Citizens trying to force a referendum on city plans to borrow $3 million to upgrade Propst Park likely did not meet the minimum number of objections, CFO James Brigham told Columbus City Council during Tuesday’s meeting.
Brigham, who also serves as the city’s secretary-treasurer, said the city had received about 900 to 950 objections, which included both physical signatures to a petition and emails to City Hall.
The law requires 10% of registered voters, or 1,500, whichever is lower, to object in writing in order to force a vote. In Columbus, 1,500 voters as the applicable threshold, and the deadline for objections was 5 p.m. Tuesday.
The 900 to 950 objections include some that came in via email, and it is not clear whether those objections would count under the law.
Tuesday night Mayor Keith Gaskin said the city had requested an expedited Attorney General’s opinion but had not yet received one.
The council, on a 4-2 vote on May 17, approved a $4.4 million parks renovation plan, with the majority committed to improving Propst Park. Of that total, $643,000 will be spread across seven community centers and $250,000 will be set aside for maintenance. The council plans on using $1.4 million it already has on hand from tourism tax collections while borrowing $3 million and repaying the debt with future tourism tax revenue.
The tourism tax, a 2% sales tax collected on sales of prepared food and beverages inside the city limits, will provide $4 million for recreation in the next 10 years.
Bond attorney Tray Hairston of Ridgeland-based firm Butler Snow told the city it should do its due diligence and go through the process of verifying the signatures the city has received before voting to issue the bonds, even if the number of total protestors appears to be below the legal threshold.
For a signature to count, it must be from a registered voter within the city of Columbus, and the signature must be compared to that on the voter rolls, Hairston said.
“It is the duty of the council to really look at those signatures and see if it meets the requirements of an election and then make that determination at your next meeting,” Hairston said.
Vice Mayor and Ward 2 Councilman Joseph Mickens wanted to go ahead and move forward.
“We had a deadline, and the deadline’s up and they didn’t reach the threshold,” Mickens said. “What’s to stop the council from moving forward? … Would the council be within their rights (to proceed with the bond issue)?”
Hairston advised the council to follow the procedure.
“The council would be within its right,” Hairston said. “It is my advice to at least wait until the next meeting to ascertain whether or not the requisite numbers were met to have an election. I think that’s just the prudent thing to do.”
The council’s next meeting is Aug. 1.
Hairston also said it was his opinion the only objections that counted were the ones in writing.
“This is a sacred process, and a petition has to be in writing,” Hairston said. “That’s just my opinion. The (attorney general) may differ.”
Jones moved, with a second by Ward 4 Councilman Pierre Beard, to pass a resolution making a finding the city published its intent resolution to issue the bonds. It passed 4-1, with Ward 1 Councilwoman Ethel Stewart, Mickens, Beard and Jones voting yes and Ward 3 Councilman Rusty Greene voting no.
Ward 6 Councilwoman Jacqueline DiCicco had not yet arrived at the meeting.
Brian Jones is the local government reporter for Columbus and Lowndes County.
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