City commissioners and the public will have a chance to discuss the possibility the work session scheduled for 4 p.m. at Millville City Hall.
MILLVILLE -- Discussions officially begin Tuesday over whether the Holly City is changing its form of government, officials have confirmed.
Millville City Hall City commissioners and the public will have a chance to discuss the possibility the work session scheduled for 4 p.m. at Millville City Hall.
The Debate
Under its current form of government, the Walsh Act, the municipal government is made up of city commissioners who act as a chairpersons for different departments. Under the Walsh Act, the role of mayor is more of a title than a source of power.
Millville City Commission is considering a government that falls under the Faulkner Act, which would separate the mayor as a member of the executive branch of the city.
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Under the Faulkner Act, there is a separate election for the mayor -- compared to under the Walsh Act where residents vote for commissioners and the mayor is the highest votegetter.
The possibility of changing Millville's form of government was originally brought up by Commissioner David Ennis and put on an agenda at the insistence of Mayor Michael Santiago.
"Just because we put it on the table doesn't mean it's going to happen," Santiago said. "At least putting it on the table will make us have a conversation about it."
If Millville decided to change its form of government, a new election will have to take place.
The Process
According to research done by the city's legal department, the two options for Millville are to either have elections for a five-person Charter Study Commission to decide what direction Millville goes in or let the public decide via a referendum.
There are a few options under the Faulkner Act with variations as to how much strength the mayor has and how much control a council will have over city hall management.
The Charter Study Commission will study these variations of the Faulkner Act for nine months and decide which one should go to referendum.
It's not unheard of for municipalities to change its form of government, according to Edward Purcell of the League of Municipalities.
"Forms of government change to meet the needs of the citizens in different municipalities," Purcell said. "A lot of times you have older forms that were adopted at different times that maybe don't work the best in a modern municipality."
Asbury Park voted in 2013 to change its government to strengthen the mayor's office.
Pros and Cons
According to Commissioner Joseph Sooy, he worries that a new form of government would take power away from the public.
"I suppose if you want less eyes on things, if you want less public oversight, if you want less people that have the knowledge and the ability to do something about how the government is working -- it would be a great thing to go do," Sooy said.
The commissioner also worries that a change in government will bring partisanship to Millville. Millville leaders are currently voted in based on slates and not party affiliation. Party affiliation involvement might bring in outside interests to Millville, Sooy warns, and further alienate the public.
Santiago argues that a stronger mayor might be good for Millville and help keep it competitive with its surrounding cities -- Bridgeton and Vineland. Both cities use the Faulkner Act.
"I think it would be better for the city of Millville to have one mayor that stands up strong," Santiago said.
Don E. Woods may be reached at dwoods@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @donewoods1. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.
