening the door to tools such as public improvement districts and PID/PUD arrangements; Proposed Change No. 6 to modernize tax payment language (allowing online and county payment locations); and Proposed Change No. 7 to align publicity-of-records language with state and federal exemptions.
A proposal to set minimum official-bond dollar amounts (Proposed Change No. 3) generated debate over recommended figures (members discussed $200,000 vs. $1,000,000 levels). Several council members said existing bonds are already higher for some officers and premiums are modest; attempts to add $1,000,000 minimums for the city manager, finance director and city secretary failed for lack of a second, and the council later voted 3–2 not to place the revised bond proposal on the ballot.
Council also approved a separate recommendation to require residency for most board appointments (all city boards except EDC, Main Street and Historical), sending that question to the voters after council discussion about whether the change would retroactively disqualify some current appointees.
What’s next: language for each ballot question will be finalized for an election-call ordinance in January; councilors urged workshops and public education so voters understand proposed changes before May.
