Voters in Fayette last Tuesday, Nov. 4, rejected the city’s proposal to change the elected position of City Marshal to that of Chief of Police, a position appointed by the Mayor and approved by the city council.

The measure narrowly failed at the ballot box 169 to 134, in an election that drew 23.62 percent of registered voters in Fayette, according to unofficial results. About a week before the election, Howard County Clerk Shelly Howell said she expected voter turnout to be fewer than 10 percent. But the measure had become a hot button issue on social media in the days leading up to the election, driving 304 of the town’s 1,287 registered voters to the courthouse.

Fayette’s Board of Aldermen put the measure on the ballot with the hope that an appointed Chief would broaden the pool of available candidates for the job. State statute requires an elected Marshal to live within the city limits, while an appointed Chief does not have such a geographic restriction.

Opponents rallied against taking away the citizens’ rights to vote for the Marshal and worried that the change is the first step toward disbanding the Fayette Police Department altogether in favor of contracting with the Sheriff’s office for citywide law enforcement coverage.

Such a move is not unheard of in small counties. The City of New Franklin dissolved its police department in April 2021 to contract with the sheriff’s department. And with the sheriff’s office located just one block off the downtown square in Fayette, such a transition here is not considered impractical.

Supporters of the change suggest the city could save around $200,000 a year by contracting with the county and the sheriff’s department for city law enforcement. How those savings would be used has not been addressed, although continued demands for street improvements remain high among residents here.

While contracting with the sheriff’s department has been mentioned, it has not been cited by the city as the main reason for switching to an appointed Chief. Although some speculate that was the principal driver behind the city’s effort.

Current City Marshal Timothy “Bo” Wells told this newspaper on election night that he plans to run for a full term now that the matter is settled. He was appointed Marshal by the council in August when David Ford retired from the position. The term expires at the time of the next municipal elections in April. He can now run for a full four-year term as City Marshal.

“The citizens have spoken. I think it’s time to move past this and continue to build the department,” Marshal Wells said shortly after results were released on Tuesday night. “I will be joining the election in April and running for the City Marshal position.”

The candidate filing period opens at 8 a.m. on December 9 and closes at 5 p.m. on December 30. Elections will be held on April 7, 2026.