[Charter Review Commission]
[00:00:03]
UH, I'D LIKE TO CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER.
THIS IS THE MEETING OF THE CITY OF DALLAS CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION.
IT'S CURRENTLY 6:32 PM ON NOVEMBER 7TH, 2023.
WE HAVE A QUORUM PRESENT, AND THIS MEETING IS NOW CALLED TO ORDER.
I WANNA THANK VICE CHAIR MADANO FOR PICKING UP THE SLACK FOR ME WHEN I WAS SICK, UH, LAST MEETING.
UH, FOR THE RECORD, UH, FOR EVERYONE LISTENING, EVERYONE HERE, THERE'S A SIGNUP FORM ONLINE ON THE CHARTER REVIEW WEBSITE UNDER THE MEETINGS TAB, AGAIN, THE CHARTER REVIEW WEBSITE UNDER THE MEETINGS TAB.
UH, TONIGHT WE HAVE TWO REGISTERED SPEAKERS.
UH, IF THERE ARE ANY INDIVIDUALS IN THE AUDIENCE WHO WOULD LIKE TO COME FORWARD AND SPEAK AFTER THOSE INDIVIDUALS ON MATTERS RELATED TO THE CITY CHARTER, UH, PLEASE DO SO.
UH, ALL THE SPEAKERS TONIGHT WILL HAVE, UH, THREE MINUTES TO SPEAK.
AND SO WITH THAT IN MIND, UM, WELL, LET ME ASK THIS.
IS THERE ANYONE ELSE IN THE AUDIENCE OTHER THAN, UH, WHO HASN'T SIGNED UP ALREADY, WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK TO US? NO.
ALRIGHT, WITH THAT THEN, UM, CHAIR CALLS, UH, PHILLIP KINGSTON.
PHILLIP KINGSTON, 5 9 0 1 PALO PINTO.
UM, I'M HERE BECAUSE I SUBMITTED A RAFT OF SUGGESTIONS, UH, TO YOU ALL.
HOPEFULLY I HAVE FOUND SOMETHING FOR EACH OF YOU TO HATE.
UM, UH, I'M VERY PLEASED TO BE HERE, MR. CHAIR.
THIS IS QUITE A, UH, AN AUGUST GROUP.
I THINK ONCE Y'ALL FIGURE OUT CHARTER, WE SHOULD PROBABLY JUST GIVE YOU ALL SOMETHING ELSE TO CONTINUE TO BE A COMMISSION ON.
UM, I'M THE FIRST OF MY MANY, MANY SUGGESTIONS IS THAT WE, UH, EXTEND COUNCIL TERMS TO FOUR YEARS, UH, AND RUN THEM ALL CONCURRENTLY.
UM, THERE ARE TWO RE THERE ARE, UH, MANY REASONS FOR THIS.
THE, THE MAIN PROBLEM WITH TWO YEAR TERMS, AND YOU CAN TALK TO, UH, MEMBERS OF CONGRESS OR THE STATE HOUSE ABOUT HOW MUCH FUN IT IS TO RUN EVERY TWO YEARS.
NOW, WE DON'T REALLY CARE WHETHER ELECTED OFFICIALS SUFFER.
I, I PROMISE NO ONE CARES IF ELECTED OFFICIALS SUFFER.
BUT, UM, WHAT WHAT HAPPENS IS THAT CITY GOVERNMENT SUFFERS.
UM, THESE TERMS ARE 24 MONTHS LONG CURRENTLY, AND, UH, THE TYPICAL CAMPAIGN BEGINS IN OCTOBER OF THE YEAR BEFORE THE MAY ELECTION.
UM, WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT WHETHER THEY ADMIT IT OR NOT, UM, COUNCIL CANDIDATES AND INCUMBENTS BOTH GET REAL, UH, MEEK ABOUT MAKING CHANGES WITHIN THE PERIOD OF TIME WHERE THEY THINK THAT THAT MIGHT BE HELD AGAINST THEM BY VOTERS IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS.
UM, YOU, YOU WILL, YOU WILL SEE, AND YOU CAN TRACK THIS VERY EASILY, YOU CAN SEE IMPORTANT AND CONTROVERSIAL ITEMS BEING PUSHED PAST THE ELECTION DATE, UM, AND DELAYED FOR UNTIL PEOPLE FEEL COMFORTABLE THAT THEY'RE GONNA BE THERE.
UM, THE REASON FOR RUNNING THE ELECTIONS CONCURRENTLY IS THAT YOU WANT EVERYONE RUNNING AT ONCE.
UM, THEY'RE PRIMARILY COMPOSED OF SPENDING MONEY AND RESOURCES ON CREATING BUDS.
UH, WHEN WE HAVE A MAYORAL ELECTION THAT IS CONTESTED, UH, WE HAVE OUR HIGHEST TURNOUT IN THE CITY.
THE LAST CONTESTED MAYORAL ELECTION IS APPROXIMATELY 75 OR 80,000 VOTERS, UH, MUCH BETTER THAN A TYPICAL NON-MORAL YEAR, WHICH MIGHT SEE, UH, AS MANY AS 40,000 VOTERS, SOMETIMES ONLY 30.
UM, AND THIS IS NOT GOOD FOR A CITY WITH ALMOST 700,000 REGISTERED VOTERS.
UM, MORE VOTERS MEANS MORE VOICES.
MR. KINGSTON, THAT'S YOUR TIME.
I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS IF ANYBODY HAS ANY.
I THINK IT'S PRETTY SELF-EXPLANATORY.
UH, MR. KINGSTON, IF, IF YOU'D LIKE TO TALK A LITTLE LONGER, GIVE YOU SAY FIVE MORE MINUTES.
I'M, I'M, I THINK WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY IS IMPORTANT, AND I'D LIKE TO HEAR ALL OF IT.
[00:05:01]
I'VE READ OVER, YOU KNOW, WHAT YOU'VE PROPOSED AND THERE'S SEVERAL THINGS, BUT YOU KNOW, I I IF YOU'D LIKE SOME MORE TIME, UH, WE CAN GIVE YOU FIVE MORE MINUTES.I CAN JUST, I WON'T EVEN USE ALL OF IT.
UH, MR. CHAIR, THE, THE ISSUE OF THIS PROPOSAL DOVETAILS WITH ONE THAT YOU'RE GOING TO HEAR ALSO TONIGHT THAT I BELIEVE WAS SUBMITTED BY COMMISSIONER DE LA FUENTE, UH, FOR MOVING THE ELECTION TO NOVEMBER.
SOMETHING I'M ALSO IN FAVOR OF.
UM, YOU MAY HEAR SOME LEGAL QUIBBLES FROM CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE.
A LITTLE BIRDIE TOLD ME THAT THERE MIGHT BE SOME PUSHBACK ON THAT.
I WOULD, UH, POINT OUT THAT OTHER CITIES IN TEXAS HAVE MOVED THEIR ELECTIONS WITH NO NEGATIVE REPERCUSSIONS.
UM, WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT MAY VOTERS AND MUNICIPAL VOTERS IS THAT THEY'RE OLDER AND MORE CONSERVATIVE THAN THE REST OF OUR CITY.
THE, THE ELECTIONS WERE INITIALLY PLACED IN MAY, UM, OUT OF A SENSE OF WANTING TO REMOVE THE ELECTION FROM THE CORRUPTION OF THE PARTISAN POLITICAL PROCESS.
UM, I DON'T THINK PARTY POLITICS IS NECESSARILY CORRUPT.
I SERVED WITH TWO PEOPLE WHO WERE CONVICTED OF FELONIES AND MAYBE TWO OTHERS WHO MIGHT, SHOULD HAVE BEEN.
UM, AND I DON'T THINK THAT PARTY POLITICS HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH THAT, BUT I DO THINK THAT THE MORE VOTERS YOU HAVE, THE BETTER GAUGE OF PUBLIC OPINION YOU ACTUALLY GET.
AND SINCE IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE A REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT, I, I FIND THAT TO BE IMPORTANT.
SO THAT'S ANOTHER, THAT'S A REASON FOR BOTH NOVEMBER ELECTIONS AND CONCURRENT TERMS WITH EVERYBODY RUNNING ALL AT ONCE EVERY FOUR YEARS.
UH, FIVE AT THIS TIME, THE CHAIR CALLS, UH, RANDALL BRYANT.
AND SINCE WE EXTENDED, UH, TO FIVE MINUTES FOR MR. KINGSTON, WE WILL DO SO FOR THE, UH, ALL SPEAKERS COMING FORWARD TODAY.
RANDALL BRYANT, THREE 50 NORTH IRV BAY STREET.
UM, ALTHOUGH PHILLIP AND I SHARE THE SAME ATTIRE TONIGHT, WE'RE NOT GONNA SHARE THE SAME SENTIMENTS ON HOW WE DEAL WITH THIS MEASURE
UM, BUT I AM SPEAKING IN TODAY IN SUPPORT OF AMENDING OUR CHARTER, UH, TO MODIFY OUR COUNCIL TERMS AND COUNCIL, UH, TERM LIMITS, THE TERM LIMITS AND THE TERM LIMITS FROM A CONSTITUENCY VANTAGE POINT.
UM, AND SOME OF YOU THAT HAVE SERVED ON COUNCIL CAN ATTEST TO THIS WINNING AN ELECTION IN MAY OR JUNE IN AN ODD YEAR, UH, AND THEN GEARING UP TO RUN A YEAR LATER TAKES AWAY FROM THE ABILITY TO SERVE YOUR DISTRICT.
AND IT HINDERS YOU FROM TAKING CERTAIN STANCES ON ISSUES WITH THE FEAR OF CONSEQUENTIAL REPERCUSSIONS IN AN ELECTION RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER AT ALL TIMES.
EXTENDING TERM LIMITS, AT LEAST ONE YEAR, WOULD ALLOW COUNCIL MEMBERS THE OPPORTUNITY TO FULLY LEARN THEIR DISTRICTS, LEARN THE PROCESS OF CITY HALL WORK TO BECOME GOOD POLICY DECISION MAKERS AND NOT GOOD POLITICIANS BECAUSE AN ELECTION IS ALWAYS DRAWING NEAR EXTENDING COUNCIL TERM.
COUNCIL TERMS COULD ALSO DETER, UH, THE DESIRES OF IMMEDIATELY PAST TERM LIMITED COUNCIL MEMBERS, THE URGE TO WANT TO RETURN TO CITY HALL OR AT LEAST IN A DIFFERENT CAPACITY.
LASTLY, FROM AN ELECTION PERSPECTIVE, GOING TO A THREE YEAR, THREE TERM MODEL WILL ALSO ALLOW FOR COUNCIL MEMBERS TO SERVE ONE ADDITIONAL YEAR AND RUN ONE LESS CAMPAIGN AS IT RELATES TO STAGGERING AND REALLY PAY ATTENTION TO THIS.
IN 19 91, 19 99, 2007 AND 2015, ALL FOUR ELECTED AFRICAN AMERICANS TO THE DALLAS CITY COUNCIL WERE ALL FRESHMEN.
HAVING THE ENTIRE DELEGATION THAT REPRESENTS THE BLACK COMMUNITY WITH NO SENIORITY PUT US AT A, A STATE OF DEFICIENCY EACH TIME.
NOW, THAT HAS CHANGED A BIT SINCE THEN, BUT THE OPPORTUNITY STILL DOES EXIST.
JUST AS THE OPPORTUNITY STILL EXIST, UH, STILL EXISTED TO ELECT AN OVERWHELMINGLY NEW MAJORITY TO THE COUNCIL AS WE DID IN 2007, WHEN EIGHT COUNCIL MEMBERS, THOSE SAME FOUR AFRICAN AMERICANS AS WELL AS THE MAYOR, WERE ALL FRESHMEN BRINGING NINE NEW MEMBERS TO CITY HALL.
STAGGERING THOSE ELECTIONS, ACCORDING TO A DESIGN THAT I'VE CREATED, WILL ALLOW A MINIMAL TERM LIMITED EFFECT ON THE CURRENT COUNCIL MEMBERS, AND WOULD ENSURE THAT NO MORE THAN SIX MEMBERS OF THIS BODY WOULD EVER BE REPLACED AT ONE GIVEN TIME.
UH, YES, MR. CHAIR, COULD I ASK MR. BRIAN A QUESTION? MR. BRIAN, YOU MIND COMING BACK UP? YES, MA'AM.
[00:10:01]
UM, I, I FIND THE ARGUMENT COMPELLING THAT ELECTIONS THAT ARE ALL TOGETHER AND NOT STAGGERED CREATE GREATER VOTER TURNOUT.DO YOU HAVE SOME EVIDENCE TO THE CONTRARY THAT ELECTIONS THAT ARE NOT STAGGERED HAVE A HIGHER TURNOUT? YEAH, I'M, I'M JUST, UH, I'M WORRIED THAT WITH STAGGERED TURNOUT, WE COULD REDUCE VOTER TURNOUT.
AND IF THAT'S IT, AND IF I'M WRONG ABOUT THAT ASSUMPTION, I'D LIKE TO BETTER UNDERSTAND.
SO I THINK NUMBER ONE, WE HAVE A, A, A LARGER PROBLEM WITH VOTER TURNOUT.
THE FIRST 1991 ELECTION, I BELIEVE TURNED OUT, ACTUALLY, I HAVE THE DATA RIGHT HERE, IF YOU GIMME JUST A SECOND.
UH, THE FIRST ELECTION IN 1991 TURNED OUT 162,000 PEOPLE.
UM, THAT WAS 36% OF THE TOTAL 444,000 REGISTERED VOTERS IN THE FIRST 1991 ELECTION.
THE LAST ELECTION TURNED OUT 51,792 OF 648,174 PEOPLE JUST UNDER 8%.
WE'RE DOING GREATER GOOD WITH REGISTERING VOTERS, BUT AS THE SYSTEM STANDS RIGHT NOW, WE'RE NOT TURNING OUT PEOPLE.
SO I, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE, AS AS FAR AS LIKE DATA SPEAKS TO, UH, CHANGING THE STAGGERING TERMS, WE SEE IT ALREADY HAPPENING ON THE DALLAS, UH, SCHOOL, DALLAS, ISD, UM, SCHOOL RACES.
UM, BUT THERE'S A LARGER PROBLEM WITH VOTER APATHY, UM, THAT I DON'T THINK MOVING THE ELECTIONS TO NOVEMBER OR STAGGERING REALLY FIXES I'M TALKING ABOUT FROM A PERSPECTIVE OF, OF, OF ALLOWING THE COUNCIL MEMBERS TO DO THE WORK OF, OF WHAT THEY WERE ELECTED FOR, NOT CONTINUOUSLY RUNNING ALL THE TIME.
CAN I ALSO ASK MR. BRYAN SOME QUESTIONS? UH, YES.
UH, MR. BRYAN, THANK YOU SO MUCH, MUCH FOR COMING OUT TODAY.
I THINK YOU KNOW THAT I THINK YOU'RE ONE OF THE SMARTEST PEOPLE IN THE CITY WHEN IT COMES TO CITY COUNCIL.
UH, CITY HALL, AND I THINK YOU HAVE A LOT TO OFFER THIS COMMISSION.
I KNOW YOU'VE SUBMITTED OTHER CHARTER AMENDMENTS THAT I'M EAGERLY AWAITING TO LOOK OVER.
UM, BUT REGARDING THIS ONE, I DO HAVE SOME CONCERNS.
I'D LIKE YOU TO ADDRESS THE FIRST REGARDS, REDISTRICTING.
IF YOU STAGGER, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE SITUATIONS WHERE AFTER A REDISTRICTING SITUATION, YOU TAKE A DISTRICT LIKE MINE, DISTRICT ONE, UH, DISTRICT ONE IN THE, THE NEW LINES IN 2023 TOOK IN A A, A DECENT CHUNK OF THE OLD DISTRICT, UH, THREE.
