Mayor vetoes ordinance passed by Homerville City Council

For the first time in over 30 years, Homerville’s mayor has issued a veto.

On Tuesday, Homerville Mayor Brooks Blitch IV vetoed a city manager ordinance that was approved unanimously by the Homerville City Council at their regular monthly meeting Thursday.

Under the city’s charter,  the mayor has the ability to veto any item approved by the council, and the council can’t vote on the matter again until the next regular meeting of the council. To override the mayor’s veto, the council has to approve the motion by a 3/4 vote of the council.

In the veto (signed after The News went to press Tuesday), Blitch states he is using his veto power because the ordinance “violates the City Charter” and is “not a proper subject of an ordinance.” He participated in the meeting Thursday via speakerphone due to illness, and did not vote on the ordinance. The mayor only votes in case of a tie.

The ordinance provides new authority for the city manager’s position and specifies the job’s duties and responsibilities. 

The ordinance was not on the meeting’s agenda, nor was it ever discussed in a public session by the council. At the meeting, City Attorney Chad Corlee said the council had discussed the ordinance in executive session, after closing the meeting to the public.

Read more about the meeting on Page 1 and 3 in this week’s edition of The News. There is also an editorial on Page 4 critical of how the council shielded their consideration of this ordinance from the public. The News will have more details about the veto in its next print edition.