Homewood council leaders and petitioners push council‑manager change; organizers aim for August or September vote

Nick Sims, a Homewood city councilor for Ward 3, opened the informational session and introduced the panel and materials available for residents to review.

Sam Gaston, city manager of Mountain Brook, told residents that professional city managers serve as administrative heads who “supervise the day to day operations of the city” and prepare comprehensive budgets for elected officials to approve. He described three reasons Alabama has fewer professional managers — limited statewide advocates for the council‑manager model, earlier legislative barriers and local political culture — and said the council‑manager form typically brings centralized budgeting, performance measurement and long‑range planning.

Council President Alex Wyatt, who represents Ward 4, said Homewood needs a full‑time executive who is “available as their job.” Wyatt and the council’s ad‑hoc committee recommended the statutory council‑manager scheme because it clearly defines mayor and council roles, he said, reducing ambiguity that can arise under a city‑manager by ordinance model.

Under the statutory plan Homewood is discussing, the mayor would be elected at large and would serve as a voting council member; the city would have an odd number of council seats. That requires a redraw of ward lines, and the state has provided a draft 4‑ward map that presenters said conforms to the statutory population variance rules (within approximately 5 percent of the ideal district size).

Organizers said they are collecting petition signatures to place the question on the ballot. Wyatt described the petition threshold as roughly 10 percent of voters in the last municipal election — “around 550 people,” he said — and said the probate court will verify that signers are registered voters who voted in the referenced election and are current Homewood residents.

On timing, presenters said they are working to finish petition collection in the coming weeks so the referendum can be scheduled in an August or September election. That, they said, would avoid complications tied to equipment and ballot scheduling late in the year; if the petition misses that window, the referendum could be delayed until after the November general election.

Residents raised several substantive questions at the session. Speakers asked who hires and fires the manager under the statutory plan; presenters replied the city council hires the manager and in practice managers typically serve under employment agreements and are subject to public‑official liability protections. Attendees also asked about qualifications; Gaston said many jurisdictions prefer candidates with graduate degrees in public administration and municipal experience.

Attendees expressed concern about representation and communication. Several residents said a change in ward lines or a reduction in the number of council seats could limit local representation; others worried that voters would not be adequately educated before a referendum, citing a recent nearby city referendum that failed amid strong turnout and organized opposition. Council leaders said additional outreach, meetings and the presence of a city manager during transition could improve communication and public familiarity with the new structure.

Presenters repeatedly stressed that switching to the statutory council‑manager form would be a substantive change: it would shift many operational responsibilities from elected officials to a professional manager and require adjustments to ward maps and council size. They said the ad‑hoc committee’s report and related materials are posted online and were available at the session for residents to review.

The meeting concluded with an offer for one‑on‑one conversations at information tables and an invitation to residents to contact council members with questions. Petition organizers encouraged supporters to sign; presenters said verified signatures will be submitted to the probate court to start the clock for a referendum timeline.

What happens next: petition collection continues, organizers said, with the stated goal of completing signatures in the coming weeks so the referendum can be scheduled before the November general election. The probate court will verify signatures and the city will publish official timelines and ballot language after verification.