IRMO, S.C. — Irmo will keep its council form of government after voters on Tuesday said no to a referendum that would have formally made the town a council-manager government.
With every vote tallied, 2,378 town residents voted against the change, 53% of all votes cast. The no side came out ahead in both the Richland and Lexington county portions of town, and about two of every three ballots on the question came from the Richland side.
The question landed on the ballot after an August decision by the Town Council. In South Carolina, a town cannot switch its legal form of government on its own; residents must approve it at the polls.
Under the current setup, the five-person town council holds final responsibility for running Irmo, but the council has long handed daily work to a professional town administrator who oversees departments and prepares the budget. Town Administrator Jim Crosland recommended the switch after taking the job last year as a way to write that practice into the town structure.
Crosland said the vote amounted to a change of label and that residents will not see any difference in how the town runs. Mayor Bill Danielson said the town treated the question as a housekeeping matter and has no plans to ask voters to reconsider for now.
Section: More Irmo SC politics news
Filed under: Irmo SC Politics News
