Bellevue city officials have decided to take a look at the city's current form of government and the way it holds its elections with the idea of possibly making changes to improve the city's operations.
At a meeting Thursday, Nov. 10, City Council members began to toss around various ideas to modify how the city is run.
Possible modifications discussed by the council ranged from a simple change of the date the city's general election is held to entirely dropping the city's status as the only remaining charter city in Idaho.
Charter cities are incorporated under their own charter rather than under the general laws of a state. This gives charter cities broader powers to establish land-use regulations.
Bellevue Mayor Jon Anderson said while the City Council members did discuss dropping Bellevue's charter city status during the meeting, no immediate changes are actually being considered.
The most substantive discussion during the meeting had more to do with the city's voting process, Anderson said.
"It was just about election day," he said.
City Council member Jon Wilkes was the most vocal advocate for dropping Bellevue's charter status altogether. He said the move would streamline city government and save money at the same time.
Wilkes said the city should also look at switching from the current two-year terms on the City Council to four-year terms. He said it can take up to two years to learn one's role as a council person.
"When you're the most effective you could be gone," Wilkes said.
Like Wilkes, City Council member Steve Fairbrother said he would be open to dropping the city's charter status. Fairbrother also said he would like to change the date for Bellevue elections, but only if it is changed to the general November elections.
Fairbrother was responding to several other council members who said they'd like to see the city's election date changed from the first Tuesday in April to sometime in May.
"I do not think having a spring election is a wise decision," Fairbrother said.
Other possible changes discussed by the council included cutting the City Council to four members and expanding the city's voting hours. Polls in Bellevue currently open at noon and close at 8 p.m. With expanded hours the polls would open at 8 a.m.
The change in hours would be a benefit for Bellevue voters, Anderson said. "We'll probably get a higher voter turnout," he said.
Anderson said there are benefits to being a charter city. "Part of it is keeping us unique," he said. "It also gives us special privileges."
Those rights include the ability to set certain ordinances without going to the state legislature, Anderson said.
If the City Council elects to drop Bellevue's charter status, the city's attorney would have to make an appeal before the Idaho Legislature, he said. The earliest that could happen would likely be sometime in January or February of next year, Anderson said.