AND IF MY CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT HAD NOT BEEN IN CYCLE AFTER DISTRICTING, THESE INDIVIDUALS WHO LIVED IN THE OLD DISTRICT THREE WOULD HAVE THEIR NEW COUNCILMAN FORCED ON THEM WITHOUT THE ABILITY TO WEIGH IN.
DO YOU THINK THIS IS A PROBLEM? YEAH, I THINK THAT, UM, AND MAYBE FORMER TRUSTEES SO LEAST COULD SPEAK TO IT ON HOW THEY DID IT AT, AT SCHOOL DISTRICT.
UM, I DO THINK, UM, YOU KNOW, ADDING, EVEN IF WE ADDED COUNCIL MEMBERS, UM, THROUGH THIS PROCESS OF CHARTER AMENDMENTS, UH, IT CREATES, UM, UM, A SITUATION THAT HAS TO BE LOOKED AT.
I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT.
UM, BUT YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY CORRECT.
IF, IF WE WENT THROUGH A REDISTRICTING PROCESS LIKE WE DO EVERY 10 YEARS, WHICH I SERVED ON THE LAST COMMISSION, UM, AND, AND THE PROCEEDING ELECTION DID NOT COVER THE NEW, THE NEWLY ENCOMPASSED DISTRICT, EITHER, UM, THE, THE, THE RESIDENTS OF THAT DISTRICT WOULD BE SERVED BY A COUNCIL MEMBER FOR A PERIOD OF TIME THAT THEY DID NOT ELECT.
UH, OKAY, MY NEXT QUESTION IS, MY UNDERSTANDING OF THE WAY THIS WOULD NEED TO WORK UNDER CURRENT STATE LAW IS SINCE WE HAVE A 15 MEMBER COUNCIL, 14 SINGLE MEMBER DISTRICTS PLUS AN AT LARGE MAYOR, UH, IF WE DID THIS EVERY SINGLE YEAR, WE WOULD ELECT FIVE MEMBERS OF THE DALLAS CITY COUNCIL.
IN TWO YEARS, IT WOULD BE FIVE SINGLE MEMBER COUNCIL MEMBERS.
IN THE THIRD YEAR IT WOULD BE THE MAYOR PLUS FOUR SINGLE MEMBER DISTRICTS.
DO YOU THINK THIS CREATES A SITUATION BY WHICH FOUR DISTRICTS ARE WINNERS BECAUSE THEY ONLY NEED TO VOTE ONCE EVERY THREE YEARS AND 10 DISTRICTS, THE VAST MAJORITY ARE LOSERS BECAUSE WE'RE GONNA FORCE THESE INDIVIDUALS TO VOTE TWICE EVERY THREE YEARS.
I'M NOT SURE I FOLLOWED THAT LAST PART.
'CAUSE I THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING SOMEWHERE ELSE.
WOULD IT SAY THAT, IF YOU DON'T MIND JUST REPEATING THAT QUESTION AGAIN.
SO, SO AGAIN, IF WE ELECT 15 PEOPLE TO DALLAS CITY COUNCIL, 14 SINGLE MEMBER, ONE AT LARGE, THE MAYOR, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THE WAY THIS PROPOSAL WOULD NEED TO WORK IS EVERY SINGLE YEAR WE ELECT FIVE PEOPLE TO THE DALLAS CITY COUNCIL IN CYCLES
[00:15:01]
A AND B, WE WOULD ELECT FIVE SINGLE MEMBER COUNCIL MEMBERS IN CA IN, IN CYCLE C, WE WOULD ELECT FOUR SINGLE MEMBER COUNCIL MEMBERS.AND THE MAYOR, THEREFORE, IN CYCLE C, THE FOUR DISTRICTS THAT ARE PAIRED WITH THE MAYOR, THEIR, THEIR RESIDENTS ARE WINNERS IN THIS.
THEY ONLY NEED TO VOTE ONCE EVERY THREE YEARS.
THEY CAN, THEY CAN, NOTHING WILL BE ON THEIR BALLOT IN CYCLES, A OR B.
BUT IF YOU LIVE IN ONE OF THE 10 DISTRICTS THAT ARE PLACED IN CYCLES A OR B, THOSE INDIVIDUALS, WE FORCED TO VOTE IN CYCLES A OR B AS WELL AS C.
AND DO YOU THINK THIS CREATES A SITUATION WHERE THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE CITY IS BURDENED BY THIS? I, I THINK I UNDERSTAND WHERE YOU'RE GOING AND, AND THEN, SO THE ONLY THING I WOULD OFFER TO THAT IS THAT IT'S NOT A GUARANTEE THAT EVERY COUNCIL DISTRICT WOULD EVEN HAVE A CONTESTED RACE.
SO, SO SOME OF THOSE THAT YOU'RE REFERRING TO WOULDN'T EVEN, SOME WOULD NOT EVEN QUALIFY UNDER SOME CONDITIONS TO EVEN RUN IF, IF THE RACE WAS UNCONTESTED.
UM, AND, AND THEN I THINK THE ONLY OTHER THING, I DIDN'T OFFER THIS TO IT, BUT I THINK ONE THING TO REALLY BOOST, BUT TO TURN THAT BACK TO THE INITIAL QUESTION, NOT YOURS, BUT COMMISSIONER HUNT'S WAS, UM, IF THERE WAS A, AT LARGE SYSTEM TO A LARGE MEMBERS, AND THAT BASICALLY EVERY CYCLE, FOUR COUNCIL MEMBERS PLUS THAT LARGE COUNCIL MEMBER WOULD WANT, WOULD RUN.
AND THAT, THAT WAY EVERY YEAR YOU'RE, YOU'RE, YOU'RE VOTING.
SO IF YOU HAD FOUR COUNCIL MEMBERS PLUS ONE AT LARGE, AND THEN FOUR COUNCIL MEMBERS PLUS ONE AT LARGE, AND THEN FIVE COUNCIL MEMBERS WITH THE MAYOR, EVERY YEAR YOU'RE, YOU'RE VOTING ON SOMETHING, WHETHER THAT'S AN AT LARGE SEAT OR THE MAYOR OR COUPLED BACK WITH THE, THE SCHOOL, THE SCHOOL DISTRICT RACES, YOU'RE VOTING EVERY YEAR.
SO I, I NEED TO JUMP IN HERE ON A PARLIAMENTARY MATTER.
WE, WE'VE GOTTA STAY LIMIT THE QUESTIONS TO THE TOPICS DISCUSSED BY THE SPEAKER.
SO WE'RE GOING A LITTLE BIT OFF TRACK HERE.
SO, UH, LIKE THAT, I THINK THAT'S TO YOU, DAVID.
'CAUSE I'M JUST ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS.
I I, I AM ONLY ASKING ABOUT THE PROPOSAL, BUT I, I CAN STOP.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR THE SPEAKER? THANK YOU, SIR.
IS, IS THERE ANYONE ELSE, UH, HERE WHO'D LIKE TO SPEAK TO THE COMMISSION BEFORE WE MOVE ON TO OTHER MATTERS? HEARING NONE, THEN WE'LL PROCEED.
UH, OUR NEXT ORDER OF BUSINESS IS TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FOR OUR OCTOBER 24TH, 2023 MEETING.
MR. CHAIRMAN, UH, IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? YES, MR. YOUNG, I HAVE A CORRECTION TO OFFER, WHICH IS THE MEETING DATE IS STATED TO BE OCTOBER 12TH, 2023.
AND IT SHOULD BE OCTOBER 24TH, 2023.
CAN I GET A, WELL, IS THERE ANY MORE DISCUSSION, UH, ON THE MINUTES BEYOND THAT? OKAY.
UH, CAN I GET A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES WITH THAT CORRECTED CHANGE OF THE DATE TO OCTOBER 12TH TO OCTOBER 24TH? 2023.
UH, TONIGHT WE HAVE, UH, THREE BRIEFING PRESENTATIONS.
THERE'S ACTUALLY, I BELIEVE GONNA BE TWO AS WE GET INTO IT, UH, DUE TO SOME, UH, ISSUES WE'LL TALK ABOUT IN A BIT.
UH, BUT ANYWAY, UH, TO KEEP US ON SCHEDULE AS WE GO THROUGH THESE, I'D LIKE TO ASK, UH, THE COMMISSIONERS, UH, AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE PRESENTATION, IF YOU CAN LIMIT YOUR QUESTIONS TO FIVE MINUTES, AND THEN IF THERE'S FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS AFTER THAT TO ONE MINUTE, I THINK THAT'LL HELP US, UH, MOVE ALONG AND, AND GET DONE ON TIME.
SO, WITH THAT SAID, OUR FIRST BRIEFING ITEM COMES FROM THE CITY SECRETARY'S OFFICE REGARDING CITY OF DALLAS ELECTIONS.
GOOD EVENING, CHAIR AND COMMISSION.
MY NAME IS BILLY RAY JOHNSON, CITY SECRETARY FOR THE CITY OF DALLAS.
THIS EVENING, I WILL BE GOING OVER THE CITY OF DALLAS ELECTIONS JOINT AGREEMENT, ELECTION CONTRACT AND COST.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO NOTE THAT EARLIER TODAY I DID ADD A SLIDE.
HOPEFULLY YOU HAVE THE REVISED PRESENTATION, AND I MADE SOME CHANGES ON ONE OF THE SLIDES.
THIS EVENING, WE'LL GO OVER SOME GENERAL ELECTION INFORMATION.
[00:20:01]
ELECTION AGREEMENT CONTRACT FOR ELECTION SERVICES MAY VERSUS NOVEMBER ELECTIONS.POLLING PLACE RULES IN ELECTION COST.
THE CITY OF DALLAS IS LOCATED WITHIN FIVE COUNTIES, COLIN, DALLAS, DENTON, KAUFMAN, AND ROCKWALL.
HOWEVER, REGISTERED VOTERS RESIDE ONLY IN THREE COUNTIES, DALLAS, COLIN, AND DENTON COUNTIES.
GENERAL ELECTIONS ARE HELD IN MAY OF ODD NUMBERED YEARS.
THE COUNCIL IS TERM RESTRICTED AT A TOTAL OF EIGHT YEARS OF EACH OF SERVICE.
EACH MAYOR PLACED 15 SERVES TWO FOUR YEAR TERMS, COUNCIL MEMBERS, PLACES ONE THROUGH 14 SERVES FOUR, TWO YEAR TERMS. CITY OF DALLAS COUNCIL TERMS ARE NOT STAGGERED.
I KNOW THIS IS INFORMATION YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH.
UH, SPECIAL ELECTIONS SUCH AS BOND, CHARTER AMENDMENTS, SALE OF PARK LAND, AND COUNCIL SEAT VACANCIES CAN BE HELD IN MAY OR NOVEMBER IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TEXAS ELECTION CODE.
THE CITY OF DALLAS CONDUCTS ITS ELECTIONS BY PARTICIPATING IN A JOINT ELECTION WITH OTHER ENTITIES WITHIN DALLAS COUNTY.
THERE ARE TWO OTHER, TWO OTHER OPTIONS.
HOWEVER, THE CITY OF DALLAS PARTICIPATES IN A JOINT ELECTION, UH, AGAIN WITH OTHER DALLAS COUNTIES OR OTHER COUNTIES.
A JOINT ELECTION AGREEMENT IS WHEN TWO POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS WHO ARE HOLDING ELECTIONS ON THE SAME DAY IN THE SAME COUNTY JOINTLY HOLD THEIR ELECTIONS IN COMMON PRECINCTS.
THE JOINT ELECTION AGREEMENT MUST BE APPROVED BY THE GOVERNING BODIES OF ALL PARTICIPATING POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS.
NEXT SLIDE PARTIES TO THE AGREEMENT.
THE COUNTY ELECTION OFFICER, WHICH ARE COUNTY ELECTIONS ADMINISTRATOR, COUNTY TAX ASSESSOR COLLECTOR, OR DEPUTY COUNTY CLERK OR DEPUTY.
AND THE GOVERNING BODY OF A POLITICAL SUBDIVISION LOCATED WHOLLY OR PARTLY IN THE COUNTY, WHICH IS CITY OF DALLAS, IS A POLITICAL SUBDIVISION.
NEXT SLIDE, TWO OR MORE POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS CAN ENTER INTO A JOINT ELECTION AGREEMENT IF THE ELECTION IS HELD ON THE SAME DAY, IS HELD IN AND ALL ARE PART OF, OF THE SAME COUNTY.
THE JOINT ELECTION AGREEMENT ONLY COVERS PRECINCTS THAT CAN BE SERVED BY COMMON POLLING LOCATIONS.
THE DALLAS CALLING AND DENTON ELECTION ADMINISTRATORS MUST IN THIS ACCORDANT TO THE ELECTION CODE, MUST CONTRACT TO FURNISH SERVICES REQUESTED ACCEPT ELECTIONS ON MAY, UNIFORM DATE AND EVEN NUMBERED YEARS, AND IT ALSO MUST TRAIN ELECTION JUDGES AND CLERKS.
OKAY, CONTRACT FOR ELECTION ELECTION SERVICES.
THE CITY SECRETARY'S OFFICE DOES NOT HAVE STAFFING AND EQUIPMENT TO CONDUCT ITS OWN ELECTIONS.
THEREFORE, THE CITY OF DALLAS ELECTIONS ARE ADMINISTERED BY DALLAS CALLING AND DENTON COUNTIES.
AND THE REASON FOR THAT IS EQUIPMENT COSTLY AND, AND MAINTAINING THAT.
AND AGAIN, OUR ELECTIONS ARE EVERY TWO YEARS ORDERING BALLOTS, HIRING AND TRAINING WORKERS, UM, TABULATING AND, AND JUST TABULATING THOSE RESULTS.
WE DON'T HAVE THE STAFFING NOR THE EQUIPMENT FOR THAT.
A CONTRACT WITH THE ELECTION SERVICES IS A CONTRACT BETWEEN THE POLITICAL SUBDIVISION HOLDING AN ELECTION IN THE COUNTY AND THE COUNTY ELECTION OFFICER FOR SPECIFIC ELECTION SERVICES THAT THE COUNTY ELECTION OFFICER WOULD PERFORM IN A COUNTYWIDE ELECTION.
THE CONTRACT MAY PROVIDE FOR THE COUNTY ELECTION OFFICER TO PERFORM OR TO SUPERVISE THE PERFORMANCE OF ANY OR ALL OF THE DUTIES THAT THE OFFICER PERFORMS IN A COUNTYWIDE ELECTION ORDERED BY THE COMMISSIONER'S COURT.
THE COUNTY ELECTION OFFICER CANNOT CHARGE FOR DUTIES THAT MUST BE PERFORMED BY LAW, BE PERSONALLY PAID FOR SERVICES UNDER CONTRACT.
THE COUNTY ELECTION OFFICER CAN CHARGE UP TO 10% OF THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF THE CONTRACT FOR GENERAL SUPERVISION OF THE ELECTION.
THE CONTRACT MUST INCLUDE A COST SCHEDULE THAT IS AGREED TO BY BOTH PARTIES.
THE COUNTY MAY ONLY USE FUNDS FOR EXPENSES DIRECTLY ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE CONTRACT.
ANY ADVANCE FUNDS OVER THE ACTUAL EXPENSES MUST BE REFUNDED TO THE POLITICAL SUBDIVISION.
THE CONTENTS OF THE CONTRACT WILL BEGIN WITH POLLING PLACES, WHICH IS A LARGER, UH, PART OF THE ELECTION COST.
