CARLSBAD — Residents of Carlsbad voted to change the way things are done in the city.

Looking to break free of some state controls by becoming a charter city, the city put the issue to vote in a primary election June 3.

The measure, called Proposition D, passed with 82 percent of the residents voting for it.

Carlsbad is now a general law city, bound by the state’s general laws on many issues, but soon it will establish its own regulatory document, called a “charter,” giving it more local control over many municipal issues.

Overall, city officials said, becoming a charter will allow the city to handle more issues on its own, such as when to hold elections and how many council members are needed for approval in a vote.

Another advantage, city officials said, is it will reaffirm the principals of growth management as outlined in the city’s Growth Management Plan, a document passed by voters in 1986, which outlines the growth of the city and land use.

As Councilwoman Julie Nygaard said earlier, “What is especially appealing to me is that we can lock in the Growth Management Plan, so we won’t be interfered with by state mandates.”

“We are pleased at our residents’ overwhelming support for the Charter City Measure,” Mayor Bud Lewis said. “The charter will make Carlsbad more self-reliant and enable the city to get more important community projects done more quickly and for less money.”

Earlier concerns over wages were addressed by City Attorney Ronald Ball, who explained that it is possible to become a charter city but still use the higher “prevailing-wage,” system used by general law cities.

The city will become a charter city as soon as the results of the election are filed with the California Secretary of State.