MONROE - Will Monroe's newest proposal on the structure of elections for city aldermen pass the test of public opinion?
The Monroe Common Council will find out when it meets in a special session at 7:30 p.m. tonight at city hall to discuss electing nine members by wards and one at-large.
That nine-plus-one structure was recommended on a 2-to-1 vote of the Judiciary and Ordinance Review Committee Monday, after several citizens spoke in favor of elections by wards. Sara Conway and Chris Beer voted in favor of the motion, while Tyler Schultz voted against.
Chairman Chuck Koch did not vote.
The nine-plus-one structure would keep two-year terms, with five seats up for election in alternate years.
The public is invited to speak at the council meeting tonight during an open session of the meeting.
At the committee meeting Monday, Aldermen Brooke Bauman and Jan Lefevre said they had polled people on preferences for ward or at large elections.
Bauman used a poll on Facebook, and she said it received about 40 participants, 86 percent of whom wanted ward elections.
Bauman said all participants were from within the city boundaries and none could vote more than once.
Lefevre said she polled about 35 people in person at her store, a restaurant, her church and on the Square.
Of those, 34 people wanted to keep the ward election structure, she said.
Four members of the public, Lavern Isely, Linda Isely, David Chugg and Tracey Reich spoke at the meeting, each voicing reasons for keeping ward elections.
Those reasons centered around the desire to have direct contact with and influence on their ward alderman. Some also said at-large elections were more expensive to campaign in and could jeopardize diverse representation of the city's women, minorities and lower socio-economic populations.
One person, Ron Marsh, spoke in favor of at-large elections. Marsh noted the cities of Milton and Beloit have at-large elections and had elected council members representing both sexes, minorities and a wide range of careers.
Marsh also pointed out that a large number of Monroe voters will miss their turn to vote in 2012 because of the redistricting and renumbering of the city's new ward boundaries, while others will be voting two years in a row.
All five citizens spoke at the public hearing on July 5, when council members voted 5 to 4 for an at-large election structure. The motion failed, needing seven votes to pass it changes the city ordinance.
Chairman Koch reviewed the pros and cons of several alternatives in election structures - nine wards, nine wards plus one at large, and 10 at-large wards, at the start of the committee meeting.
Two other options discussed by the committee in the past were dismissed, said Koch. Keeping a 10-ward structure or changing to a structure of six wards plus four at-large were methods deemed to be too complicated or too expensive at election time.
The city has been wrestling with re-arranging its future council elections, since county supervisor districts were redrawn this spring to accommodate a northward shift in Green County's population.
The council approved matching city wards boundaries with those of the county districts July 5, and has 60 days from that date to fix its election process.
The council is expected to choose an election structure tonight and recommend it for public hearing in August, to give the city time to publish notices as required by law.
The Monroe Common Council will find out when it meets in a special session at 7:30 p.m. tonight at city hall to discuss electing nine members by wards and one at-large.
That nine-plus-one structure was recommended on a 2-to-1 vote of the Judiciary and Ordinance Review Committee Monday, after several citizens spoke in favor of elections by wards. Sara Conway and Chris Beer voted in favor of the motion, while Tyler Schultz voted against.
Chairman Chuck Koch did not vote.
The nine-plus-one structure would keep two-year terms, with five seats up for election in alternate years.
The public is invited to speak at the council meeting tonight during an open session of the meeting.
At the committee meeting Monday, Aldermen Brooke Bauman and Jan Lefevre said they had polled people on preferences for ward or at large elections.
Bauman used a poll on Facebook, and she said it received about 40 participants, 86 percent of whom wanted ward elections.
Bauman said all participants were from within the city boundaries and none could vote more than once.
Lefevre said she polled about 35 people in person at her store, a restaurant, her church and on the Square.
Of those, 34 people wanted to keep the ward election structure, she said.
Four members of the public, Lavern Isely, Linda Isely, David Chugg and Tracey Reich spoke at the meeting, each voicing reasons for keeping ward elections.
Those reasons centered around the desire to have direct contact with and influence on their ward alderman. Some also said at-large elections were more expensive to campaign in and could jeopardize diverse representation of the city's women, minorities and lower socio-economic populations.
One person, Ron Marsh, spoke in favor of at-large elections. Marsh noted the cities of Milton and Beloit have at-large elections and had elected council members representing both sexes, minorities and a wide range of careers.
Marsh also pointed out that a large number of Monroe voters will miss their turn to vote in 2012 because of the redistricting and renumbering of the city's new ward boundaries, while others will be voting two years in a row.
All five citizens spoke at the public hearing on July 5, when council members voted 5 to 4 for an at-large election structure. The motion failed, needing seven votes to pass it changes the city ordinance.
Chairman Koch reviewed the pros and cons of several alternatives in election structures - nine wards, nine wards plus one at large, and 10 at-large wards, at the start of the committee meeting.
Two other options discussed by the committee in the past were dismissed, said Koch. Keeping a 10-ward structure or changing to a structure of six wards plus four at-large were methods deemed to be too complicated or too expensive at election time.
The city has been wrestling with re-arranging its future council elections, since county supervisor districts were redrawn this spring to accommodate a northward shift in Green County's population.
The council approved matching city wards boundaries with those of the county districts July 5, and has 60 days from that date to fix its election process.
The council is expected to choose an election structure tonight and recommend it for public hearing in August, to give the city time to publish notices as required by law.