COUNTY POLLING PLACE CAN BE USED AS A CALMING POLLING
[00:25:01]
PLACE.AN ENTITY MAY USE A CALMING POLLING PLACE LOCATED OUTSIDE THEIR OWN TERRITORY.
IF ADEQUATELY AND CON, ADEQUATELY AND CONVENIENTLY SERVICES AFFECTED VOTERS AND FACILITATES ORDERLY ELECTIONS, ELECTION OFFICERS, THAT'S ANOTHER EXPENSE.
IF THEY ARE ELIGIBLE TO SERVE AS ELECTION WORKERS FOR ONE ENTITY, THEY CAN SERVE ALL PARTICIPATING ENTITIES UNDER THAT CONTRACT.
BALLOTS, UH, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN HAVE A JOINT BALLOT IS WHAT WE USE.
WE DON'T USE, BUT IT, IT IS ALLOWABLE ON THE ELECTION CODE TO HAVE SEPARATE BALLOTS AVAILABLE TO AVOID INELIGIBLE VOTING OR FACILITATE PROVISIONAL VOTING FOREMAN RECORDS, UH, CAN COMBINE IN ANY MANNER CONVENIENT AND ADEQUATE TO RECORD AND REPORT RESULTS OF ELECTION.
IF, AND THIS IS THE, UM, DALLAS COUNTY AND COLLIN COUNTY PARTICIPATES IN THE COUNTYWIDE POLLING PLACE.
DENTON COUNTY DOES NOT OR HAS NOT BEEN APPROVED, BUT IF THE POLITICAL SUBDIVISION IS HOLDING ALL OR PART OF THEIR ELECTION IN A COUNTY THAT IS HOLDING AN ELECTION ON THE NOVEMBER UNIFORM ELECTION DATE UNDER THE CONTRACT COUNTYWIDE POLLING PLACE PROGRAM, THEN THAT POLITICAL SUBDIVISION MUST HOLD VOTING AT EVERY COUNTYWIDE POLLING PLACE IN THE COUNTY ON ELECTION DAY.
IF THE POLITICAL SUBDIVISION IS LOCATED WHOLLY OR PARTLY WITHIN A COUNTY-WIDE COUNTY, AND THEY ARE HOLDING A NOVEMBER ELECTION, THEN THEY MAY WISH TO CONTRACT WITH THAT COUNTY TO REDUCE COSTS AND TO ENSURE THAT THEY HAVE ENOUGH VOTING EQUIPMENT ON ELECTION DAY THAT WOULD APPLY TO COLLIN IN DENTON COUNTY.
WE ARE PARTIALLY LOCATED IN THOSE COUNTIES, UH, AND WE DO CONTRACT WITH COLIN AND DENTON COUNTIES.
THE EXPENSES OF A JOINT ELECTION ARE ALLOCATED AND PROVIDED BY THE JOINT ELECTION AGREEMENT.
POLLING PLACE RULES AS MENTIONED EARLIER, UM, FOR ELECTION DAY IN MAY ELECTIONS, LOCAL ENTITIES GENERALLY HAVE THE ABILITY TO SELECT THEIR OWN POLLING PLACE LOCATIONS IN NOVEMBER ELECTIONS.
THE LOCAL ENTITY MUST AGAIN USE THE COUNTY'S ELECTION PRECINCTS AND MUST USE THE COUNTY'S POLLING PLACE THAT CORRESPOND TO THOSE PRECINCTS THAT INCLUDE THE ENTITY VOTERS.
DALLAS AND COLLIN COUNTIES WERE APPROVED AND USES THE COUNTYWIDE POLLING PLACE PROGRAM, WHICH MEANS THAT A LOCAL ENTITY LOCATED AGAIN, WE'RE, UH, PARTIALLY LOCATED.
AND COLIN MUST USE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THE COUNTY'S POLLING PLACES ON ELECTION DAY.
DALLAS COUNTY COUNTYWIDE POLLING PLACE PROGRAM WAS APPROVED IN LATE SUMMER OF 2019, AND IT INITIALLY ADOPTED 469 VOTE CENTERS OR POLLING PLACES IN APRIL OF 2 20 23.
UM, A HIGH LOW TURNOUT MODEL FOR VOTE CENTERS WAS APPROVED, UM, MAY ELECTIONS.
AND, AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT IN MAY ELECTIONS, UM, ENTITIES, POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS CAN OPT FOR THE LOW TURNOUT MODEL OF 3,370 VOTE CENTERS.
NOVEMBER ELECTIONS, AGAIN, MUST USE THE HIGH TURNOUT MODEL OF 465 VOTE CENTERS.
I WILL NOTE THAT, UM, THAT THOSE VOTE CENTERS AND THAT IF THE POLLING PLACE PROGRAM IS BEING LOOKED INTO FURTHER, BUT AS OF RIGHT NOW, THIS IS WHAT HAS BEEN VOTED, UM, INTO PLACE.
EARLY VOTING POLLING PLACE RULES IN MAY ELECTIONS.
LOCAL ENTITIES GENERALLY HAVE THE ABILITY TO DECIDE WHERE TO PLACE, WHERE TO PLACE EACH OF THEIR VOTING, UH, EARLY VOTING LOCATIONS IN NOVEMBER ELECTIONS, THE LOCAL ENTITY MUST USE AT LEAST ONE OF THE COUNTY'S EARLY VOTING LOCATIONS.
OKAY, ON THIS SLIDE HERE, IT LISTS THE CITY OF DALLAS'S ELECTIONS THAT WE PARTICIPATED IN.
AND BEFORE I GET INTO THE NUMBERS, THE INFORMATION THAT'S ON THE GRID HERE, IT'S JUST DALLAS COUNTY ELECTION COST.
I MADE A NOTE AT THE BOTTOM THAT COLLIN COUNTY, WHICH HAS 36 VOTE CENTERS.
UM, AVERAGE ELECTION COST IS ABOUT $30,000.
UH, IN DENTON COUNTY, WHICH HAS THREE POLLING LOCATIONS.
AVERAGE ELECTION COST IS ABOUT $15,000, BUT THE BULK OF CITY OF DALLAS ELECTION COSTS IS, UH, FROM DALLAS COUNTY.
THE FIRST TWO COLUMNS, IT REPRESENTS
[00:30:01]
THE WELL MAY 19 TWO, MAY, 2019, GENERAL ELECTION IN THE JUNE, 2019 RUNOFF ELECTION.THAT IS THE LAST CONTESTED, LET ME SAY THAT.
AND I'M KIND OF, IT'S A LOT OF INFORMATION HERE, BUT IT, IT, UM, AND, AND IT, THE NUMBERS MOVE, BUT IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, UM, BECAUSE THE TYPE, EITHER THE TYPE OF ELECTION OR THE POLLING PLACES, BUT I'LL, I'LL TRY TO EXPLAIN.
BUT THE MAY, 2019 WAS PRE, UM, COUNTYWIDE POLLING PLACES.
AND IT, IT WAS ALSO A MAYORAL ELECTION.
WHAT YOU HAVE, AND YOU CAN SEE HERE, IT'S THE PARTICIPATING ENTITIES.
AND AGAIN, THIS IS THE ELECTION PRIOR TO THE, UM, THE COUNTYWIDE WHERE WE COULD, THE CITY OF DALLAS COULD SELECT ITS OWN POLLING LOCATIONS.
AND YOU'LL SEE, UM, THE SECOND ROW THERE, IT'S POLLING LOCATIONS, UM, HOW MANY EARLY VOTING LOCATIONS WE HAD, HOW MANY ELECTION DAY LOCATIONS, UM, THE CITY OF DALLAS'S PORTION, UH, ELECTION COST PERCENTAGE OR THE ELECTION COST AMOUNT IN COMPARED TO THE OVERALL DALLAS COUNTY COST.
THE NEXT ROW THERE, UM, LISTS THE VOTER TURNOUT BALLOTS CAST.
YOU CAN SEE THERE IN MAY, AS WAS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED, UH, FOR THIS, THE MAY, 2019 MAYORAL ELECTION THAT WAS CONTESTED, WE HAD ABOUT 81,940 VOTERS.
THE NEXT ROW THERE, UM, IS THE COST PER VOTES CAST OR THE COST PER VOTER.
UM, AND SO YOU CAN SEE THERE, AND THAT'S JUST SIMPLY TAKING THE ELECTION COST DIVIDED BY THE ACTUAL VOTER TURNOUT.
THE SECOND TO THE LAST ROW THERE IS THE TOTAL DALLAS COUNTY ELECTION COST.
AND THEN THAT LAST ROW, THERE IS A PERCENTAGE OF DALLAS'S CITY OF DALLAS' ELECTION COST PERCENTAGE COMPARED TO THE OVERALL DALLAS COUNTY ELECTION COST.
I WOULD LIKE TO POINT OUT ALSO ON THIS SLIDE HERE, IT'S THE NOVEMBER, AGAIN, IT'S A NOVEMBER ELECTION, BUT IT'S NOVEMBER, 2020, UM, AN EVEN NUMBER ELECTION, AND AGAIN, IT INCLUDES THE COUNTYWIDE POLLING, POLLING PLACES, UH, BUT ALSO THE, THE POLLING PLACES WE HAVE TO USE ACCORDING TO THE STATE LAW, UM, OR THESE ARE THE ONES THAT DALLAS COUNTY HAS IDENTIFIED.
SO A LOT OF THAT COST FOR THE CITY OF DALLAS AT $1.9 MILLION WAS A BIG PART OF, OF, BECAUSE WE ARE OF US USING OR HAVING TO USE THESE COUNTYWIDE POLLING PLACES, NOT HAVING CONTROL OF THAT.
UM, AND THEN THE, THE LAST COLUMN THERE IS THIS PREVIOUS MAY ELECTION.
AGAIN, THIS IS A MAYORAL ELECTION, AND IT'S WITH USING THE COUNTYWIDE POLLING PLACES.
SO YOU CAN SEE THE COST PER, PER THE, THE COST PER VOTER AND THE CITY OF DALLAS' COST IN THE OVERALL ELECTION COST FOR DALLAS COUNTY.
THIS IS THE, THIS IS A SLIDE I ADDED, AND IT WAS, IT WAS IN RESPONSE TO A COMMISSIONER'S QUESTION ABOUT A MAY ODD NUMBERED ELECTION VERSUS A NOVEMBER ODD NUMBERED CONSTITUTIONAL ELECTION.
AND WHAT YOU HAVE THERE, AGAIN, IT'S THE SAME PARTICIPATING, PARTICIPATING ENTITIES, BECAUSE THAT MATTERS.
THAT'S A, A VARIABLE, IT MATTERS, BUT IT ALSO MATTERS AS TO WHICH ENTITY, IF THAT ENTITY HAS AN OVERLAPPING, IF IT OVERLAPS WITH THE CITY OF DALLAS, THEN IT IS A BENEFIT.
BUT IF IT'S AN, AN, AN ENTITY LIKE GLEN HEIGHTS THAT IT WOULDN'T OVERLAP THE CITY OF DALLAS, THERE WOULDN'T BE ANY COST SHARING.
UM, SO FOR, FOR HERE IT IS FOR, FOR THE MAY GENERAL ELECTION.
AGAIN, THESE ARE JUST ESTIMATES, UM, BASED ON, BASED ON HISTORICAL MAY GENERAL ELECTIONS, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF USING THE, THE COUNTYWIDE POLLING, UH, POLLING PLACES, AND AN AVERAGE OF VOTER TURNOUT.
[00:35:01]
THE MAY, 2019 AGAINST THE MAY, 2023 AND AVERAGE, IS THAT OUT TO COME UP WITH AN AVERAGE VOTER TURNOUT? AND THE, UM, ELECTION COST IS ON, IS AN AVERAGE AS WELL IN, IN WORKING WITH DALLAS COUNTY ELECTION ADMINISTRATOR.BUT WHAT YOU SEE HERE IS IF YOU HAVE A MAY ODD NUMBER WITH THE TYPICAL MAY ELECTION, YOU WOULD HAVE, THIS IS THE COST OF ABOUT 990,000 FOR A GENERAL ELECTION RUNOFF ELECTION.
I USE THE WORST CASE SCENARIO.
IT IS MOST OF THE TIME, IF IT'S A MAYORAL ELECTION AND IT'S CONTESTED, THEN THE JUNE ELECTION WILL BE, IT'S ALMOST LIKE HAVING ANOTHER ELECTION AGAIN.
SO THOSE, THAT'S THE AMOUNT, THE AMOUNT THERE.
THE 1.9 A NOVEMBER ELECTION ODD NUMBERED YEAR GENERAL ELECTION FOR THE CITY OF DALLAS WOULD BE LOWER.
ALTHOUGH WE HAVE FEWER PARTICIPATING ENTITIES.
DALLAS COUNTY WOULD ALWAYS BE ON THE BALLOT IN A NOVEMBER CONSTITUTIONALLY ELECTION, AND THEY WOULD ABSORB MOST OF THE ELECTION COST.
SO THAT'S WHY THE CITY OF DALLAS'S COST $558,000 IS THE PROJECTED COST FOR NOVEMBER ELECTION.
THE ISSUE AS FAR AS COST SAVINGS COMES INTO PLAY IS IF THERE'S A RUNOFF ELECTION, AND AGAIN, THIS IS BASED ON THE WORST CASE SCENARIO.
IF THERE'S A MAYORAL ELECTION AND IT'S CONTESTED, TYPICALLY IT GOES INTO RUNOFF.
IF THE CITY OF DALLAS HOLDS A NOVEMBER GENERAL ELECTION, AND IT GOES INTO RUNOFF IN DECEMBER BASED ON HISTORICAL DATA, THE CITY OF DALLAS WOULD BE AND HAS BEEN THE ONLY ENTITY ON THE BALLOT IN NOVEMBER.
THERE HAS BEEN ONE WHERE WE MAY HAVE A SMALLER CITY THAT HAS A RUNOFF, BUT AGAIN, IT, IT WOULDN'T AFFECT OUR COST BECAUSE IT'S A SMALLER CITY WITH VERY LITTLE OVERLAP.
SO THAT'S WHERE YOUR, YOUR COST WOULD COME IN IF YOU, IF THE CITY OF DALLAS HELD A NOVEMBER ELECTION IN ODD NUMBERED YEARS IS HAVING THAT RUNOFF ELECTION, YOU HAVE SAVINGS IN, IN THE GENERAL.
BUT IF THERE'S A RUNOFF, THE CITY OF DALLAS, MORE THAN LIKELY WILL BE THE ONLY ENTITY WHICH WILL BE INCURRING ABOUT TWO, $2.3 MILLION.
AND LASTLY, I WOULD LIKE TO NOTE ON THIS SLIDE HERE IS THE VOTER TURNOUT IN THE NOVEMBER ODD NUMBER YEARS.
THIS IS ACTUALLY THE ACTUAL VOTER TURNOUT FROM THE NOVEMBER 2ND, 2021 ELECTION.
AND IN NOVEMBER ODD NUMBERED YEARS ELECTIONS, IT HAS FEWER, FEWER VOTER TURNOUT THAN YOUR MAY GENERAL ELECTION.
SO IT'S, IT DOESN'T, CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS DO NOT DRIVE VOTERS OUT, UNLIKE YOUR NOVEMBER, YOUR EVEN NUMBERED NOVEMBER ELECTIONS.
SO THOSE ARE THE THE TWO BIGGEST THINGS I WOULD LIKE TO POINT OUT ON THAT SLIDE.
WITH, WITH THAT BEING SAID, ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS, COMMISSIONERS ANY QUESTIONS TO THE SPEAKER ON THIS BRIEFING? MS. CLAP, I JUST WANNA CLARIFY.
