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ORDER.THIS IS THE MEETING OF THE CITY OF DALLAS CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION.
IT IS CURRENTLY 6:32 PM ON NOVEMBER 14TH, 2023.
WE HAVE A QUORUM PRESENT, AND THIS MEETING IS NOW CALLED TO ORDER.
UH, WE DO NOT HAVE ANY REGISTERED SPEAKERS, UH, FOR THIS MEETING.
IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK, UH, YOU'RE WELCOME TO SIGN UP ONLINE, UH, FOR A FUTURE MEETING.
BUT IF THERE'S ANYONE PRESENT, AND I'M LOOKING OUT, I DON'T SEE ANYBODY, BUT IF THERE'S ANYONE PRESENT HERE NOW WHO WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS THIS COMMISSION, UH, PLEASE COME FORWARD AND WE WILL ALLOW YOU THREE MINUTES TO SPEAK AND SEEING NO ONE, WE'LL MOVE ON TO OUR NEXT ORDER OF BUSINESS.
UM, WE'RE GONNA TAKE UP OUR MINUTES FROM THE LAST MEETING.
I UNDERSTAND THAT COMMISSIONER LEMASTER HAS A PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO IT RELATIVE TO HER ACCIDENTALLY BEING LEFT OUT OF THE OF THE MINUTES.
UH, I SIMPLY WANT TO, UH, AMEND THE MINUTES TO REFLECT THE FACT THAT I INTRODUCED, UM, CONCEPTS OF CHANGES TO COUNCIL TERMS AND TO THE MAYOR'S FOUR YEAR TERM.
UH, NO DECISION WAS MADE, BUT JUST TO GET THE CONVERSATION STARTED.
UM, WITH THAT, UH, PROPOSED AMENDMENT, CAN I GET A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES? SECOND.
ANY DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION, SAY AYE.
UH, TONIGHT WE HAVE TWO PRESENTATIONS.
UM, WE, UH, THE FIRST PRESENTATION WE'RE GONNA HAVE IS FROM COMMISSIONER DE LA FUENTE, WHO'S GONNA TALK ABOUT RANK CHOICE VOTING.
AND AFTER THAT, WE'RE GONNA HAVE, UH, THE INTERNATIONAL CITY COUNTY MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION, UH, TALK WITH US.
AND, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IS IN THEIR PRESENTATION, WHICH Y'ALL PROBABLY SAW BEFORE THE MEETING, DOES INCLUDE RANK CHOICE VOTING.
SO I'M THINKING THAT, UH, AFTER COMMISSIONER DE LA FUENTE GOES, OBVIOUSLY, IF Y'ALL WANNA ASK HIM QUESTIONS AT THAT TIME, YOU CAN.
BUT IF YOU WANNA WAIT UNTIL AFTER, UH, THE PRESENTATION AFTER HIS, WE COULD PROBABLY DOVETAIL IT ALL INTO ONE SINCE WE'LL HAVE HEARD TWO PRESENTATIONS ON IT AT THAT POINT.
AND I VISITED WITH COMMISSIONER DE LAPUENTE BEFORE, AND HE'S HAPPY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS, UH, UH, ACCORDINGLY.
SO, WITH THAT IN MIND, AND, AND ALSO I'LL ASK, DO IT LIKE WE DID LAST TIME, UH, FOR QUESTIONS, UH, COMMISSIONERS ASK YOU TO LIMIT IT TO FIVE MINUTES.
AND THEN FOR ANY FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS, WE'LL DO THREE MINUTES.
SO, WITH THAT IN MIND, UH, OUR FIRST BRIEFING ITEM THEN COMES FROM COMMISSIONER DE LA FUENTE REGARDING HIS PROPOSAL ON RANKED CHOICE VOTING.
UM, THANK YOU FELLOW COMMISSIONERS FOR INDULGING ME TODAY.
I HAVE SUBMITTED TWO CHARTER AMENDMENTS.
THEY ARE THE ONLY TWO I INTEND TO SUBMIT, SO I AM DONE AFTER TODAY, AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO HEAR ME OPINE ANY LONGER.
UM, THIS IS A CHARTER AMENDMENT, UH, TO ENCOURAGE, UH, THE CITY TO ADOPT A CHARTER AMENDMENT THAT WOULD ALLOW US TO EVENTUALLY USE A RANK CHOICE VOTING SYSTEM FOR OUR MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS.
UH, I AM PRESENTING HERE A ROADMAP FOR HOW THIS WILL WORK.
I'LL GO OVER THE STATE LAW BASELINE DEAL, UH, TALK ABOUT THE PROBLEM, WHICH IS BURDENSOME, RUNOFFS THE SOLUTION, WHICH IS INSTANT RUNOFFS CASE STUDY, CITY OF AUSTIN.
THE BENEFITS IN ADDRESSING ANY CONCERNS YOU SEE THERE, BOTH THE SLIDES THAT YOU HAVE, UH, PROVIDED TO YOU IN HARD COPY, AS WELL AS ON THE SCREEN.
I PROVIDED A PICTURE OF THE 2019 CITY OF DALLAS MAYORAL ELECTION, AN OPEN SEAT RACE, HOTLY CONTESTED.
UM, THE CANDIDATE WHO GOT THE HIGHEST SHARE OF THE VOTE GOT 20.32%.
