Liberty Hill residents have voted in favor of adopting the city’s first home rule charter, as election results show 1,413 votes for the proposition, or 68.76%, and 642 against it.
Katie Amsler, director of community engagement and communications for the city of Liberty Hill, said the proposition passing signals a significant step in strengthening the city’s democracy at the local level.
“Liberty Hill and the voters showed up, and they clearly expressed that they are in favor of more local control,” Amsler told Community Impact. “The city is excited and eager to work closely with the residents to implement these new provisions.”
The first step for city officials will be to educate the community on changes related to the charter, Amsler said.
As of 12:25 a.m. Nov. 6, Williamson County is reporting all in-person Election Day results. All results are unofficial until canvassed.
Posted 8:10 p.m. Nov. 5
Early election results show 68.46% of voters are in favor of the city of Liberty Hill adopting its first home rule charter.
During early voting, the proposition received 1,120 votes in favor of it and 516 against.
The setup
A special election was called this November for Liberty Hill voters to weigh in on whether or not the city should become a self-governing home rule city, according to previous Community Impact reporting.
Liberty Hill is currently a general law city, meaning the city is restricted by state statute.
When cities reach a population of 5,000 or more, they’re eligible to implement their own charter, which works much like their constitution, Liberty Hill City Manager Paul Brandenburg said earlier this fall. About two years ago, a state demographer calculated the city’s population as 6,801, he said.
Zooming in
If approved, the charter would make several changes to city council, including incorporating a sixth council member and allowing the mayor to vote.
The sixth council member will likely be voted in during the May election, if the charter passes. The charter can be brought up for review every three years or through a public petition, Brandenburg told Community Impact.
What to expect
Community Impact will update this article as more Election Day vote totals are released. All results are unofficial until canvassed.
Visit communityimpact.com/voter-guide/election-results to see results from all local elections in your community.
