By ERIC SAGARA

Next year's city elections will not be conducted solely by mail, the City Council decided Tuesday night.

Instead, Tucson voters may request a mail-in ballot or vote at a polling place, the council ruled.

Officials considered an all-mail election because an audit of polling places revealed that the vast majority do not comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act.

The city must ensure that polling sites are handicap accessible, according to an agreement with the U.S. Justice Department.

City officials are trying to balance the requirements and consequences of the Federal Voting Rights Act with those of the disabilities law.

At the same time, officials are dealing with fears of voter fraud and respecting a decision made by voters earlier this year when a state proposition to require all-mail elections was defeated.

The city will spend roughly $81,000 to modify 55 polling locations with ramps.

It could mean that as few as 84 of the 135 existing polling places will be open for elections.

Tucson Unified School District officials have agreed to help with the effort by freeing up more schools to act as polling locations.

Superintendent Roger Pfeuffer wrote in a letter to Mayor Bob Walkup that TUSD schools would do so as long as education and student safety remained a priority.

City officials will appeal to other school districts for assistance.

Tucson residents will be mailed forms so they can apply for a mail-in ballot at the city's expense, said Councilman Steve Leal.

Councilwoman Nina Trasoff said a long-term plan is needed so the city does not find itself without suitable polling locations.

The 6-0 council decision came after protests during and before a public hearing Tuesday night.

Councilman José Ibarra said the council was "inundated" with phone calls and e-mails opposing the all-mail proposal.

Councilwoman Carol West missed the meeting.

In other news, the council voted to change the Greater South Park Plan to allow for residential use in an area originally dedicated for industrial and commercial use, west of Park Avenue and north of Interstate 10.

The move was a crucial step toward finalizing a plan to build The Bridges, a mixed-use development that would include retail space, houses and the University of Arizona's Arizona Bioscience Research Park.

The council also voted to increase the minimum wage paid to city employees to $6.75 an hour beginning Jan. 1 to comply with the state law that goes into effect then.

According to city records, 75 part-time, nonpermanent employees should receive raises. Of those employees, none is making less than $6 an hour, officials said.