The four candidates for mayor of Butler and four candidates for two seats on city council had another chance Wednesday to share their views with the public on a variety of issues.

The candidates got a chance to talk — and sometimes debate — about issues such as finances, zoning and public safety.

The event, at the Butler Public Library, was hosted by the Butler City Firefighters union. Lt. Dean Selfridge acted as master of ceremonies, asking questions submitted by audience members.

Some of the candidates offered ideas on zoning reform or new policies to improve property values and help the city grow.

Mayoral candidate Ben Smith said he would like to see rules that ensure that residential and commercial areas are planned properly.

“We don't need halfway houses in our business district,” he said.

Mayoral candidate Mike Walter said he would like to make it harder for property owners to turn houses into duplexes or multi-unit buildings.

“Taking houses and turning them into sleeping rooms shouldn't be done. It's not safe,” he said.

City council member Kenny Bonus said the city shouldn't try to reinvent the wheel, but should look to other areas for ideas.

“I think we should look to municipalities that are doing it right,” he said about zoning.

Dane Winkler, Democratic candidate for city council, said that he would like to entice people to build homes on some of the city's vacant lots through an incentive program that could include gifts from local businesses.

He said the priority should be to have new single-family homes, which would increase property values of neighboring homes.

“We want single families that are here to stay,” he said.

One way to get property owners to improve their buildings is through the Neighborhood Pride Awards that the city gives out, Mayor Tom Donaldson said.

“We have a lot of people with those signs, so it is working,” he said.

Republican council candidate Jim Kemple said that the fire department and city code officer should be involved in policing derelict properties and shutting down houses where drug dealing takes place.

“We need to tag team them,” he said.

Council member Kathy Kline said she would like to revisit an idea the council had looked at several years ago: a land value tax. It would be a tax on the value of properties as opposed to buildings on the properties.

“It might inspire them to invest,” she said about the tax having an effect on owners of vacant lots.

Donaldson also said he would like to see the city find a way to monetize its parking assets, through which it could receive a lump sum of money up front to invest in projects such as equipment replacement for the fire department.

Mayoral candidate Jamie Lee Goehring said that she would be against any plan that would involve raising parking rates in the garages and putting meters on Main Street.

City officials should be making it easier for people to be able to park downtown and patronize the local businesses there, she said.

“We are looking at a solution that would make it harder for them to come in and park,” she said.

Another topic debated at the forum was reinstituting a desk sergeant — a city police officer assigned to the police station whose duties would include taking phone calls and dispatching units.

Several of the candidates said they were in favor of bringing back the desk sergeant, or at least having a discussion about it.

Walter said he has talked with current and former officers who said they didn't like doing the job, but they still saw the importance of it for the department.

“It would give residents a safe place to go,” he said, citing a case where a victim of assault took refuge at the station and the department was able to immediately start an investigation.

Donaldson re-affirmed his stance that the city needs as many officers as possible out patrolling, but said that he would be open to having a retired officer or qualified civilian working in that role instead of an officer.

Bonus said he supports having a desk sergeant if it is a priority for the department and the community, but officials must first justify any new expense in the budget.

Donaldson, Smith and Walter are vying for the Republican party nomination for mayor and Bonus, Kline and Winkler are running for the two Democratic party nominations for council.

Kemple is uncontested in the Republican primary for council and Goehring is uncontested in the Democratic primary for mayor.