Roundup voters will decide in November whether to change the structure of their city government, a shift the mayor says could give the city more flexibility to address a growing problem downtown: abandoned and boarded-up buildin gs.Watch Roundup government change story here: Roundup voters to decide whether to give City Hall more flexibility to fight downtown blightRoundup currently operates under what's called general powers, meaning its authority comes from what state law provides or implies.If voters approve the change, the city would move to a self-governing setup, giving it broader latitude to address local issues, except where state law or the Constitution might limit it.Driving through Roundup, you can see the concern aging homes, shuttered storefronts and buildings in need of care.Mayor Sandra Jones says when properties deteriorate, the city's options can be limited."We are an aged city with aged infrastructure," Jones said. "If the glass was falling out and onto people, then we can begin to cite them for that. But then they can put a board in the window and there's nothing we can do about it."Supporters say the ballot question would give Roundup more tools to tackle blight."This gives the city a little bit of latitude, a little bit of leeway to, to hold owners, not feet to the fire, but to encourage them to make some minimum, take minimum care of their properties," former councilman Dave Liggett said.Liggett, who served as the chair of the Roundup government review committee, says it's not about giving the city more power it's about giving it more room to act.Some residents say more local control could mean less red tape."If you have to wait for a county or state government to do certain things because you have to go through certain protocols, it just takes a lot longer. And government can be slow," said Brandy Ferguson.For others, the hope is simpler: a main street with fewer empty buildings and more open doors."I'd like to see some of these buildings refurbished and opened up like a restaurant coming in," said Donna Bishop.From boarded-up windows to the ballot box, Roundup voters will now decide how much flexibility they want City Hall to have.This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. ...read more read less