Bessemer voters asked to weigh in on three proposals

By LARRY HOLCOMBE

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Bessemer — Besides a full slate of federal, state, county and school board officials, Bessemer voters will see three proposals written by city officials on the Nov. 6 general election ballot.

The first two are proposed amendments to the city charter, while the third proposal asks the voters to weigh in on the sale of three lots in the industrial park.

Proposal 1 deals with eligibility for holding a city elective office. It is proposed to require those running for a city position to have been a resident of the city for at least one year. This would change the length of time from the two-year requirement currently in the charter.

If passed the charter would read, according to the ballot: “No person shall be eligible to any elective office of the city unless he shall be an elector in the city, and shall have been a resident of the city for at least one year immediately prior to the date of the election at which his is a candidate for office.”

Proposal 2 raises the minimum price for which the city council can sell a piece of property without asking the voters from $2 per capita to $50 per capita. With a population of 1,905 in the 2010 census, the minimum would go from $3,810 to $95,250.

This second proposal asks if the council’s powers should be “amended such that the prohibition on the sale of property by the council without voter approval shall be changed from property with a value in excess of $2 per capita to $50 per capita.”

The third proposal is also about the sale of city- owned property, specifically lots 5, 6 and 7 in the industrial park. This is not proposing a change to the city charter, but simply asking the voters if they will allow the city to sell these specific lots for up to $10,000 each, despite the fact the charter “prohibits sales of property with a value greater than $3,810 unless approved by a 3/5 vote of the electors.”

The proposal reads: “Shall the city of Bessemer be authorized to sell lots 5, 6 and 7 in its industrial park for up to $10,000 each?”

A spokesperson for the city attorney told the Daily Globe that 3/5, or 60 percent, of the voters will need to say “yes” for this third proposal to pass.