Liberty Hill's New Chapter

Home Rule Empowers Local Governance

Charlotte Kovalchuk • photo courtesy City of Liberty Hill

Strengthening local governance and giving residents more influence over the decisions that affect their lives are at the heart of Liberty Hill’s new home rule charter. On November 5, citizens showed robust support for the plan — with 1,422 in favor and 643 against — to adopt the charter that grants the City Council and community greater local control and more opportunities for civic involvement.

THE MOVE TO HOME RULE

With a population now exceeding 13,000, city leaders decided to join many other Texas cities in transitioning from a general law city to a home rule city.

Texas has two types of city governments — general law and home rule. General law cities are municipalities with a population under 5,000 that can only make decisions specifically authorized by state law.

Because Liberty Hill's population has exceeded 5,000, the state allows the city to establish its own rules for municipal government by adopting a home rule charter. Under home rule, a city may make decisions based on local needs, rather than being required to follow a one-size-fits-all model decided by state leaders.

Essentially a local constitution, a home rule charter defines the structure and duties of a city’s government, including qualifications and terms of council members and how they are elected, duties of the mayor, council, and staff members, as well as city procedures and ethics. “The new home rule charter gives us the power to manage our community better, showing how committed our voters are to local democracy. We can’t wait to get started with everyone on making this work!” Mayor Crystal Mancilla says.

With the charter in place, she’s especially excited about having a direct voice on the dais now that she is allowed to cast her vote alongside council members. And next year, following the May 3 election, a new council member will join their team, bringing the Council to six members and providing more representation for Liberty Hill citizens.

Off the dais, residents now have a larger role in shaping their city’s future with the ability to petition the council to adopt or reconsider ordinances, as well as to recall a council member or the mayor. To initiate a recall, a petition must be signed by registered voters equal to at least 15% of the city's registered voters at the time of the last regular municipal election.

Creating the home rule charter took just over a year, with a commission of diverse citizens working together to craft what they believed would be the most effective plan for Liberty Hill and its residents. The city has established a new home rule transitional committee consisting of 15 staff members who are overseeing the implementation of the charter. As they dive into the details, committee members are working with the city’s legal team to explore new possibilities now that Liberty Hill has more autonomy than before.

NEXT-CHAPTER PROJECTS

With the home rule charter in place, the city is ready to keep tackling new projects, including several already on the horizon:

 Main Street: Expanding sidewalks and narrowing road lanes to slow down traffic and make it a more pedestrian friendly area. Construction is set to begin in January.

 Downtown area: Adding landscaping, lighting, park benches, trash receptacles, and signing to the downtown.

 Liberty Hill City Park on County Road 200: Paving the parking lot and adding landscaping to the park.

 Downtown murals: Two new murals are set for completion at the end of December, one by Sarah Blankenship on the water tower and the other by Aaron Darling on the City Hall generator.

CHANGES IN LIBERTY HILL’S NEW HOME RULE CHARTER

• Mayor now has a vote.

• Number of council members increases from five to six.

• Minimum age for mayor candidates increased to 21.

• Residents can petition City Council to adopt or reconsider an ordinance.

• Residents can petition City Council for a recall election to remove a council member or the mayor.