SO AS LONG AS IN NOVEMBER WE ARE STILL REQUIRED TO USE ALL OF THE VOTE CENTERS THAT DI MEAN, IN MAY, WE'RE STILL REQUIRED TO USE ALL OF THE VOTE CENTERS THAT DALLAS COUNTY HAS, OR WE CAN REDUCE THOSE, WE CAN REDUCE THOSE, AND WE CAN ALSO USE THE LOWER, THE LOWER TURNOUT NUMBER.
OKAY, MS. HUNT, THANK YOU MR. CHAIR.
UH, LOOKING BACK ON THE ELECTION COST SLIDES, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND, AND IT'S JUST IN FOLLOW UP, UH, TO OUR QUESTION, IF WE'RE LOOKING AT THE LAST COUPLE OF COLUMNS, WE HAVE 48 EARLY VOTING LOCATIONS AND 443 ELECTION DAY VOTE CENTERS.
AND THAT'S BECAUSE OF STATE LAW, YOU RIGHT.
THE, THE VOTE CENTERS ARE BECAUSE FOR DALLAS AND COLLIN COUNTY, BECAUSE THEY ARE APPROVED TO USE THE COUNTYWIDE.
MM-HMM,
[00:40:01]
DE LAE THAT GOING FORWARD, ONE SLIDE? YEAH.THIS ONE, UH, COMMISSIONER HUNT BROUGHT IT UP.
SO I UNDERSTAND THE PART ABOUT NOVEMBER, UH, STATE LAW DICTATES THE VOTE CENTERS.
ARE WE SURE THAT APPLIES TO THE DECEMBER RUNOFF? YES, THAT'S CORRECT.
IT, IT DOES APPLY TO THE OH, IT DOES.
SO EVEN, EVEN THOUGH THE STATE IS NOT CONDUCTING AN ELECTION IN DECEMBER, WE WOULD STILL BE, UH, BIND BY STATE LAW, WHICH IS DESIGNED TO APPLY WHEN THERE'S A STATE ELECTION.
WE ARE STILL REQUIRED TO USE THOSE VOTE CENTERS.
ANYTHING ELSE, MR. DE LAE? NO.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, MR. SOLIS? THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR, THIS MAY BE FOR YOU, IT ALSO MAY BE FOR THE LAWYERS, SO I'LL, I'LL ASK IT TO YOU, BUT THEN, UH, PERHAPS IF THE LAWYERS HAVE, UH, THEIR OPINION, I'D, I'D APPRECIATE THAT.
DO, DO WE, AS I LOOK AT THE ELECTION COST, AND I LOOK AT THE BREAKDOWN OF NOVEMBER AND I SEE THE DECEMBER RUNOFF, I'M WONDERING IS THERE ANY LEGAL WAY TO AVOID HAVING A RUNOFF ELECTION? I'LL LET THE ATTORNEYS ANSWER THAT, BUT I KNOW THAT I'LL LET THE ATTORNEYS, YES.
THE WAY TO AVOID A RUNOFF IS FOR ALL OF THE CANDIDATES TO WIN A MAJORITY OF THE VOTE OUTRIGHT
BUT LEGALLY, IF THEY DO NOT AVOID THAT, UM, A CANDIDATE IS REQUIRED TO WIN A MAJORITY OF THE VOTE.
THAT'S WHY WE HAVE A RUNOFF SYSTEM IN THE ELECTION CODE.
SO IF IN THE GENERAL ELECTION THERE IS NO MAJORITY WINNER, THEN WE LEGALLY HAVE TO HAVE A RUNOFF? YES.
I DO NOT HAVE THE CODE IN FRONT OF ME, BUT YES.
SO AS I UNDERSTAND IT, WE WOULD, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER IT'S A MILLION DOLLARS OR MORE THAN THAT, OR LESS THAN THAT, MOVING TO NOVEMBER, HYPOTHETICALLY WE'D INCUR AN ADD, LIKELY AN ADDITIONAL COST RELATIVE TO, AND THERE REALLY IS NO WAY TO GET AROUND THAT LEGALLY.
YEAH, SO I JUST CHECKED TRAVIS COUNTY, WHICH CONDUCTS THEIR MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS IN NOVEMBER.
UH, AUSTIN, THE CITY OF AUSTIN, CONDUCTS THEIR MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS IN NOVEMBER OF EVEN NUMBERED YEARS.
UH, WHEN THEY CONDUCT, WHEN, WHEN TRAVIS COUNTY IS ADMINISTERING THESE ELECTIONS IN NOVEMBER, THEY HAVE 167 VOTE CENTERS, BUT IN DECEMBER THEY HAVE 85, WHICH TO ME INDICATES THAT THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT STATE LAW WOULD ALLOW A MUNICIPALITY AND A COUNTY TO WORK TOGETHER TO LOWER THAT VOTE CENTER THRESHOLD IN A DECEMBER RUNOFF.
UM, CAN WE LOOK INTO THAT? BECAUSE IT, IT SEEMS TO CONTRADICT OUR CURRENT UNDERSTANDING OF HOW A DECEMBER RUNOFF WOULD WORK.
UM, BECAUSE FOR INSTANCE, HERE IN DALLAS COUNTY RIGHT NOW, UH, ON ELECTION DAY DALLAS COUNTY, IT HAS 455, UH, VOTE CENTERS, BUT ONLY 223 ARE IN THE CITY OF DALLAS.
IF WE COULD GET THEM TO SHUT DOWN ALL THE ONES OUTSIDE OF DALLAS, THAT TO ME WOULD INDICATE THAT WE MIGHT SEE AN ELECTION.
I WILL GO BACK TO DALLAS COUNTY, UM, ELECTIONS ADMINISTRATOR.
I DID SPEAK WITH THEM THIS MORNING ON THAT.
THE OUTGOING ADMINISTRATOR AND THE INCOMING, AND THAT WAS DISCUSSED.
BUT I WILL GO BACK AND, AND TAKE TRAVIS COUNTY AS WELL.
I WOULD NEED TO SEE IF TRAVIS COUNTY IS APPROVED FOR THE COUNTYWIDE PROGRAM, BUT I WILL DEFINITELY CHECK INTO THAT.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMISSIONERS? ALRIGHT, HEARING NONE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION AND, AND TAKING THE QUESTIONS.
SO THE NEXT ITEM ON OUR AGENDA IS CITY COUNCIL TERM LINKS AND LIMITS.
[00:45:08]
OKAY.UM, JAKE ANDERSON, OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS.
UM, HAPPY TO BE HERE TONIGHT WITH YOU ALL TALKING ABOUT, UH, CITY COUNCIL TERM LENGTHS AND LIMITS.
UM, SO WE'RE GONNA JUST GO THROUGH THIS, UH, PRESENTATION, UM, IN PRETTY, PRETTY QUICK FASHION SO THAT YOU CAN, UH, GET, GET TO ASKING QUESTIONS AND, AND DISCUSSING THIS.
BUT, UM, I WANNA GO TO THE, UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
UM, THE COMMISSION DIRECTED US AT THE LAST MEETING TO PUT TOGETHER A PRESENTATION, UH, REGARDING COUNCIL TERMS AND LIMITS BASED ON THE FACT THAT WE HAD TWO COMPETING AMENDMENTS THAT HAD ALREADY BEEN SUBMITTED.
UM, AND I KNOW IT WAS A REQUEST FOR US TO EXAMINE ALL POSSIBLE ITERATIONS OF TERM LENGTHS AND LIMITS, UM, INCLUDING FACTORS SUCH AS ELECTION DATES.
UM, BUT THE APPROACH, UM, OUTLINED TONIGHT IS TO PROVIDE, UM, A FOUNDATION FROM WHICH YOU CAN WORK, UM, TO SUBMIT OTHER IDEAS AND TO THINK THROUGH, UM, ALL, ALL, ALL THE FACTORS THAT GO INTO MOVING OR CHANGING, UM, TERM LENGTHS AND LIMITS.
SO TONIGHT YOU'LL SEE WHAT YOUR OPTIONS AND LIMITATIONS MIGHT BE, UM, HOW SOME PROPOSALS MAY WORK IN WAYS THAT OTHER TEXAS CITIES HAVE AMENDED THEIR CHARTERS IN ORDER TO MAKE CHANGES TO TERM LENGTHS AND LIMITS.
UM, IF YOU'D LIKE FOR US TO GO FURTHER INTO POSSIBLE SCENARIOS, PLEASE KINDLY SUBMIT, UH, THOSE AMENDMENTS IN WRITING, UM, AS SUGGESTED AMENDMENTS FOR US TO REVIEW, UM, FOR, FOR THE ATTORNEYS AND FOR STAFF TO REVIEW.
SO WE'LL BE BENCHMARKING DALLAS'S CURRENT PRACTICES AGAINST OTHER CITIES SO THAT YOU HAVE AN IDEA OF WHAT WORKS ELSEWHERE, UM, SO THAT YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT IS OUT THERE, UM, AND WHAT YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO CONSIDER FURTHER.
AND THEN WE'LL BE TALKING A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT, UH, THE CURRENT, UH, SUBMITTED AMENDMENTS AS YOU ALREADY HEARD A LITTLE BIT ABOUT TONIGHT.
UM, AND AS MENTIONED, WE DO ASK THAT IF THERE ARE ANY FURTHER SCENARIOS YOU'D LIKE TO SEE EVALUATED, YOU SUBMIT THEM AS AMENDMENTS, UM, SO THAT WE HAVE THEM IN WRITING AS A CONCRETE DEFINED IDEA, UM, OR DIRECTION FROM THIS BODY.
UM, LET'S START WITH A HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW THEN OF WHAT CITIES CAN AND CANNOT DO WITH THEIR COUNCIL TERMS. UM, TEXAS LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE OUTLINES THE PARAMETERS THAT HOME RULE CITIES IN TEXAS MUST FOLLOW WHEN DETERMINING THE TERM LENGTHS OF ELECTED OFFICIALS.
UH, THE DEFAULT IS TWO YEAR TERMS, UM, BUT IT STATES THAT A CITY MIGHT ALSO IMPLEMENT A THREE OR FOUR YEAR TERM VIA ITS CHARTER.
UM, IT DOES NOT ALLOW TERMS LONGER THAN FOUR YEARS OR SHORTER THAN TWO.
UM, AND IT DOES, BUT IT ALSO DOES NOT PRESCRIBE ANY SORT OF TERM LIMITS.
SO TO PUT IT ANOTHER WAY, TWO YEAR TERMS ARE THE DEFAULT IN TEXAS.
UM, THREE AND FOUR YEAR TERMS ARE ALSO OPTIONS, AND THERE'S NO STATEWIDE GUIDANCE ABOUT TERM LIMITS.
UM, SO WHAT DOES DALLAS DO? WELL, I'M GLAD YOU ASKED.
AS YOU PROBABLY KNOW, UM, WE HAVE PER SEC, UH, CHARTER CHAPTER THREE.
SECTION THREE, A CITY COUNCIL IS LIMITED TO FOUR TERMS OF TWO YEARS APIECE, AND THE MAYOR SERVES TWO TERMS OF FOUR YEARS.
ALL 15 PLACES ARE UP FOR ELECTION.
UM, EXCUSE ME, ALL 14 PLACES OF THE CITY COUNCIL ARE UP FOR ELECTION, UM, EVERY ODD NUMBERED YEAR WITH THE MAYOR UP FOR ELECTION, EVERY OTHER CYCLE.
UM, ON THE NEXT SLIDE, YOU'LL SEE, UM, HOW DALLAS COMPARES TO OTHER CITIES ACROSS TEXAS.
UM, AND THEN WE'LL LOOK AT SOME CITIES IN THE UNITED STATES AS WELL.
UM, THIS, THIS FIRST TABLE SHOWS PIERCE CITIES ACROSS TEXAS, UM, SOME OF THE OTHER LARGEST CITIES IN TEXAS, AND HOW THEY APPROACH COUNCIL TERM LENGTHS AND LIMITS.
UM, YOU'LL NOTE THAT OTHER LARGE CITIES TEND TO IMPLEMENT SOME VERSION OF, UH, EIGHT TOTAL YEARS BEING THE LIMIT, WHETHER THAT'S, UH, FOUR SETS OF TWO OR TWO SETS OF FOUR, UM, YEARS THAT COUNCIL MEMBERS MAY SERVE.
THE EXCEPTIONS, OF COURSE, ARE EL PASO, WHICH INSTEAD OF SETTING A TERM LIMIT SAYS THAT NO ONE MAY SERVE AS A MAYOR OR MEMBER OF THE CITY COUNCIL FOR MORE THAN 10 CUMULATIVE YEARS.
AND FORT WORTH, WHO DOES NOT HAVE A TERM LIMIT.
YOU CAN ALSO SEE THAT WHETHER OR NOT ELECTIONS ARE STAGGERED VARY, UM, BASED ON MUNICIPALITY, BUT THAT AUSTIN AND EL PASO BOTH STAGGER THEIR ELECTIONS EVERY TWO YEARS.
UM, IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, UM, WE'RE LOOKING AT A FEW OF THE SMALLER CITIES IN TEXAS, UM, INCLUDING THREE IN THE METROPLEX.
BUT I WANNA DRAW YOUR, YOUR ATTENTIONS PARTICULARLY TO IRVING AND ARLINGTON BECAUSE THIS IS WHERE, UH, IT DIFFERS A LITTLE BIT FROM SOME OF THE OTHER CITIES THAT YOU SEE IRVING SYSTEMS WORTH NOTING BECAUSE IT ALIGNS WITH THE THREE YEAR, THREE TERMS STAGGERED PROPOSAL.
THAT IS ONE OF THE TWO AMENDMENTS, UM, THAT YOU'VE ALREADY HEARD A LITTLE BIT ABOUT TONIGHT, AND WE'LL LOOK AT IT A LITTLE BIT FURTHER.
UM, ARLINGTON ALSO HAS A, UM, UNIQUE, A BIT OF UNIQUE SYSTEM IN THAT THEY, UH, APPEAR TO HAVE, UM, THREE YEARS, THREE TERMS STAGGERED, BUT, UH, THEY PERFORM ELECTIONS ONLY TWO OUT OF EVERY THREE YEARS RATHER THAN EVENLY DIVIDED ACROSS ALL THREE.
THEY JUST CHANGED THEIR CHARTER IN NOVEMBER OF 2022 AS WELL.
SO THIS IS, THIS IS A NEW CHANGE.
UM, AND IN A COUPLE SLIDES WE'LL LOOK AT HOW THEY WENT FROM THE TWO TO THREE YEAR TERMS AND THE LANGUAGE THAT THEY CHOSE TO USE IN THEIR CHARTER.
UM, AND THEN THE NEXT SLIDE IS, UM, LOOKING AT SOME NATIONAL PEER CITIES THAT WERE CHOSEN BASED ON THEIR SIZE AND THE FACT THAT THEY'RE, UM, THEY'RE ALSO CITIES WITH CHARTERS.
UM, WE, WE USE THESE CITIES A LOT IN OTHER PRESENTATIONS AS STAFF.
UM, THESE ARE KIND OF OUR, OUR NORMAL COMPS.
UM, I TRIED TO FIND SOME VARIANCE TO SHOW, BUT YOU'LL NOTE THAT THEY'RE PRETTY SIMILAR ACROSS THE BOARD.
THEY ALL HAVE FOUR YEAR TERMS WITH TWO TERM LIMITS FOR THE MAYOR.
UM, THE CITY COUNCIL TERM LIMITS ARE WHERE IT VARIES A BIT.
UM, PHOENIX, YOU KNOW, ALLOWS COUNCIL MEMBERS TO SERVE THREE
[00:50:01]
TERMS RATHER THAN TWO OF THE MAYOR.AND PHILLY HAS NO COUNCIL MEMBER TERM TERM LIMITS, DESPITE THE FACT THAT THERE IS JUST A TWO TERM LIMIT FOR THE MAYOR.
