SANFORD — Voters Tuesday will be asked to decide a citywide referendum question challenging how the city council dealt with an ordinance to override council actions.

They’ll also vote on two budget validation questions, and on a bond issue.

The bond question asks voters to approve $1.66 million in bonds, $1.5 million of which is principal, for a variety of projects in the city’s schools, including a roofing project, new windows, and heating and ventilation, electrical systems and lighting.

The bond would be paid in 10 years, at an interest rate of approximately 1.82 percent.

Referendum Question 1, certified for the June 10 ballot through a citizen petition, asks if voters wish to overturn continuance of an ordinance approved by the city council that spells out how citizens can petition for overturning council actions.

The ordinance that the group members oppose addresses charter section 1302, and the process by which citizens can immediately attempt to override council decisions.

Through an omission in that section, the current City of Sanford charter gives no time constraint for an overrule of council action. Under the prior charter, folks wanting to override council action had 30 days to form a committee, request petition forms and get them certified. The ordinance allows residents 10 days to form a committee and request petition forms, and 30 days to gather signatures to put their issue to referendum once the city clerk has issued petition forms.

Some residents balked at the ordinance, saying it takes away their voice and said there should be no time restriction to overturn a council action. They formed a committee and gathered enough signatures to bring the issue to referendum.

Councilors say there’s already another charter section to deal with overturning a council action in the long-term: section 1301, which outlines how citizens can enact an ordinance of their own choosing.

Not only is a majority vote required for the June 10 referendum, the number of voters casting ballots must meet or exceed 25 percent of votes cast in Sanford in the last gubernatorial election, which was 1,892. In the June 2013 elections, 1,579 Sanford residents voted, according to City Clerk Sue Cote.

BUDGET VALIDATIONS

Ӣ Article 1 asks voters to approve the 2014-15 municipal budget as proposed by the budget committee.

Ӣ Article 22 asks voters to approve the 2014-15 school budget.

POLLING STATIONS

Voters may cast ballots in three locations Tuesday: From 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., for Ward 1, the polling station is Nasson Community Center at 457 Main St., in the Springvale village section of the city; Ward 2 voters cast ballots at St. Ignatius Parish Hall, 25 Riverside Ave.; and Ward 3, Curtis Lake Church, 38 Westview Drive.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or [email protected].