SHERIDAN n Just weeks before a special election, supporters and opponents of a new city administrator ordinance are attempting to educate Sheridan residents about how the new position would affect the city.

"We're trying to provide support for everyone to get out to vote and to have people informed on the position," said John Patton, who is part of a newly formed political action committee, Citizens for a Healthy and Responsible Government or CHARG.

The results of a special city election on Feb. 28 will determine whether a city administrator position will be created for the city of Sheridan. The Sheridan City Council passed a charter ordinance creating the position in October, and it was to take effect 60 days later. However, a petition that was signed by about 1,000 city residents instead sent the position to a special election. Now the fate of the city administrator position is in the hands of voters.

Through public meetings, radio programs and newspaper ads, those for and against the new position are trying to reach voters to help them better understand what a city administrator will do for Sheridan.

"You can't just assume that everybody understands, so we formed to try to make sure the positive sides were known," said Patton of CHARG, which is in favor of adding a city administrator.

The city administrator position has caused great discussion throughout the city, especially after a petition requesting a special election circulated just weeks after the Sheridan City Council passed the charter ordinance. Joyce Erpelding, who helped circulate the petition and is a member of Committee for an Informed Vote, said she is happy that voters will get to be part of the decision affecting the city government. While circulating the petition, as well as through discussions with residents as the election approaches, Erpelding said she has heard from many who are concerned about how it will change the city.

"There's pretty big questions that people are concerned about," she said.

Those concerns include wanting an elected mayor running the city day-to-day instead of an unelected, hired administrator, Erpelding said. Plus, many worry about the cost of creating the position. Overall, Erpelding said there is a lack of understanding about what the ordinance contains and how it will change the city.

"There's a lot of people that have questions. It's worrisome," Erpelding said.

Discussion about the city administrator position started last fall as Mayor Dave Kinskey and the City Council began studying the possibility of adding a city administrator. City administrators are trained, educated and experienced in managing cities or towns. Through the ordinance passed by the city in October, the city administrator would be hired by the city council and mayor and could also only be fired by them with a majority vote. The mayor/council and administrator form of government originated with U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi, while he was mayor of Gillette in the '70s.

With the introduction of a city administrator, the mayor would no longer be involved in the daily administration as Kinskey is now. And that's one of the reasons Patton said he thinks adding a professional, experienced city administrator would be a good addition to the city's government.

"They'd have a better grip on planning," he said.

With a city administrator, Patton said the mayor could focus on policy-making priorities and initiatives such as affordable housing, economic development and growth planning and management.

"I do believe that the community of Sheridan, and that means not just the city, but the county as well, in a lasting effect will be better served by the mayor/council and administrator form of government," Patton said.

Erpelding said several feel that the ordinance shouldn't even be introduced until after the mayoral elections in November. That way, she said if a new mayor is elected, he or she could decide if they want a city administrator to run the daily business of the city.

"The mayor should serve out his term," she said. "He should not change horses in the middle of the stream. I think it's bad timing."

But Patton said that since the city council has already voted on the ordinance, it cannot be brought to the table again for another four years.

Several public meetings were conducted while the city considered the new ordinance. During that time, the City Council also talked to several city officials and city administrators across the state. At least nine other cities and towns in Wyoming have city administrators, including neighboring Gillette and Riverton in Fremont County.

Sheridan City Clerk Art Elkins said the polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Feb. 28. The election, which will be at the Senior Citizen Center, is only open to city residents. Absentee ballots are available now, and new voters can register at the poll. Though there are thousands of registered voters in the city limits, Elkins said like all elections, it's hard to predict what the turnout will be like for this special election.

"It could be anywhere from several hundred to several thousands," he said.

A public forum about the city administrator, with speakers who both support and oppose the ordinance, will be at the Senior Citizen Center at 7 p.m. Wednesday.