UM, AND YOU'LL ALSO SEE THAT, UH, A FEW OF THEM STAGGER THEIR TERMS. SO, NEXT SLIDE.
UM, AS I MENTIONED ON SLIDE EIGHT, ARLINGTON JUST AMENDED ITS CHARTER IN NOVEMBER OF 2022.
UM, HOUSTON ALSO THOUGH AMENDED ITS CHARTER IN 2015 THAT WENT FROM TWO YEAR TERMS TO FOUR YEAR TERMS. SO THE FOLLOWING SLIDES WILL HAVE A, THE LANGUAGE USED BY EACH, BUT YOU'LL NOTE THAT WHILE HOUSTON INCORPORATES ONE-TIME PROVISIONS FOR, UM, SITTING CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS TO EXTEND THEIR TERM LIMITS TO MATCH THE NEW RULES, ARLINGTON BASICALLY SAID TOUGH LUCK.
UM, THEY LIMITED SITTING CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS BASED ON HOW LONG THEY HAD ALREADY SERVED.
SO, UM, ON THE NEXT SLIDE, YOU WILL SEE, UH, THE EXAMPLE OF THE HOUSTON CHARTER.
THEY INITIALLY HAD THREE TERMS, UH, OF TWO YEARS.
A PIECE THEN WENT TO TWO TERMS OF FOUR YEARS A PIECE, UM, NOT STAGGERED.
SO THIS IS SIMILAR TO ONE OF THE PROPOSALS ON THE TABLE THAT THIS BODY'S CONSIDERING.
UM, AND IN SECTION SIX A UNDER THE SUBHEADING B, UM, THAT'S B AS IN BOY, HOUSTON USES THE ONE-TIME TEMPORAL LANGUAGE SPECIFIC TO THE NOVEMBER, 2015 ELECTION TO IMPLEMENT THE CHANGE.
SO IT PROVIDES FOR SITTING COUNCIL MEMBERS TO SEEK TWO FOUR YEAR TERMS IF THEY'VE ALREADY SERVED ONE TERM.
UM, BUT, BUT IF YOU'VE SERVED TWO TERMS, UM, SO YOU'VE ALREADY SERVED FOUR YEARS ON COUNCIL, YOU MAY ONLY SEEK ONE MORE, UH, FOUR YEAR TERM.
AND IF YOU'VE, UH, SERVED THREE TERMS OF TWO YEARS, YOU ARE TERM LIMITED AND YOU CANNOT RUN AGAIN FOR A FOURTH, UH, FOR A FOUR YEAR TERM.
UM, AND AGAIN, IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE SLIDE, IT'S UNDER SUB, SUB HEADING B, UH, WHERE THAT LANGUAGE IS LOCATED.
FOR ARLINGTON, ARLINGTON ALSO HAD THREE, UM, THREE TERMS OF TWO YEARS APIECE AS THE LIMIT.
UM, AND THEY CHANGED THAT TO THREE TERMS OF THREE YEARS APIECE.
UM, INTERESTINGLY WHAT THEY DID, UH, THEY DID NOT PROVIDE FOR SITTING COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO HAD ALREADY SERVED THREE TERMS TO RUN.
AGAIN, DESPITE THAT STILL BEING ABLE TO ALIGN WITH THE NINE, THE NINE TOTAL YEAR LIMIT, UM, THAT THAT WAS IN PLACE.
SO, UM, THE LANGUAGE WAS TERM BASED, AND SO THE AMOUNT OF TERMS DID NOT CHANGE.
THEY WENT FROM THREE, TWO YEAR TERMS TO THREE, THREE YEAR TERMS. BUT IF YOU'D ALREADY SERVED FOR THREE TERMS, YOU WERE NOT ALLOWED TO RUN AGAIN.
UM, AGAIN, YOU CAN SEE THAT HOW THAT'S WORDED IN THE SECOND TO LAST PARAGRAPH ON THIS SLIDE.
UM, AND THAT, THAT'S SOME LANGUAGE THAT YOU CAN USE KIND OF AS AN EXAMPLE IF YOU WANT TO THINK ABOUT, UM, SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
SO THE NEXT SLIDE LOOKS AT THE CURRENT AMENDMENT PROPOSALS.
I WON'T SPEND MUCH TIME ON THESE, UH, MR. BRYANT'S PROPOSAL, MR. KINGSTON'S PROPOSAL.
UM, I WOULD LIKE TO NOTE, HOWEVER, THAT YOU SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN AN EMAIL YESTERDAY.
WE'VE RECEIVED A THIRD PROPOSAL, UM, THAT WAS NOT PART OF THIS, THIS PRESENTATION, BUT, UH, COMMISSIONER LEMASTER SUBMITTED A PROPOSAL THAT WOULD BE THREE YEAR TERMS, UH, WITH THREE TERM LIMITS, BUT NOT UNST STAGGERED.
UM, SO THAT JUST CAME THROUGH YESTERDAY.
IT'S WHY IT'S NOT, NOT INCLUDED IN THIS, UM, ANALYSIS.
UM, BUT SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT AND, UH, TO INCLUDE IT AS, AS YOU'RE DISCUSSING IT FURTHER.
UM, ON THE NEXT SLIDE, SOME, LET'S JUST BRIEFLY LOOK AT SOME MECHANICAL CONSIDERATIONS.
IF YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT THREE YEAR TERMS, UM, ON A STAGGERED CYCLE, UM, COUNCIL WILL WOULD BE HA HAVE TO BE DIVIDED INTO THREE GROUPS OF FIVE, UM, TO INCLUDE THE MAYOR.
UM, THAT'S, AND TO START THE CYCLES, THERE WOULD HAVE TO BE SOME CONSIDERATION ABOUT HOW TO EITHER AMEND OR HOW TO AMEND THE TERM LENGTHS OF SITTING OR REELECTED COUNCIL MEMBERS IN ORDER TO SYNC THEM UP WITH THIS PROPOSAL.
UM, THE EXAMPLES OF HOUSTON AND ARLINGTON PROVIDES SOME, SOME IDEA OF HOW A CHARTER, UM, COMMISSION MIGHT APPROACH AMENDING THEIR CHARTER TO, TO MAKE THAT CHANGE.
UM, BUT OF COURSE, THOSE, THOSE ARE JUST TWO EXAMPLES AND IT'S NOT EXHAUSTIVE.
UM, IF YOU GO ON THREE YEAR CYCLES, IT ALSO MEANS THAT SOME OF THE CURRENT COUNCIL WILL HAVE TO SERVE TIME, EITHER LESS OR MORE THAN WHAT THEY'RE CURRENTLY LIMITED TO, OF WHICH IS EIGHT YEARS.
UM, AND THAT THAT'D JUST BE TO GET THE CYCLE ROLLING AND GET EVERYBODY ON THE SAME PAGE.
SO YOU WOULD WANT TO CONSIDER IT HOW TO NAVIGATE THOSE KIND OF DECISIONS AS WELL.
AND THEN LASTLY, ON THE MECHANICAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE FOUR YEAR TERMS, UM, IT'S A LITTLE BIT MORE STRAIGHTFORWARD.
YOU WOULD NEED TO AGAIN, CONSIDER HOW IT WOULD AFFECT SITTING OR REELECTED COUNCIL MEMBERS.
UM, FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU BEGAN FOUR FOUR YEAR TERMS IN 2027, THERE WOULD BE FIVE CURRENT COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO ARE, WHO ARE CURRENTLY ON, ON COUNCIL, AND TWO NEW COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO MIGHT BE ELECTED IN 2025, UM, WHO WOULD POTENTIALLY, UM, REQUIRE SOME SORT OF LANGUAGE GOVERNING HOW THEIR TERM LIMITS WOULD BE AFFECTED BY THIS CHANGE.
UM, BECAUSE THEY MIGHT NEED YOU, YOU WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO HAVE THEM SERVE EIGHT YEARS.
THEY WOULD EVEN NEED TO SERVE SIX OR 10.
UM, SO THAT WOULD BE ANOTHER JUST CONSIDERATION TO, TO KEEP IN MIND IS HOW YOU'LL AFFECT THE SITTING COUNCIL MEMBERS.
SO WITH THAT CHAIR, UM, THIS PRESENTATION IS CONCLUDED.
I TURN IT BACK OVER TO YOU FOR, UH, DISCUSSION.
ALRIGHT, COMMISSIONERS, ANY, UH, QUESTIONS, COMMENTS OF THE SPEAKER ON THE SUBJECT OF THIS BRIEFING.
[00:55:01]
THANK YOU FOR THAT PRESENTATION, UM, ON THE STAGGERED YEAR.AND I'D BE INTERESTED IN COMMISSIONER, UH, LAMA, UH, I HOPE YOU'LL, YOU'LL, UH, TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO TALK WITH US ABOUT YOUR AMENDMENT.
UM, AND MAYBE YOU'RE THE PERSON TO ANSWERED THIS BECAUSE I'M THINKING MECHANICALLY, UH, ABOUT STAGGERED TERMS RIGHT NOW WITH, UH, TWO YEAR TERMS FOR COUNCIL MEMBERS AND FOUR YEAR TERMS, UH, FOR MAYORS, COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO RUN FOR MAYOR, AND EVERY COUNCIL MEMBER CAN DECIDE TO, YOU KNOW, GIVE UP THEIR, NOT RUN AGAIN FOR COUNCIL AND INSTEAD RUN FOR MAYOR.
BUT IF WE HAVE A STAGGERED SITUATION, YOU COULD HAVE A COUNCIL MEMBER WHO'S BEEN ON THERE, LET'S SAY FOR A YEAR, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE ON A DIFFERENT ELECTION CYCLE FROM THE MAYOR.
IF THEY DECIDE TO RUN FOR MAYOR, THEN YOU HAVE AN OPEN SEAT, UH, FOR THEIR, UH, THEIR COUNCIL DISTRICT.
UM, AND ON THE FLIP SIDE OF THAT, ALSO MECHANICALLY, THERE IS A SUBSET OF COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO ARE ON THE SAME ELECTION CYCLE WITH THE MAYOR, UH, WHO WOULD, UH, AGAIN, I GUESS GIVE UP THEIR COUNCIL SEAT, UM, IF THEY WERE TO RUN, BUT THEY'D BE ON THE, THE SAME COUNCIL CYCLE.
SO I, IT, IT SEEMS TO ME IT COULD PRESENT SOME CHALLENGES AND, UM, JUST AGAIN, MECHANICALLY FOR, FOR WHO MAY RUN AND IF THEY STEP DOWN TO RUN FOR MAYOR, THE CHALLENGES THAT COULD POSE.
UM, TO ANSWER YOUR YOUR QUESTION, I WOULD PROBABLY HAVE TO TURN TO THE CITY ATTORNEYS AND SAY, WOULDN'T THERE BE A RESIGNED TO RUN RULE SINCE YOU WOULD BE GETTING AN INCREASE IN SALARY? I THINK THAT WOULD BE THE RULE.
UH, BUT WE CAN, WE CAN COVER THAT LATER.
I, I TEND TO SPEAK IN HEADLINE FORM, SO I'LL JUST JUMP RIGHT IN.
UH, FIRST THE REASON TO CHANGE THE TERM OF THE MAYOR FROM FOUR YEARS TO THREE YEARS, OR I SUPPOSE IT COULD BE TO THE SAME LENGTH AS THE, UH, UH, OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS, BUT THE REASON TO CHANGE EVERYBODY TO THREE YEARS, NO, LEMME BACK UP.
LET'S CHANGE THE MAYOR'S TERM FIRST FROM FOUR TO THREE.
WHY? BECAUSE IT'S AN EXPERIMENT THAT HAS FAILED.
BACK IN 89 IN THE CHARTER REVIEW PROCESS, RAY HUTCHINSON, GOD LOVE HIM.
I MEAN, HE WAS JUST DETERMINED THAT THE MAYOR WAS GONNA HAVE A FOUR YEAR STINT AND HE MODELED IT OFF OF, UH, UH, THE PRESIDENTIAL AND CONGRESSIONAL RACES.
AND HE REALLY BELIEVED THAT THAT WOULD BE BEST FOR THE MAYOR TO HAVE FOUR YEARS THAT HE OR SHE COULD BE IN THERE AND GET HIS OR HER OR THEIR AGENDA DONE.
I REALLY THINK THAT'S WHY THAT GOT THROUGH.
UH, IT REALLY DIDN'T THAT THE FOCUS OF THE COMMISSION THEN WAS MORE ON THE NUMBER OF SINGLE MEMBER, UH, COUNCIL DISTRICTS, LESS SO ON THE MAYOR.
ALTHOUGH IN THAT ELECTION WE PASSED MOST OF THE EXISTING POWERS THAT THE MAYOR HAS, LIKE APPOINTING THE CHAIRS OF COMMITTEES, APPOINTING THE CHAIRS OF THE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS, AND THERE, THERE ARE OTHERS.
AT SOME POINT, I PRESUME WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT TOPIC TOO.
BUT IF YOU GO BACK AND I DID, UH, JACK EVANS, 1981, SERVED ONE TERM STARK.
TAYLOR SERVED TWO, TWO YEAR TERMS. MAYOR STRAUSS RAN TWICE.
SHE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY BECAUSE THE COUNCIL, UNLIKE ARLINGTON, I GUESS GAVE, SAID YOU CAN RUN AGAIN IN 1991.
AND I REMEMBER HAVING A CONVERSATION WITH HER AND SHE SAID, LISA, IT'S JUST TOO LONG.
'CAUSE SHE FOUR MORE YEARS AFTER BEING THERE FOR AN EXTRA HALF A YEAR, SHE JUST SAID NO.
AND THANK GOODNESS, REALLY, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, SHE PASSED AND 1998, SO SHE GOT THE, THOSE LAST FEW YEARS WITH HER FAMILY.
UM, C BARTLETT RAN, HE DECIDED IN 70, IN 95, SORRY, NOT 75, UH, DECIDED NOT TO RUN AGAIN.
THAT BROUGHT US RON KIRK HISTORICAL ELECTION.
UH, HE RESIGNED TO RUN FOR SENATE FEBRUARY, 2002.
LAURA MILLER, UH, ELECTED IN A SPECIAL ELECTION AND SHE HAD TO RUN AGAIN THE FOLLOWING, UH, IN 2003 BECAUSE SHE WAS JUST FULFILLING HALF OF A TERM OR ONE YEAR OF A TERM.
AND THEN SHE DECLINED TO RUN FOR A SECOND TERM IN 2007.
THAT GIVES US TOM LEPERT ELECTED JUNE, 2007, UH, ANNOUNCED HIS RESIGNATION TO 2011 BEFORE HIS TERM WAS UP.
MIKE RAWLINGS, THE ONLY PERSON IN 30 YEARS WHO HAS SERVED TWO TERMS AS MAYOR.
I SUBMIT THE EXPERIMENT HAS FAILED.
UH, NOW WE HAVE, WE, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN NEXT, BUT I THINK IT, IT HAS NOT WORKED.
[01:00:02]
MAYBE THE MODEL OF THE CITIZEN SERVANT TURNING, DOING THIS JOB PART-TIME HAS GONE AWAY.NOBODY REALLY BELIEVES THAT ANYMORE.
CERTAINLY COUNCIL MEMBERS DON'T BELIEVE THAT ANYMORE.
THEY CONSIDER IT A FULL-TIME OR A 80 HOUR A WEEK JOB.
UH, MAYBE IT'S THE NATIONAL TREND AS FAR AS PEOPLE WHO DON'T CARE THAT MUCH ABOUT, UH, THE CITY ELECTIONS.
