Friday, March 23, 2001
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Friday, March 23, 2001 |
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Senoia mulls over increasing terms By JOHN
THOMPSON
In the near future, Senoia residents could be electing councilmen and mayors to four-year terms. At this week's council meeting, Mayor Joan Trammell said she had researched how the city would change its terms of office. The matter was first discussed at last month's City Council retreat, and Trammell said the city would have to have its charter changed through local legislation during a General Assembly session. The city just had its charter approved during the 2000 session and there was talk about amending the terms then, but the consensus of the council was to leave the terms alone. This year, with two new council members in place, the mood has changed. New Councilman Darren Ratajski brought up the issue at the retreat and said he just doesn't think many things can get accomplished in two years. Trammell agreed, especially when it comes to long term projects, such as the city's sewer system. The mayor said she has not made up her mind whether she will run for reelection this fall and said her decision will rest on how far along the sewer system gets. In addition to changing the terms, the council will look at increasing the council members' and mayor's salaries. Ratajski and Councilman Pam Youngblood will survey other municipalities Senoia's size and slightly larger to see how long their terms are and what salaries they earn. The final issue the city will study is whether to go to districts, or zones, for city elections. Councilman Robert Hannah suggested the city study this issue because of its rapid growth. All the issues will be brought back before the City Council April 16.
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