ST. GEORGE - St. George city leaders moved forward with plans to call an election to adopt or reject a proposed home rule charter plan during a city council meeting Tuesday evening.

It lays out the functional parts of the government and responsibilities of the mayor, the council, and a new city manager. It's similar to a plan of government, but according to the mayor of St. George, there is one key difference.

"The difference is with a home rule charter you have more flexibility. If we wouldn't have done the home rule charter, we would've had to stay under the Lawrason Act. The Lawrason Act doesn't really doesn't serve the needs of larger cities, we don't believe," he said. 

Yates also said a home rule charter gave St. George a way to create a government specific to them and flexibility in case changes are needed to the government. 

"In EBR, the mayor-president has a lot more authority and power to do things unilaterally without the council approval. What we built in is a system of checks and balances, where the council has a say and the mayor has a say," he said.

If approved, the city will vote to elect a mayor and seven city council members including two at large seats. The charter also includes the new position of city manager, who will be appointed by the council. 

"The mayor is going to be a pretty busy person. The city manager is going to be the person that runs the day to day stuff. So when we think about local government, what do we think about? We think about roadway maintenance, drainage maintenance, filling potholes," he said. 

The election will take place in the spring of 2025.