BUT A LOT HAS CHANGED SINCE 89 WHEN THIS WAS IMPLEMENTED AS PART OF THE TEN FOUR ONE ELECTION.
AND NOW, AND ONE THING THAT HASN'T CHANGED IS THAT WE, WE'VE ONLY GOTTEN ONE MAYOR TO SERVE FOR EIGHT YEARS.
COUNCIL, LEMME GO TO, UH, COUNCIL TERMS AGAIN.
THERE WAS NO INTEREST IN ADDRESSING THAT IN, IN 89.
UH, AND SO THEY DIDN'T, AND IT SEEMS TO ME THAT TWO YEARS IS TOO SHORT TO AGREE WITH MR. KINGSTON.
OR MAY MAYBE BOTH OF YOU, I THINK, BUT YOU WERE FOUR.
BUT, BUT IT, IT SEEMS TO ME THAT IT IS TOO HARD.
YOU BARELY FIND YOUR WAY TO THE GREEN ELEVATORS BEFORE YOU GOTTA RUN AGAIN.
AND IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THIS WOULD GIVE A CHANCE TO A NEW COUNCIL MEMBER TO GET THEIR FEET ON THE GROUND AND GET SOMETHING DONE IN THE TERM.
UH, I DON'T BELIEVE IN THE STAGGERED ELECTIONS AGAIN, BECAUSE OF THE IMPACT OF THE MAYOR'S RACE ON THE COUNCIL RACES.
THERE IS NO QUESTION THAT, THAT I, AND I'VE GOT IT HERE.
IF YOU KNOW HOW TO READ MIND MAPS, I CAN SHOW YOU ALL MY LITTLE MIND MAPS HERE.
BUT, UM, BUT THE HIGHEST ELECTION TURNOUT I CAN FIND RECENT YEARS WAS 91 BARTLETT.
AND IN THAT ELECTION IN PLACE NINE, UH, EAST ALICE, THERE WERE 20,000 VOTES IN THAT ELECTION.
OKAY, SO YOU CAN GO, YOU'LL FIND OUT THEY'RE A LITTLE DIFFERENT.
UH, PLACE 12 WAS 12,000, PLACE SEVEN, 10,000.
BUT IN 93 WHEN BARTLETT WASN'T ON THE, NO, YEAH, WHEN THERE WAS NO ELECTION FOR MAYOR, IT, IT DROPS DRAMATICALLY.
PLACE NINE, WHICH IS A HIGH VOTING AREA, 12,000 DOWN FROM 20 PLACE, UH, SEVEN, IT DROPS FROM 10,000 TO 6,400, PLACE 12.
THEY WERE GETTING A NEW COUNCIL MEMBER THAT YEAR.
AND IT, IT HELD IN AT, AT TEN SEVEN.
I DON'T WANT TO HIT YOU WITH TOO MANY NUMBERS, BUT IF YOU GO LOOK AT THE NUMBERS, YOU WILL SEE THAT THE, THE NUM, THE TURNOUT FOR THE OTHER RACE, UH, THE, THE RACES THAT DON'T HAVE THE MAYOR AT THE TOP DROPS DRAMATICALLY AND IT DROPS ALL OVER THE CITY.
IT ALSO, UH, I MEAN IN SOME, IN SOME OF THESE, IT HELD ITS OWN BETTER IN THE SOUTH THAN IT DID IN, IN THE NORTH.
BUT THEN IN THE NORTH, MORE PEOPLE, UH, JUST SAT IT KEPT THEIR, THEIR SAME CITY COUNCIL PERSON THAT DIDN'T PUT UP ANY OPPOSITION, WHICH IS ALWAYS A RELIEF, RIGHT? COUNCIL MEMBERS.
I MEAN, IT'S ALWAYS A RELIEF WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE AN OPPONENT.
SO, UH, I THINK SO DID YOU KNOW, DO YOU REMEMBER THAT WESS WISE ACTUALLY RESIGNED TO RUN, HE RESIGNED, UH, TO RUN, UH, AGAINST JIM MADDOX WAY BACK IN 78, 77, SOMEWHERE IN THERE.
AND THAT UP UNTIL THE MID 20TH CENTURY, THERE WERE NO, THERE WAS ONLY, NO, YOU COULD ONLY SERVE TWO YEARS AS MAYOR AND UNTIL, LET'S SEE, WOODALL ROGERS 39 TO 47, AND THEN EARL CABELL 61 TO 64 J ERIC JOHNSON, THE FIRST, I GUESS, UH, 64 TO 71.
AND I LEFT OUT ROBERT LEE THORNTON 53 TO 61.
SO, UH, I'M NOT SURE WHEN TERM LIMITS CAME INTO PLAY, BUT, UH, IT'S JUST, IT WAS INTERESTING TO ME THAT UP UNTIL LIKE 1950 OR MAYBE LATE FOUR OR MID FORTIES, THAT THE ONLY MAYORS WE HAD WERE SERVING ONLY FOR TWO YEARS.
NOW, ALL THAT SAID, I DO THINK THERE SHOULD BE, IT SHOULD BE THE SAME BETWEEN THE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS AND THE MAYOR MAYORAL TERMS FOR A LOT OF REASONS.
AND ONE OF THE REASONS IT GOES THROUGH EVERYTHING THAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT EVERY SINGLE MEETING IS GET OUT THE VOTE.
AND THERE ARE A LOT OF WAYS WE CAN GET OUT THE VOTE.
AND I THINK YES, IT IS INCUMBENT ON THE COMMUNITIES TO GET OUT THE VOTE, BUT I CAME UP WITH, UM, THEY'RE MOSTLY PUBLIC RELATIONS AND MARKETING RELATED WAYS THAT YOU CAN GET OUT THE VOTE.
AND WHY DOESN'T THE OMNI PUT A BIG VOTE, SIGN UP ON THE, ON THE HOTEL ON OUR ELECTION DAY AS THEY DO FOR THE NATIONAL ELECTIONS, JUST AS AN EXAMPLE.
WHY, WHY DOES, WHY, YOU KNOW, THERE I CAN THINK OF LOTS OF WAYS.
IT'S NOT REALLY IN OUR CHARGE TO COME UP WITH, UH, GET OUT THE VOTE, BUT, BUT THERE ARE WAYS TO DO IT.
[01:05:01]
TAKE A STRONGER ROLE AND COULD MAKE AN INVESTMENT INTO GET OUT THE VOTE, TURNING OUT PEOPLE IN OUR CITY.SO THAT ALL SAID THANK YOU, MS. LEMASTER.
I WENT OVER, DIDN'T I? YES, SLIGHTLY.
UM, COMMISSIONERS, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS OF, UH, THE SPEAKER, MR. CAN I COOL, MR. DE LA FUENTE QUESTIONS? MR. DE LA FUENTE? GO AHEAD.
UH, MR. ANDERSON, UH, YOU HAD MENTIONED THAT IF WE ADOPTED A PROPOSAL LIKE THE KINGSTON PROPOSAL, FOUR YEARS NON-ST.
STAGGERED, IT WOULD IMPACT FIVE INCUMBENTS AND TWO NEW INDIVIDUALS.
I'M ONLY COUNTING FOUR MORENO SCHULTZ, DON WILLIS, AND RIDLEY, WHO'S THE FIFTH? UM, MORENO.
THE MATH'S RIGHT? YOU, YOU, OKAY.
I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE I WASN'T MISSING ANYTHING.
AND THEN GOING BACK TO ARLINGTON'S EXAMPLE, I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT D LIKE AN ISD IS REQUIRED IF THEY'RE, IF THEY'RE GONNA DO THREE YEAR TERMS, THEY MUST DO AN ELECTION EVERY YEAR FOR A THIRD OF THEIR BOARD.
AND THAT IS EX LIKE, EXTREMELY EXPLICIT IN STATE EDUCATION CODE.
I HAVE ALWAYS PERSONALLY READ THE MUNICIPALITY ONE SIMILAR, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE ARLINGTON HAS DONE SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
CAN WE LOOK INTO HOW THEY DID WHAT THEY DID? BECAUSE IT, IT, IT SEEMS LIKE THEY'RE LIKE THE ONLY ONES DOING THIS.
I MEAN, IT'S SIMILAR TO MY MESQUITE EXAMPLE LAST WEEK.
UM, COULD WE DO WHAT ARLINGTON DID? UM, COULD, COULD WE LOOK MORE INTO THAT? YES.
AND I, I BELIEVE, UH, WE ALREADY ARE, AND ONCE WE HAVE AN ANSWER, WE'LL LET YOU KNOW.
UH, I, I PERSONALLY DISLIKE WHAT THEY DID, BUT I, IT, IT, IT'S AN INTERESTING THOUGHT EXPERIMENT.
UM, AND THEN THIS MIGHT BE A QUESTION, UH, FOR THE CITY ATTORNEYS, BUT UM, FOR THE CITY ATTORNEYS, UM, REGARDING THIS, UM, I SENT IN SOME MOCKUPS OF HOW THIS COULD WORK.
UM, DID YOU FIND ANYTHING IN THESE MOCKUPS THAT YOU THOUGHT WAS INCORRECT OR, UH, I POSSIBLY INTERPRETED WRONG? UM, I DID NOT, I DID REVIEW YOUR MATERIALS AND HONESTLY, I, I DID NOT SEE ANYTHING THAT I THOUGHT WAS INCORRECT OR WRONG, PARTICULARLY.
THANK YOU FOR THE INFORMATION.
IN THAT CASE THEN, WOULD IT BE WISE FOR THIS TO BE SENT AROUND TO FULL COMMISSION? UH, I'M ASKING THIS I THINK OF MR. ANDERSON.
YES, WE, WE CAN SEND THAT TO FULL COMMISSION, UH, ON YOUR BEHALF.
I'D LIKE TO ASK SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT THE IMPACT OF REDISTRICTING.
LET'S START WITH THE THREE YEAR STAGGERED PROPOSAL.
WE HEARD FROM MR. BRYANT THAT ONE OPTION TO THAT WOULD BE JUST TO REDISTRICT AND LEAVE THE INCUMBENT COUNCIL MEMBERS REPRESENTING THE NEW DISTRICT.
AND THE, THE COST, IF YOU WILL, OF THAT IS HAVING PEOPLE BE GOVERNED BY SOMEONE THAT THEY HADN'T, UH, VOTED FOR.
AND I'M INTERESTED IN WHAT ALTERNATIVES, IF ANY THERE MIGHT BE TO THAT.
I KNOW THAT TEXAS SENATE REDISTRICTS EVERY 10 YEARS, AND SO EVERY 10 YEARS, HALF OF THE SENATE HAS THEIR TERMS CUT SHORT.
UH, I SUPPOSE WE COULD DO THAT WITH THE CITY COUNCIL, BUT THAT WOULD HAVE THE EFFECT OF, UH, AFTER EVERY REDISTRICTING, UH, RE-ELECTING THE ENTIRE COUNCIL, UH, ALL AT ONCE, SOME FOR ONE YEAR, SOME FOR TWO YEARS, AND SOME FOR THREE YEARS.
AM I INTERPRETING THAT CORRECTLY? AND DO YOU SEE ANY OTHER OPTIONS BESIDES THOSE TWO? THAT'S MY UNDERSTANDING AS WELL.
I MIGHT DEFER TO THE CITY ATTORNEYS IF THERE'S ANY OTHER OPTIONS THEY, THEY'RE AWARE OF.
BUT THOSE, THOSE ARE THE ONLY WAYS THAT I SEE IT HAPPENING.
COMMISSIONER YOUNG, THAT WAS EXACTLY THE MODEL WE THOUGHT OF TOO, WAS THE STATE SENATE, THAT THAT SEEMS TO BE THE MODEL THAT IS MOST, UM, LIKELY TO WORK AFTER REDISTRICTING, BUT THAT WOULD IN TURN DILUTE THE EFFECT DESIRED BY THOSE SWITCHING TO, OR WANTING TO SWITCH TO THREE YEAR STAGGERED TERMS. 'CAUSE EVERY 10 YEARS YOU'D HAVE TO SAY TIMEOUT.
WE'RE NOT GOING TO DO STAGGERED TERMS. RIGHT.
[01:10:01]
I, I WOULD I UNDERSTAND THAT PERSPECTIVE FOR SURE.ALRIGHT, LET'S TURN TO THE, LEAVE ASIDE STAGGERING AND TURN TO THE THREE YEAR OR FOUR YEAR PROPOSAL.
AS I UNDERSTAND IT NOW, THE CENSUS DATA COME OUT IN A YEAR THAT ENDS IN ONE, AND THEN THE REDISTRICTING COMMISSION DOES ITS WORK IN A YEAR THAT ENDS WITH TWO, AND IT ALL TAKES EFFECT IN A YEAR THAT ENDS WITH THREE, AM I CORRECT SO FAR? THAT'S CORRECT.
IF WE GO TO, LET'S SAY FOUR YEAR TERMS, THAT MEANS EVERY OTHER REDISTRICTING CYCLE EVERY 20 YEARS, WE WILL HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL A YEAR THAT ENDS WITH FIVE IN, IN HALF THE CITY, WELL, IN THE WHOLE CITY TO, UH, TO IMPLEMENT THAT REDISTRICTING.
IS THAT CORRECT? I, I BELIEVE THAT'S CORRECT, YES.
I DON'T NEED IT TONIGHT, BUT AT SOME POINT I'D LIKE TO HEAR FROM THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE ABOUT WHETHER THEY SEE ANY VOTING RIGHTS ACT ISSUES WITH THAT.
UM, WE CAN DO THAT IN OPEN SESSION.
IF YOU THINK BEST OR IN, IN EXECUTIVE SESSION, UH, ON THE THREE YEAR PROPOSAL, I GUESS YOU WOULD HAVE A PARTIAL EFFECT TO THE SAME EFFECT.
UM, UH, TWO OUT OF THE THREE REDISTRICTING CYCLES.
IN ONE CYCLE, YOU WOULD HAVE, UH, A DELAY OF ONE YEAR AND IN THE NEXT CYCLE YOU'D HAVE A DELAY OF TWO YEARS.
AND AGAIN, I'D BE CURIOUS TO KNOW THE, UH, VOTING RIGHTS ACT IMPACT OF THAT.
THIS ISN'T A, IT'S NOT A QUESTION, IT'S A, A REQUEST.
AND MY HUNCH IS THAT THIS WILL SORT OF PERHAPS BE A RUNNING REQUEST OVER TIME.
AND PERHAPS THIS IS ONLY FOR ME, THOUGH.
I DOUBT THIS WILL BE THE CASE.
WE'RE NOW BEGINNING TO STACK, UM, HYPOTHETICAL SCENARIOS, WHICH INCLUDES NOW BUILDING OFF OF DO WE MOVE ELECTIONS TO NOVEMBER ODD YEARS OR KEEP THEM IN MAY OR DO SOME OTHER THING.
DO WE MOVE TO THREE YEARS, THREE YEARS, STAGGERED, FOUR YEARS FOR THE WHOLE COUNCIL? WHO'S GONNA BE LEFT OFF? WHO'S GONNA BE DAY, A YEAR IN TIME? IT MIGHT BE HELPFUL TO JUST HAVE A VISUAL CHART OF THE THINGS THAT WE ARE HAVING SERIOUS DEBATE ABOUT SO THAT ALL OF US CAN BEGIN TO FOLLOW THE CONSEQUENCES OF DOING ANY ONE THING OR ALL OF THE STACKED, UH, POTENTIAL AMENDMENTS.
AND THE OTHER THING, AND THIS IS PERHAPS, YOU KNOW, HELPFUL TO COUNSEL DOWN THE ROAD, THAT WILL BE A VERY GOOD MAP FOR THEM TO BE ABLE TO SORT OF FOLLOW AS THEY GO TO HAVE THIS DEBATE.
