PHILOMATH - Voters will decide this spring whether to elect city councilors by wards, an initiative that backers say will bring a more balanced voice to the elected body.

Benton County elections officials determined Feb. 5 that chief petitioners collected enough valid signatures to place the initiative on the May 20 ballot.

City councilors will discuss Feb. 24 whether to counter the initiative, either by taking an official stance or sending voters an alternative measure.

The initiative amends the city charter so voters elect two councilors in each of three wards of equal population. Voters now elect all six councilors citywide.

Jay Sexton, a chief backer of the initiative, said councilors from the eastern end of town have held a majority during three of the last seven council terms. That means other areas of the city have been underrepresented on the council during those times, he said.

He reached this conclusion by dividing the city into rough wards - west of 13th Street, between 13th and 26th and east of 26th Street - and checking the home addresses of past and current councilors.

Ironically, both the current and 1999-2000 councils had two members from each of the three proposed wards.

Electing councilors by ward also would encourage citizen participation because candidates could run an effective campaign close to home, Sexton said.

"People would be more willing to run because they don't have to go clear across town to campaign," he said.

The initiative also staggers terms in office so voters would elect three councilors - one from each ward - each November. Voters now elect all six councilors at the same time.

If voters approve the initiative, the changes would occur in time for the November 2004 general election. In order to stagger the terms, three councilors in that election would run for a one-year term while the remaining candidates would vie for two-year terms.

That change guarantees councilors with experience will remain so the city staff doesn't lead while new members catch up on the issues, Sexton said.

"I think everybody would agree you really want elected people in the driver's seat," he said.

In November, voters booted four incumbent councilors. Some felt the shake-up was due to the council's position to reroute some traffic away from portions of Main Street, the city's primary commercial stretch.

Sexton is the husband of Toni Hoyman, one of the councilors voters didn't re-elect. He was joined by May Dasch and former councilor Marv Durham as chief petitioners.

Sexton denied the changes are intended to reinstall the former councilors, including his wife, because four of them reside in one proposed ward.

Mayor Chris Nusbaum asked councilors at this week's meeting to talk with constituents before they decided how to respond to the initiative.

Some councilors did express some initial concerns, he said.

"There was some real apprehension on throwing support into the ring because each councilor said they were elected as a Philomath city councilor, not a ward representative," he said, adding that several councilors are committed to seeking re-election.

Councilor Susan Craig said she doesn't see anything wrong in the changes.

"I think it's fair, responsible and rational," she said. "It's a simple, small thing to ask to be fair and balanced for the town of Philomath."

She said a formal response to the initiative by councilors is "kind of making a mountain out of a molehill."

Corvallis voters elect their nine city councilors by ward. In 2000, one ward didn't have an announced candidate, forcing the incumbent to mount a successful write-in campaign. Last year, all nine races had at least one announced candidate.

Sexton said there's been no lack of candidates for the Philomath city council since terms were reduced from four to two years starting in 1987.

Philomath voters last amended the city charter in May 1996 to prohibit the extension of services outside of the city limits without a public vote.

Christian Hill is the government reporter for the Gazette-Times. He can be reached at 758-9523 or Christian.Hill@lee.net.