Crestwood Voters To Decide Four Charter Changes April 7 | The Locally Times
Proposed amendments address governance efficiency, election alignment, and extend elected official terms to four years.
Crestwood residents will directly shape the future operations and structure of their local government when they vote on four proposed amendments to the City Charter on April 7, 2026. These ballot propositions, recommended by the 2025 Crestwood Charter Review Commission and approved by the Board of Aldermen, seek to update the city's foundational legal document. The City Charter, first adopted in 1995 and revised in 2006 and 2016, outlines the government's structure, official powers, and operational procedures. Because voters initially adopted the Charter, any subsequent amendment requires voter approval, ensuring community authority over its changes, according to the City of Crestwood's CivicAlerts posting dated April 7, 2026. Each of the four propositions will be decided independently, requiring a simple majority vote to pass. If approved, the amendments would take effect once the certified election results are formally recorded at the April 28 Board of Aldermen meeting, as stated in the same posting. ## Modernizing the Charter: Clarity and Operational Flexibility The first two propositions on the ballot aim to refine the existing Charter language and grant the Board of Aldermen greater operational flexibility. The City of Crestwood states that these changes are non-substantive. The specific sections targeted for these corrections include 3.2, 3.4, 3.9, 3.10, 4.1, 4.3, 4.7, 7.2, 8.1, 8.3, 8.4, 9.5, 9.6, 9.7, 9.8, 10.5, 10.6, 11.1, 11.2, 13.1, 13.2, 13.3, 13.8, and 15.4, as detailed in Exhibit 1 to Ordinance 5610. The City of Crestwood's public records do not provide an exhaustive list of the specific errors or outdated terms Proposition 1 seeks to address. Proposition 2, labeled “Efficiencies,” focuses on enabling the city government to operate more effectively. This proposition seeks to amend sections 3.9, 3.10, 3.12, 4.7, 5.2, 7.2, and 13.5 of the Charter. The proposed changes would allow the Board of Aldermen to establish meeting start times by ordinance, create formal procedures for covering mayoral absences through ordinance, and provide flexibility to adopt either a one-year or two-year budget cycle by ordinance. Additionally, it would permit limited extensions of auditing services when necessary. A “YES” vote on Proposition 2 would grant the Board of Aldermen this increased flexibility in setting meeting times, managing mayoral absences, determining budget cycles, and extending auditing services. Conversely, a “NO” vote would maintain the current Charter provisions regarding these operational aspects. The City of Crestwood's public information does not detail the specific circumstances or past inefficiencies that prompted these proposed changes to meeting times, mayoral absence protocols, or budget cycles. The proposal designates April as the General Municipal Election Day for local ballot items. The City of Crestwood indicates that this alignment aims to avoid additional costs associated with special elections and ensure consistency with state law. The proposition includes changes to how vacancies in the office of Mayor are filled, updates tie vote procedures to follow state law, and revises timelines for initiative and referendum processes. It also addresses petition submission, recall election requirements, and the Charter amendment submission process. Sections 4.7, 8.3, 9.1, 9.7, 9.8, 10.3, 10.6, and 13.7 of the Charter would be affected, according to the CivicAlerts posting. A “YES” vote on Proposition 3 would mean that any required special election would be consolidated with the next April General Municipal Election, rather than being held on a separate date. It would also ensure the city's tie-vote process aligns with state law. A “NO” vote would allow for special elections to occur on separate dates and maintain the current tie-vote process, which differs from state law. The records from the City of Crestwood do not specify the exact financial savings anticipated by avoiding separate special elections, nor do they detail the current discrepancies between the city's tie-vote procedures and state law. This proposition proposes to amend sections 3.4, 4.3, and 8.3 of the Charter, and enact a new Section 15.5, to change the terms for the Mayor and Aldermen from three years to four years. This change would begin with the 2028 municipal election. The proposition specifies that existing term limits, set at three consecutive terms, would remain unchanged. It also outlines a transition schedule for elections from 2026 to 2031, designed to implement the new four-year terms starting in April 2028, as detailed in the City of Crestwood's public information. A “YES” vote on Proposition 4 would result in newly elected officials serving four-year terms beginning in 2028. The terms of current officials would not be affected and would remain at three years. A “NO” vote would ensure that officials continue to serve three-year terms. The public records do not include any analysis or discussion from the Charter Review Commission or the Board of Aldermen regarding the potential impacts of extended terms on voter engagement, accountability, or the continuity of city leadership. The full text of the proposed new Section 15.5 is not provided in the summary. ## The Charter Review Process and Voter Authority The City Charter mandates the formation of a Charter Review Commission at least once every 10 years. This commission evaluates the document and recommends potential amendments for voter consideration. The 2025 Charter Review Commission, responsible for these current propositions, consisted of two residents from each of Crestwood's four wards and one elected official. This group met monthly from March through November 2025, conducting multiple reviews of the Charter before recommending the four proposed amendments, according to the City of Crestwood's records. The Board of Aldermen subsequently approved these recommendations for placement on the April 7, 2026, ballot. The requirement for voter approval underscores the community's ultimate authority over its foundational legal document. Each proposition stands independently, meaning the outcome of one does not influence the others, and each requires a simple majority to pass. The City of Crestwood's public information emphasizes that the Charter serves as the city’s local constitution, establishing the framework for government and defining the procedures that guide city operations. ## Key Questions **How do these changes affect my vote in the upcoming election?** Crestwood voters will see four distinct propositions on the April 7, 2026, ballot, each requiring a separate “YES” or “NO” vote to amend the City Charter. **What are the potential financial impacts of these propositions?** Proposition 3 aims to avoid additional costs for special elections by aligning with state law, though specific financial savings are not detailed in the available records. The other propositions do not specify direct financial implications. **When would these changes take effect if approved?** If approved by voters, the amendments would become effective upon the certified election results being formally read into the City record at the April 28 Board of Aldermen meeting. Proposition 4, if passed, would extend terms to four years starting with the 2028 municipal election.