AND INEVITABLY, IF, IF THIS GOES TO THE VOTERS, UH, THEIR ABILITY TO BE ABLE TO FOLLOW THIS AS WELL.
SO WE MAY KEEP IT RUNNING TALLY OF THOSE THINGS AND PUT A SORT OF MAP THAT OUT.
UH, COMMISSIONERS, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, MR. STEAM? YES, SIR.
MY QUESTION IS, CAN YOU HEAR ME? OH, YEAH.
UH, IF WE GO TO A A FOUR YEAR UNST STAGGERED, SO THAT MEAN WE CHANGED THE WHOLE CITY GOVERNMENT EVERY FOUR YEARS? UH, POTENTIALLY.
UM, YES, EVERYONE WOULD BE UP FOR ELECTION.
SO THAT MEANS WOULD, NO ONE HAS EXPERIENCED, NO ONE HAS NO, POTENTIALLY, SO IT, IT WOULDN'T, UH, YOU KNOW, IF YOU ADOPTED FOUR YEAR TERMS, YOU WOULDN'T NECESSARILY HAVE TO HAVE EVERYBODY ON THE, YOU KNOW, THE SAME, UM, UH, THE SAME CYCLE.
PEOPLE WOULD CYCLE OFF AT DIFFERENT TIMES BASED ON WHEN THEY GOT ELECTED.
UM, YOU KNOW, IF THEY BEAT AN INCUMBENT, UM, THEY MIGHT, THEY MIGHT BE ON A DIFFERENT TIME THAN SOMEBODY, UM, WHO'S, YOU KNOW, HAD ALREADY SERVED ONE TERM.
SO WE'LL DO JUST LIKE, MAYBE HALF.
SO EVERY ONE, FOUR YEARS OR EVERY TWO YEARS OR FOUR YEARS WHEN WE STILL HAVE EXPERIENCED PEOPLE SITTING IN THE COUNCIL THAT KNOWS WHAT'S GOING ON INSTEAD OF JUST, EVERYBODY JUST KNEW, YOU KNOW, WE'RE STARTING ALL OVER FROM GROUND ZERO.
THERE IS, THERE IS THE POTENTIAL, UM, AS THERE IS WITH ANY ELECTION AS THERE IS WITH THE CURRENT CITY, CITY COUNCIL ELECTIONS, FOR ALL OF THE SEATS TO TURN OVER, UM, IF ALL OF THE INCUMBENTS LOST OR TURNED OUT, UM, I, I DON'T THINK WE SEE THAT HAPPEN VERY OFTEN.
UM, IN, IN THIS SCENARIO, IF YOU WENT TO FOUR YEAR TERMS, YOU KNOW, EVERYONE WOULD TURN OVER, UH, OVER THE COURSE OF, OF TWO ELECTIONS.
YOU WOULD HAVE, YOU WOULD HAVE A NEW, NEW COUNCIL EVERY, UH, SO THEN THAT STAGGERED IN AN UNST STAGGERED SITUATION.
IF YOU, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO STAGGER THE TERMS, THEN YOU COULD DO IT WHERE EVERY TWO YEARS, HALF OF THE COUNCIL IS UP FOR ELECTION.
AND I HAVE ONE MORE QUESTION ABOUT, UH, I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN ASK THIS
[01:15:01]
RIGHT NOW.I SEEN A COMMENT IN HERE IN ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE SPEAKERS THAT SPOKE EARLIER, WROTE A COMMENT, SAID THAT IS, UH, YOU CAN'T MOVE THE ELECTIONS TO NOVEMBER BECAUSE OF STATE LAW.
I'D LIKE TO ASK THE ATTORNEY, IS THAT TRUE? THERE IS CURRENTLY A PROVISION IN STATE LAW THAT SAYS IF YOU WANNA MOVE TO A NOVEMBER ELECTION DATE, YOU HAD TO HAVE DONE SO BY DECEMBER 31ST, 2016.
AND IT IS OUR INTERPRETATION THAT THAT PREVENTS US FROM MOVING OUR ELECTION DATE UNTIL THAT STATE LAW HAS CHANGED.
SO WE TALKING ABOUT MOVING THE ELECTION, THAT, THAT THE LAW HAS TO CHANGE TO ALLOW US TO MOVE THE ELECTION, IF I'M GETTING THAT CORRECT.
THE PROPOSAL THAT WAS MADE BY, UM, COMMISSIONER DEPUE, UM, AT LAST WEEK'S MEETING OR TWO WEEKS AGO, WAS TO HAVE A TRIGGER CLAUSE SO THAT THE CHANGE WOULD BE MADE AFTER A CHANGE IN STATE LAW.
SO THAT'S WHY WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT CHANGING THE ELECTION DATE.
AT LEAST THE PROPOSAL THAT WE RECEIVED IN WRITING WAS TO MAKE THAT CHANGE AFTER A CHANGE IN STATE LAW.
IS THERE A BILL ON THE TABLE WITH THE STATE THAT CHANGES THE LAW? I DON'T BELIEVE THERE'S A BILL CURRENTLY ON THE TABLE, BUT THERE HAVE BEEN BILLS FILED IN REGULAR SESSIONS, YES.
AND CAN I, CAN I MAKE ONE QUICK COMMENT ON THAT, MR. DE LAFONTE? IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING, THOUGH OTHERS CAN CORRECT ME.
IT IS LITERALLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR THERE TO BE A BILL UNDER CONSIDERATION AT THE STATE LEVEL RIGHT NOW BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT IN REGULAR SESSION.
BUT TO THE CITY ATTORNEY'S POINT, THERE HAS BEEN A BILL TO FIX THIS IN BOTH THE STATE HOUSE AND STATE SENATE INTRODUCED IN AT LEAST THE PAST TWO REGULAR SESSIONS.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? UH, MS. MS. LEMASTER BEFORE WE GO BACK TO YOU? 'CAUSE WE'RE GONNA DO THE FIVE MINUTES AND THEN ONE MINUTE FOLLOW UP.
I GOTTA MAKE SURE THERE'S NO ONE ELSE THAT THAT WANTS TO SPEAK.
UH, THE PRESENTERS TODAY, UH, GAVE THE POLICY REASONS FOR IN SUPPORT OF THE THREE YEAR TERMS, STAGGERED CYCLE, THE FOUR YEAR TERMS, NOT STAGGERED.
AND THIS MAY BE A QUESTION FOR MS. JOHNSON OR MR. ANDERSON MAY BE ABLE TO ANSWER IT.
UH, IN YOUR PRESENTATION YOU GAVE THE MECHANICAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR EACH OF THOSE OPTIONS.
UH, WHAT, IF ANY MEANINGFUL ELECTION COSTS INCREASES OR DECREASES WILL BE ASSIGNED TO EACH OF THOSE OPTIONS SO WE CAN GET A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT IT WOULD COST THE CITY IF WE WERE TO CHOOSE ONE OPTION OVER THE OTHER? SURE.
NOTHING HAS BEEN PUT TOGETHER AS THIS, UH, AS OF THIS POINT.
BUT YES, I CAN PUT TOGETHER A COST ESTIMATE BASED ON THE DIFFERENT SCENARIOS.
IF YOU COULD DO THAT FOR, THAT'D BE HIGHLY APPRECIATED.
ANYBODY ELSE BEFORE WE GO BACK TO MS. LEMASTER? ALRIGHT, MS. LEMASTER, USUALLY I'M QUIET, BUT, UM, I WOULD, I KIND OF EXPECTED, AND MAYBE IT'S YOUR CALL CHAIRMAN, UH, THAT THERE WOULD BE A DECISION TREE THAT, THAT IF THIS, YOU KNOW, THIS FIRST, THEN THIS, THEN THIS THAT, THAT THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE OR SOMEONE WOULD BE PROPOSING TO OUR GROUP OR BEEN OFFERING TO OUR GROUP.
'CAUSE I AGREE WITH MR. SOLIS THAT THE, THE, WE HAVE TO HAVE, WE HAVE TO KNOW WHAT WE HAVE TO DECIDE FIRST AND THEN WE DECIDE THE NEXT ITEM.
AM I MAKING SENSE THERE? NO, I, I THINK THAT MAKES SENSE.
AND, AND LIKE HE SAID, TRACKING EVERYTHING WE'RE TALKING ABOUT BECAUSE THERE, THERE ARE A LOT OF MOVING PIECES TO THIS.
UH, YOU KNOW, FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, IF WE DECIDED WE WANTED TO MOVE TO NOVEMBER ELECTIONS, WE'VE GOTTA HAVE A CHANGE IN AUSTIN.
NEXT LEGISLATIVE SESSION IS IN, WHAT WAS THIS YEAR? IT'D BE 2025 AND BILLS CAN BE PRE-FILED ABOUT A MONTH BEFORE THAT SESSION STARTS.
AND I KNOW AN EMAIL WENT OUT, I THINK FROM MS. ROGERS TO EVERYONE ABOUT, YOU KNOW, INPUT ON THE NEXT LEGISLATIVE AGENDA, WHAT WE WANT OUR STATE REPS AND AND SENATORS TO BE FOCUSING ON.
AND MAYBE THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS.
SO, YOU KNOW, THE DECISION TREE, I GUESS THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN TOO.
BUT ALSO HOW DO THE OTHER PIECES OF THE PUZZLE FIT IN IF, IF THAT WERE TO HAPPEN OR IF IT DOESN'T HAPPEN, YOU KNOW, THE THREE YEAR TERMS OR, OR THE OTHER THINGS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT? YEAH, I THINK IT WOULD BE GOOD TO HAVE SOME KIND OF DECISION TREE OR MATRIX OR FLOW CHART, WHATEVER YOU CALL IT.
UH, JAKE, COULD Y'ALL PUT SOMETHING TOGETHER FOR ON THAT, ON, UM, KIND OF HOW IT WOULD FLOW AND
[01:20:01]
WE CAN START WORKING ON THAT.I THINK ONE OF THE, THE THINGS THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL TOO, IS TO KNOW WHAT, WHAT'S, WHAT IS THE PRIORITY OF THE COMMISSION WHEN IT COMES TO, TO THE ELECTIONS? YOU KNOW, IS, IS THE PRIORITY, IS, IS THE FIRST THING.
IF, IF THE WORLD, IT WAS YOUR OYSTER AND YOU COULD DO WHATEVER YOU WANTED, WOULD, WOULD THE FIRST PRIORITY BE TO MOVE THE ELECTION TO NOVEMBER? OR WOULD IT BE TO, UM, YOU KNOW, CHANGE TO STAGGERED TERMS OR BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO AFFECT HOW THAT TREE LOOKS, WHAT, WHAT, WHATEVER YOU START WITH, UM, IS GOING TO CHANGE HOW THAT TREE TREE GOES AND FLOWS.
SO, SO HAVING SOME SORT OF GUIDANCE I THINK WOULD MAKE THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE CLEAR, A LITTLE BIT EASIER FOR US TO PUT TOGETHER IN, IN MY OPINION.
AND COMMISSIONERS, LEMME KNOW IF YOU'LL DISAGREE.
I THINK THAT WE KIND OF NEED TWO.
IF YOU DID MOVE THE ELECTION DATE TO NOVEMBER, YOU KNOW, THE HYPOTHETICALS WE DISCUSSED UNDER THAT, YOU KNOW, UH, CONTINGENCY.
AND THEN ANOTHER WHERE IT STAYS IN MAY AND YOU KNOW, THE THINGS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT, UH, SO YOU KNOW, THOSE TWO COLUMNS, SO TO SPEAK.
UH, I THINK PROBABLY WHAT WE WOULD NEED, COMMISSIONERS AND CHAIRMAN, I WAS GONNA ADD, UM, JUST THINKING PROCEDURALLY TOO, WHETHER IT'S THIS PARTICULAR ITEM OR ANY OF THESE ITEMS THAT COME FORWARD WHEN, YOU KNOW, WE BEGIN IN EARNEST IN THE JANUARY, FEBRUARY, MARCH TIMEFRAME, IT REALLY COMES DOWN TO WHAT IS THE WILL OF THE BODY AND THE DIRECTION THAT YOU GIVE US THIS, YOU KNOW, IF THE WILL OF THE BODY, THE CONSENSUS OF THE BODY IS WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE THIS PARTICULAR ITEM MOVE FORWARD.
WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE ON THE NEXT COMMISSION AGENDA, AN ACTION ITEM FOR US TO VOTE ON MOVING THAT FORWARD.
UM, THE REST OF IT WE CAN SORT THROUGH, HEY, GET THIS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, OR WE'D LIKE TO SEE A CHART.
WE JUST NEED THAT DIRECTION OF WHAT THE WILL OF THE BODY IS, OF WHAT YOU WANNA MOVE FORWARD ON AND TAKE ACTION ON.
MS I'M A PROCESS PERSON, SO I, I ENVISION AAT CHART GOING DOWN.
YOU'VE GOT ELECTION, YOU HAVE MAY, THEN YOU HAVE THREE YEAR TERM, YOU HAVE TWO YEAR TERM.
THESE ARE THE PROS, THESE ARE THE CONS, THESE ARE THE THINGS YOU WORK THROUGH.
YOU HAVE MAY YOU HAVE THREE YEAR TERM, YOU HAVE FOUR YEAR TERM.
THESE ARE THE THINGS YOU WORK THROUGH.
I THINK THAT SEEING THAT LAID OUT IN A WAY THAT WE COULD WORK FROM WOULD GET US A LOT FARTHER DOWN THE ROAD OF WHERE WE WANT TO BE, IN MY OPINION.
WOULD YOU LIKE US CHAIRMAN TO BRING THAT FORWARD? I DON'T KNOW IF WE CAN TURN IT AROUND FOR THE NOVEMBER 14TH MEETING ONE WEEK FROM TONIGHT.
UM, BUT AT THE DECEMBER, IS IT FIFTH AT THE DECEMBER 5TH MEETING, CHAIRMAN, WOULD YOU LIKE US TO BRING SOMETHING LIKE THAT FORWARD THAT THE, THE COMMISSION CAN CONSIDER AND POTENTIALLY TAKE ACTION ON TO ADVANCE? YES, PLEASE.
AND I THINK, UH, THE WAY MS. LOWRY LEGISLATE IT OUT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE AND, UH, WOULD BE HELPFUL.
AND IF WE COULD GET IT, YOU KNOW, AS MORE AHEAD OF THAT MEETING AS WE COULD SO WE CAN LOOK AT IT AND BE PREPARED TO DISCUSS IT AND, UH, ADDRESS IT AT THAT MEETING, IT'D BE GREAT.
COMMISSIONER LOWRY WILL BE CALLING YOU
NOT TO COMPLICATE AN ALREADY COMPLICATED SITUATION, BUT WE ALSO HAVE PROPOSALS NOT BEING DISCUSSED TONIGHT, BUT WILL BE EVENTUALLY, EVENTUALLY FOR RANK CHOICE VOTING.
AND THAT HAS SOME IMPACTS ON THIS.
FOR EXAMPLE, AS MS. JOHNSON INDICATED, THE POTENTIAL FOR A REALLY, REALLY EXPENSIVE ELECTION WOULD BE THE DECEMBER RUNOFF.
AND, UH, RANK CHOICE VOTING WOULD PROBABLY ELIMINATE THE NEED FOR ANY SUCH.
