WHEELING - Petitions to rescind Wheeling's two-officer cruiser mandate are now in the hands of city officials.
Wheeling residents George Jones and William Hefner on Tuesday presented city council with 107 petition pages bearing 2,463 signatures. The petitions call for an election in the city regarding the cruiser law, which voters initially approved in the early 1970s.
The 2,463 petition signatures exceeds the needed 10 percent of registered voters - 2,212 - to bring the matter to a vote.
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Photo by Joselyn King
Wheeling residents William Hefner, left, and George Jones await their time to present petitions at Tuesday’s Wheeling City Council meeting.
City Clerk Janice Jones now must work to validate and certify the signatures.
Mayor Andy McKenzie asked City Manager Robert Herron what would next occur if the signatures are certified.
Herron responded that the issue will be brought before council "as an ordinance to consider an election" to overturn the two-officer cruiser law.
"Hopefully, council will pass the ordinance," Herron said. "If council doesn't pass it, there will be opportunities for mandamus action to put it on the ballot."
Legal dictionaries define mandamus as ordering a public agency or governmental body to perform an act required by law when it has neglected or refused to do so.
Council members Gloria Delbrugge, Herk Henry and Vernon Seals have openly opposed eliminating the cruiser law.
Herron said that upon certification of the signatures, city officials "will come up with a game plan" for an election, and then inform the public.
McKenzie then asked Herron about the costs for such an election.
"It is the city's responsibility (to pay) for an election," Herron responded. "We did begin the process of determining the cost, and will inform council when this is complete."