Houston council pushes for first-class status

HOUSTON — All the council members agree, it’s time to see if the voters here want to elect the mayor.

Currently designated as a second-class city, the city council appoints one of its members to act as the town’s chief official while remaining a voting member of the council.

At its meeting Thursday, the council voted unanimously to ask the voters if Houston should apply to become a first-class city. With the change, the mayor would be directly elected into office by the general public and only cast votes at the council as a tiebreaker.

The October ballot will now include three questions related to the designation change. First, voters will be asked if they would favor changing the town’s designation to a first-class city. Second, if it does change, should the mayor’s term be three or four years. Lastly, should there be term limits if the mayor is directly elected.

“This is just an advisory vote,” said City Clerk Steven Cunningham. “This is just to see if the city should expend the money and resources to pursue the first-class designation.”

If the majority of the voters on the October ballot say they support the designation change, the council will file a petition to the Alaska Boundary Commission. According to Alaska state statute, the commission will hold at least one public hearing on the matter. To approve the petition, the population must be more than 400 and stable enough to support the local government. The city must provide municipal services on an efficient scale and must have the human and financial resources available to provide these services.

“We meet all the criteria,” said Mayor Roger Purcell. “We’re covering all the services that are required now.”

If the boundary commission approves the petition, the question gets put back to a general vote no sooner than 30 days after the approval and no later than the next regularly scheduled election. The city could either wait until the 2010 regular election in October or hold a special election to decide the matter. A special election would cost the city a minimum of $3,000, Cunningham said.

If the majority votes in favor, the city’s designation is changed within 30 days of the certification of the outcome.

“It’s really just about the election of the mayor,” said Purcell, who supports the upgrade. “The city takes on no new liabilities at all.”

Long-time local politician Elsie O’Bryan — now retired from public life — agreed it was time for the people to elect the mayor. O’Bryan said with the mayor now spending so much time overseeing the city’s services and administrative duties, and with the recent increase in monthly compensation, it is a position that should be put to the voters.

The compensation for the mayor was recently increased to $1,500 per month and will remain unchanged regardless of city designation, Cunningham said.

Purcell also said Houston has to become first-class before it can be designated as a home-rule city.

“We haven’t looked at going to home rule yet, and I don’t know what the requirements are,” Purcell said, “but becoming a first-class city gives us the option in the future.”

Asked if he will seek election by popular vote if the designation changes, Purcell said he has not decided.

“I still have another year on this term. Anything can happen between now and then.”

Contact Todd L. Disher at todd.disher@frontiersman.com or 352-2252.