SO, UH, OUR T-CHART HAS TO HAVE SOMEWHERE ON IT, UH, A FORK IN THE ROAD FOR, FOR THAT DECISION.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS, MR. STEAM? WELL, I'D LIKE TO SEE US FOCUS ON WHAT'S ALREADY BEFORE US, YOU KNOW, LET'S WHAT THE LAWS ARE ALREADY CLEAR INSTEAD OF HYPOTHETICAL, YOU KNOW, IF A LAW IS PASSED, THEN WE CAN MOVE FORWARD.
SO I THINK WE GOT ENOUGH TO MOVE FORWARD WITH, UH, WHEN WE START TALKING ABOUT, UH, TERM LIMITS, YOU KNOW, FOR THE COUNCIL MEMBERS IN THE MAYOR.
I THINK WE HAVE THAT AUTHORITY TO MOVE FORWARD ON THAT BEFORE AS MOVING THE ELECTION.
YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO WAIT ON AUSTIN.
AND THERE THERE COULD BE THOUGH.
UM, UH, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING PASSED, UH, IN THE CHARTER THAT, UH, SETS IT AUTOMATICALLY WHERE IF AUSTIN DOES, YOU KNOW, MAKE THAT CHANGE AND ASSUMING, YOU KNOW, THE EXPLODE ACTIVE, THEN IT COULD, IT COULD KICK IN AUTOMATICALLY WITHOUT RIGHT.
BUT IF THEY DON'T, THEN WE GOING TO HAVE SOMETHING PROPOSED THAT'S SITTING HERE FOR 10 YEARS WAITING ON SOMETHING TO PASS.
THEN ONCE IT PASSED, IT RETROACTIVE GOING INTO EFFECT.
[01:25:01]
IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING? ON, ON THAT ONE ISSUE? RIGHT.BUT WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA HAVE, YOU KNOW, THINGS LINED UP IN THE CHART TO WHERE IT'LL BE, YOU KNOW, WITH THAT CONTINGENCY, WHAT FLOWS OFF OF THAT THEN WITHOUT THAT JUST, IT STAYS AS IT IS, YOU KNOW, AND IMPLEMENTING, YOU KNOW, THE THINGS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT HERE.
SO WE'D HAVE TO BE ABLE TO LOOK AT IT FROM BOTH WAYS.
I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, BUT IT'S LIKE WE TRYING TO PASS SOMETHING THAT WE ARE WAITING ON THE LAW TO CHANGE FOR IT TO BE EFFECTIVE WHEN WE ALREADY HAVE LAWS IN EFFECT THAT WE CAN DEAL WITH.
LIKE I SAID, I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH DEALING WITH TERM LIMITS.
I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TO FOCUS ON AND OTHER, UH, THINGS THAT'S IN THE CHARTER THAT WE CAN CHANGE INSTEAD OF THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, JUST LIKE I'M SAYING, I'M GOING TO PUT AN APPLICATION IN TO BUY A HOUSE AFTER I HIT THE, BUT I'M GONNA WAIT UNTIL I HIT THE LOTTERY TO BUY IT AND I MIGHT NOT EVER HIT THE LOTTERY.
THIS LAW MIGHT NOT EVER COME TO, INTO EFFECT, BUT WE CAN MOVE FORWARD WITH WHAT WE ALREADY HAVE.
WELL, I I THINK THOSE ARE GOOD THOUGHTS AND IT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE.
I I THINK THE PROBLEM WE'VE RUN INTO IS, YOU KNOW, THIS IS ONCE A, UH, EVERY 10 YEARS, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A CHANCE TO, TO CHANGE THE CHARTER.
SO WE'RE TRYING TO FORECAST SOME THINGS TOO ON, YOU KNOW, THAT MIGHT HAPPEN.
WHAT WE WOULD LIKE TO, TO CHANGE IF THEY DO, YOU KNOW, CONTINGENCY PLANNING.
SO, BUT I HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.
WE'RE DEALING WITH, I'M, I DON'T WANNA BE ARGUMENTATIVE, BUT WE DEALING AT, WE DEALING WITH WHAT COULD BE INSTEAD OF WHAT IS THAT'S WHAT I'M, THAT'S MY WHOLE THING.
WE GOT SOME STUFF RIGHT HERE THAT WE CAN, WE CAN GET DONE.
AND THIS WILL BE MY FINAL COMMENT ON THIS TOPIC.
AND IT'S ACTUALLY TO JUST SORT OF REITERATE WHAT COMMISSIONER STEIN JUST SAID, AT LEAST THE STAFF.
I THINK IT WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL FOR US TO MAKE SURE THAT AS WE'RE SORT OF SETTING UP THOSE DYNAMICS, YOU HELP US ALSO UNDERSTAND HOW THE DOMINOES FALL IN A HYPOTHETICAL SCENARIO WHERE A BILL IS PUT FOR, FOR NOVEMBER.
I THINK THIS IS RELEVANT TO, TO US THINKING ABOUT THIS, IF A BILL PASSES IN 2025, THAT THEN TRIGGERS WHATEVER WE WOULD POSSIBLY BUILD INTO THE CHARTER, THE CONSEQUENCES TO THAT, UH, THAT DECISION AND ITS IMPLICATIONS ON THE, THE GENERAL POPULACE AS THEY GO TO VOTE.
SO WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE TO ME IS IF WE'RE GONNA TIE A TON OF THINGS TO THE NOVEMBER ELECTION, BECAUSE SOME OF THESE THINGS DON'T WORK IF YOU DON'T HAVE A NOVEMBER ELECTION OR THE, THE, IT'S THE, THE ALTERNATIVE, RIGHT? THE ANTITHESIS, THEY'RE REALLY COMPLICATED THINGS THAT THEN POSSIBLY TRIGGER A WHOLE BUNCH OF CHANGES FOR CITIZENS IF A BILL'S PASSED AND THEN IF A BILL'S NOT PASSED, BUT WE THEN GO TO THE VOTERS AND ASK THEM TO PASS THESE THINGS.
IF A BILL CURRENTLY, THERE'S NO BILL, RIGHT? SO IF WE GO TAKE THIS TO THE VOTERS AND SAY, WELL, HYPOTHETICALLY ALL THESE THINGS COULD POSSIBLY CHANGE.
WE CAN'T PROMISE YOU THAT IT'S GOING TO, BUT IF IT DID CHANGE, HERE'S HOW IT WOULD CHANGE YOUR ELECTIONS.
AND JUST CAUSING, AT LEAST IN THE SHORT TERM, SIGNIFICANT CONFUSION AND PERHAPS EVEN SIGNIFICANT, UH, OPPOSITION TO SOMETHING LIKE THAT AT THE BALLOT BOX.
SO COMMISSIONER STEIN, OF ALL THE THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN SAID THIS EVENING, TO ME THAT WAS PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT WAS SAID.
UH, BECAUSE THE LONG-TERM RAMIFICATIONS OF THIS ARE THINGS THAT VOTERS INEVITABLY ARE GONNA HAVE TO CONSIDER.
AND WE'RE GONNA TRY THE CITY COUNCIL AND I WOULD ASSUME THIS COMMISSION WOULD TRY TO CONVINCE VOTERS OF THE LONG-TERM, UM, BENEFITS TO DOING THIS.
SO THAT'D BE MY CHARGE TO STAFF IS REALLY HELP US THINK THROUGH THOSE ISSUES.
'CAUSE THE LESS WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT IT, 'CAUSE IT'S JUST WRITTEN DOWN, I THINK, UH, THE BETTER.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? ALRIGHT, THANK YOU.
ALRIGHT, SO THE, THE NEXT ITEM, IT'S, IT'S NOT SO MUCH A BRIEFING AS IT IS JUST, UM, UH, TO LAY OUT SOMETHING FOR DISCUSSION PREPARING, UH, FOR THE NEXT MEETING.
UM, UH, NEXT WEEK WE'LL HOST, UH, MR. JASON GRANT, THE DIRECTOR OF ADV ADVOCACY AT THE INTERNATIONAL CITY COUNTY MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION.
UH, HE'S GONNA GIVE US A, A PRESENTATION AND A DISCUSSION, UH, ON SOME THINGS THAT THAT ASSOCIATION ADDRESSES.
AND IN DECEMBER, WE'LL BE HOSTING THE NATIONAL CIVIC LEAGUE FOR A SIMILAR PRESENTATION.
THESE TWO ORGANIZATIONS HAVE DEEP EXPERTISE IN THE REALM OF CITY GOVERNMENT CHARTERS AND CHARTER REVIEWS.
THEY WORK EVERY DAY WITH CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND WILL BE AVAILABLE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE ABOUT THE CHARTER PROCESS, BEST PRACTICES ACROSS THE COUNTRY, PHILOSOPHY,
[01:30:01]
ET CETERA.UH, ATTACHED TO THE MEMO, UH, FOR TONIGHT'S MEETING, YOU'VE RECEIVED A COPY OF THE NATIONAL CIVIC LEAGUE LEAGUE'S MODEL CHARTER UPDATED IN 2021, AND THEIR GUIDE FOR CHARTER COMMISSIONS UPDATED IN 2011.
THE MODEL CHARTER WAS A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT THAT ALSO INCLUDED ICMA, WHICH IS, UH, AGAIN, THE, UH, INTERNATIONAL CITY COUNTY MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION.
I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO SPEND SOME TIME LOOKING THROUGH THOSE RESOURCES PRIOR TO NEXT WEEK'S MEETING WITH ICMA AND NCL IN DECEMBER.
UH, AND, YOU KNOW, I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT WITH JASON, I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE A WEEK AGO, SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
AND HE WAS JUST A WEALTH OF INFORMATION.
HE'S WITH THE, UH, I-I-C-M-A AND HE'S GONNA BE TALKING TO US, UH, NEXT MEETING.
BUT JUST A WEALTH OF INFORMATION ON BEST PRACTICES, WHAT'S WORKED IN OTHER CITIES.
UM, YOU KNOW, IF YOU WANT TO KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE HISTORY OF, YOU KNOW, CITY GOVERNANCE, JUST A WALKING ENCYCLOPEDIA FOR THAT.
UM, BUT I'D LIKE Y'ALL TO, YOU KNOW, LOOK AT WHAT, WHAT THEY'VE PRESENTED AND BE THINKING ABOUT SOME THINGS YOU'D LIKE TO ASK, SOME, SOME THINGS YOU'D LIKE THEM TO ADDRESS WITH US, BECAUSE WE'VE ALSO ASKED THEM TO SET ASIDE TIME TO MEET WITH EACH OF YOU INDIVIDUALLY IF YOU SO CHOOSE.
YEAH, SO WE, UH, WE'VE ASKED THEM TO, UM, MAKE THEMSELVES AVAILABLE FOR A 30 MINUTE TIME SLOT WITH EACH OF YOU IF IT'S REQUESTED BY YOU.
UM, JUST PLEASE EMAIL, UH, BEFOREHAND.
UH, WHO, WHO DID THEY EMAIL? YOU CAN EMAIL JAKE E EMAIL JAKE, UH, AS MUCH AHEAD OF TIME AS YOU CAN SO HE CAN PLAN AHEAD.
'CAUSE HE'S COMING FROM OUT OF TOWN, UH, TO SET UP A 30 MINUTE TIME SLOT TO VISIT WITH YOU ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THINGS YOU WANNA BRAINSTORM ON.
UH, YOU KNOW, KINDA LIKE I DID WITH HIM.
IT WAS JUST, IT JUST REALLY HELPFUL.
UM, BUT DO Y'ALL HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT, UH, THOSE GROUPS COMING TO TALK TO US? ANY THOUGHTS
UM, CHAIRMAN, I JUST WANTED TO ADD FOR THE COMMISSION, UM, THE TWO DOCUMENTS THAT JAKE HAD SENT OUT, THE MODEL CITY CHARTER AND THE GUIDE FOR CHARTER COMMISSIONS.
UM, I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO START LOOKING THROUGH THEM AND, UM, AS THE CHAIRMAN HAD INDICATED, IT REALLY IS A WEALTH OF INFORMATION, BUT THERE WERE SO MANY, UM, COMMENTS, UM, IN THE DOCUMENTS THAT I THINK SPEAK TO A LOT OF THE QUESTIONS THAT YOU'VE HAD.
I MEAN, EVERY PAGE TO ME WAS, OH YEAH, SO-AND-SO ASKED THAT.
AND, AND SO I WOULD REALLY, REALLY STRONGLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO LOOK THROUGH THIS.
UM, ONE OF THE IDEAS THAT I HAD SEEN IN THERE WHEN I WAS READING THROUGH IT WAS, UM, FOR OTHER SUCCESSFUL CHARTER COMMISSIONS THAT THEY REALLY, ON THE FRONT END BEFORE THEY BEGAN DIGGING INTO THE VARIOUS AMENDMENTS, THEY, UM, DECIDED ON SORT OF A GUIDING PRINCIPLE, A MISSION STATEMENT ON WHAT KIND OF CHARTER THEY WANTED TO SEE.
DID THEY, YOU KNOW, WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE A CHARTER THAT'S FOCUSED ON THE PEOPLE THAT DOES X, Y, AND Z.
AND THEN THAT CONTINUED TO BE THEIR GUIDING PRINCIPLE THAT THEY PIVOTED BACK TO WITH EACH OF THE AMENDMENTS THEY CONSIDERED.
SO, UM, IT IS VERY VOLUMINOUS, BUT IT'S A WORTH A READ.
AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK, UH, JUST HELPING THEM PREPARE, HELP JASON PREPARE FOR, FOR NEXT WEEK.
I MEAN, SOME OF THE THINGS WE'VE HEARD ABOUT TONIGHT, SOME OF THE, YOU KNOW, REALLY GOOD COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS LIKE, YOU KNOW, CHANGING THE TERM LIMITS, YOU KNOW, FOR THE VARIOUS OFFICES, THINGS LIKE THAT, WHICH I KNOW THEY'RE GONNA HAVE SOME BACKGROUND DATA ON AND OTHER AREAS AS WE KNOW, OTHER CITIES HAVE HAVE MADE THOSE CHANGES AS WE HEARD EARLIER.
SO THAT'S JUST ONE THING I CAN THINK OF THAT WE WANT THEM TO COME EQUIPPED TO TALK TO US ABOUT.
UH, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ON THAT? CHAIRMAN, I WAS ALSO, I WAS GONNA ALSO ADD WITH THE MATERIALS FOR THAT PARTICULAR ITEM WAS THE AGENDA FORECAST.
THE MEMO REFERENCES THE FORECAST THAT WE COMMITTED TO PROVIDE TO YOU ALL.
UM, SO PLEASE DO LOOK AT THAT AS WE'RE STARTING TO DRAW ON OTHER EXPERTISE FROM PREVIOUS FOLKS WHO HAVE WORKED ON THIS.
NOTE THAT, UM, CHAIRMAN AND CHIA IS ON AN UPCOMING AGENDA AS WELL.
UM, SO THE NEXT ITEM, UH, WE WERE GOING TO, UH, HAVE A BRIEFING FROM THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE ON, UH, THE NOVEMBER ODD UNIFORM ELECTION DATE, WHICH WE'VE TALKED ABOUT, I GUESS A LITTLE BIT HERE ALREADY.
BUT, UH, AT THEIR REQUEST PRIOR TO THIS MEETING, UH, WE'RE GONNA PUSH THAT TILL NOVEMBER 14TH.
GIVE THEM A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME.
SO THAT, THAT'S EVERYTHING I HAVE ON THE AGENDA, UH, FOR THIS EVENING.
UH, THE NEXT REGULAR MEETING FOR THIS COMMISSION IS SCHEDULED FOR NEXT TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14TH AT 6:30 PM PM UH, HERE AT CITY HALL, UH, WITH NO FURTHER ISSUES TO DISCUSS.
THE CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION IS CONCLUDED AT 8:07 PM
[01:35:02]
WHAT IS TODAY? NOVEMBER 7TH.