Romulus council rejects ordinance to change council vacancy process after 4–3 vote

The Romulus City Council considered and failed to adopt an ordinance to add sections 2‑19 through 2‑26 to the city code that would formalize a council vacancy procedure. The final vote was 4 in favor and 3 opposed, short of the five votes the council’s rules require for an ordinance to pass.

Opponents framed the measure as a removal of voters’ power. Public commenter Sandra Kraut told the council, “I see this ordinance as trying to steal the power from the voters,” and repeated earlier testimony that prior practice allowed the next-highest vote getter to replace a vacated seat. Several council members echoed that concern during debate, saying appointments risked introducing selections based on “friendships, likes, and dislikes.”

Councilmember Will Hyde offered a narrowly tailored amendment to break tie scores by awarding one point for documented public service on the applicant’s form. That amendment was seconded and put to a roll-call vote; it failed (three yes, four no). The main ordinance then proceeded to a final vote and passed on a simple roll count but did not meet the five-vote threshold required for ordinances, so it failed to be adopted.

Backers argued the ordinance would provide a written procedure to avoid last year’s confusion when filling seats and to give staff guidance. Supporters said the measure was intended to produce an orderly selection process when a vacancy occurs, noting the rarity of identical scoring for two applicants. Dissenting council members said the city should preserve voters’ primacy in selecting officials.

Because the ordinance did not receive the five votes needed, it is not in effect; council members said the issue may be revisited after additional drafting or outreach. No further adoption date was scheduled during the meeting.