UPDATE: Applications are due by 12pm (noon) on Friday February 10th at City Hall!
Are you a Wolfforth Resident interested in being more involved with our community? If so, the City Charter Commission might be the perfect position for you.
The Wolfforth City Council has voted to proceed with the process of becoming a Home Rule City. The City Charter Commission will be tasked with creating a City Charter that outlines the form of government, how authority will be established/defined, and how businesses should run. Currently the city operates as a Type A General Law City. Wolfforth is getting bigger, and the City Council believes this is the best next step for the City. The Wolfforth City Council is looking for Wolfforth residents to join the Charter Commission. The Charter Commission will consist of 15 members, all appointed by the City Council, and tasked with creating a City Charter for Wolfforth. One thing to note is that many cities in Texas with a population over 5,000 are Home Rule Cities, and all have a Charter than can be studied and used as a model. . With so many cities in the state of Texas being Home Rule Cities, it provides an example to follow and will guide the members in creating the Charter for Wolfforth.
You may be asking, what makes a Home Rule City? Simply put, it is a City Charter. A Charter is to a City what the US Constitution is to the US. The Charter defines our form of government, it defines how we will do business, and it empowers us as a city to define our own authority. Simply put, a General Law City has no power other than that granted to it by the State of Texas. In contrast, a Home Rule City adopts a Charter that empowers it to do anything not specifically prohibited by the State of Texas. General Law cities are governed by the State whereas Home Rule cities govern themselves. If this sounds like something you would like to be a part of and you qualify to be a part of the Charter commission, please consider submitting your Charter Commission application.
To qualify to be a part of the Charter Commission, you must
- Live in Wolfforth, TX or own a business in Wolfforth.
- Support being a Home Rule City
- Show and educate the community about what it means to be a Home Rule City and what the benefits are.
The Charter Commission will work over the next few months to create the Charter so that it is ready for placement on the November 7, 2023 ballot for approval by the voters of Wolfforth. If you wish to apply to join, please do so soon.
The application can be found on the City of Wolfforth website (wolfforthtx.us) or by clicking here.
If you have questions, please contact the Wolfforth City Manager, Randy Criswell, at rcriswell@wolfforthtx.us, or the Wolfforth City Secretary, Terri Robinette, at trobinette@wolfforthtx.us.
Either can be reached at 806-855-4120.
