Kent residents will decide if their city should alter its form of government after Kent City Council members voted Wednesday night to put the issue on the Nov. 5 ballot.

The vote will decide if the city's government structure will change from a council-manager form to a council-mayor (or "strong" mayor) form.

An ordinance allowing the vote was passed unanimously after almost a year of debate on the issue.

"We have no choice, we have to put it on the ballot," Kent Mayor Kathleen Chandler said, after the ordinance was passed. "It's for the public to decide."

The issue was brought to City Council's attention after the Bipartisan Committee for a Better Kent Government presented a petition containing more than the required 10 percent of Kent voters' signatures. The petition asked that the issue be placed on the November 1996 ballot.

The committee gathered 1,570 signatures, but only 1,340 signatures were needed.

One of the committee members, Lloyd Atkinson, said they finished collecting signatures in June.

"There's a percentage of our citizens that think they can't fight City Hall, but it is our city and we have the right to run the government," he said.

William Anderson, another member of the committee, said it's the responsibility of the residents to participate in their government and to be a part of the decision-making process.

"This country is still a democracy and I think the people should decide want they want," he said.

Anderson also said people are still approaching him to comment on the need to change the mayor's role in government and to make the mayor more accountable on matters of the city.

If the strong-mayor form is approved in the election, the mayor will have the power to appoint a director of administration and public safety, as well as all department heads of the city. The mayor also would be able to declare a situation an emergency. And if necessary, the mayor could assume the role of the city administrator, if qualified.

Edward Pease, Kent councilman-Ward 2, said he was disappointed that the council members waited until a petition had to be sign to make council realize the importance of a popular vote on this issue.

"I applaud the effort that went into this (petitioning) and I'm just sorry we didn't do it first and save time and effort," Pease said.