WITH SO MANY CANDIDATES RUNNING IN 2019, IN OUR SYSTEM OF ELECTIONS, UH, WE WERE ESSENTIALLY GUARANTEED TO HAVE A RUNOFF.
UH, THERE HAS NOT BEEN AN OPEN MAYORAL CONTEST WITHOUT A RUNOFF, UH, IN, IN SEVERAL DECADES.
WHEN ERIC JOHNSON WAS FIRST ELECTED IN 2019, WENT TO A RUNOFF WHEN MIKE RAWLINGS WAS FIRST ELECTED IN 2011, IT WENT TO A RUNOFF.
WHEN TOM LEOPARD WAS FIRST ELECTED IN 2007, IT WENT TO A RUNOFF.
UH, I ACTUALLY, UH, HAVE A PERSONAL ANECDOTE ABOUT THAT.
UH, BACK IN 2007, UH, MY MOTHER, UH,
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DECIDED NOT TO VOTE IN MAY BECAUSE WE LIVED IN OAK CLIFF.WE KNEW THAT THE MAYO CONTEST WAS GONNA GO TO A RUNOFF.
WE KNEW OUR CITY COUNCIL CONTEST WAS GONNA GO TO A RUNOFF.
SHE DIDN'T WANNA WASTE HER TIME VOTING IN MAY BECAUSE IT WAS INCONSEQUENTIAL TO HER.
AND I THINK WE HAVE, THROUGH, THROUGH STATE MANDATES, TO BE CLEAR, WE HAVE A SYSTEM BY WHICH WE OVERLY BURDEN VOTERS BY ASKING 'EM TO VOTE TWICE IN A FIVE WEEK TIME PERIOD.
SO, MOVING ON TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
STATE LAW, BASELINE STATE LAW DOES NOT EXPRESSLY FORBID RING CHOICE VOTING, NOR DOES IT EXPRESSLY ALLOW IT.
IN 20 13, 2 PIECES OF LEGISLATION WERE FILED IN THE STATE LEGISLATURE REGARDING RCV THAT IMPACT, UH, A CITY LIKE DALLAS.
THE FIRST WAS TO BAN RCV STATEWIDE.
THE SECOND WAS TO ALLOW RCV IN MUNICIPAL OR SCHOOL BOARD ELECTIONS BY CHOICE BOTH FAILED.
UH, JUST TO BE CLEAR, THERE WERE OTHER RCV BILLS FILED, BUT THEY MAINLY DEALT WITH MILITARY BALLOTS, PRIMARIES, UH, THINGS LIKE THAT.
UM, THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE AND THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S OFFICE HAVE ADVISED LOCAL GOVERNMENTS NOT TO USE RANK CHOICE VOTING AS OF RIGHT NOW.
UH, THESE OPINIONS DATE BACK 20 YEARS AND HAVE BEEN UPDATED, UH, OVER THE LAST TWO DECADES, AS MANY CITIES HAVE REACHED OUT TO THE STATE WANTING TO DO THIS.
UH, AND WITH IT BEING SOMEWHAT UNCLEAR IN STATE LAW, UM, THESE ATTORNEY GENERAL AND SECRETARY OF STATE'S OPINIONS HAVE KIND OF BEEN THE GUIDING LIGHT FOR MOST CITIES.
NOBODY HAS ATTEMPTED TO ACTUALLY IMPLEMENT RANK CHOICE VOTING IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.
UM, BUT YOU'RE ESSENTIALLY ALLOWED TO PUT IT IN A CITY CHARTER WITH A TRIGGER CLAUSE, WHICH IS WHAT I'M SUGGESTING.
COMPUTER'S FROZEN, UH, FOR FOLKS AT HOME, THE THOUSANDS LISTENING IN.
OH, AND WHILE WE'RE STUCK, I DO JUST WANT TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO MY WIFE.
TODAY'S OUR THIRD WEDDING ANNIVERSARY, AND SHE'S LETTING ME DO THIS, UM, 'CAUSE SHE HAS MORE PATIENCE FOR ME THAN I SHOULD, THAN I DESERVE, HONESTLY.
THE CURRENT SYSTEM REQUIRES VOTERS TO SHOW UP TWICE IN A FIVE WEEK PERIOD IF NO CANDIDATE CAN SECURE 50% IN THEIR ELECTION.
ONE WAY TO THINK ABOUT THIS IS, THERE'S REALLY THREE OPTIONS HERE.
THE FIRST IS WHAT WE'RE USED TO FOR LIKE A PRES, OR NOT A PRESIDENTIAL, BUT LIKE A CONGRESSIONAL GUBERNATORIAL ELECTION.
BUNCH OF CANDIDATES PUT THEIR NAME ON THE BALLOT.
WHOEVER GETS THE MOST VOTES WINS, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THEY HIT A MAJORITY OR EVEN IF THEY JUST GET A PLURALITY, THAT IS NOT ALLOWED UNDER STATE LAW.
THE SECOND OPTION, THE STATUS QUO THAT WE HAVE, WE HAVE AN ELECTION.
FIVE WEEKS LATER, YOU HAVE A RUNOFF.
IF NOBODY HITS 50%, THE THIRD OPTION, YOU HOLD AN INSTANT RUNOFF ELECTION IN THE FIRST ROUND.
UM, SO THEREFORE, UH, THERE'S NO NEED FOR VOTERS TO COME BACK TWICE.
UM, SO AGAIN, WE CURRENTLY USE THAT SECOND SYSTEM.
UH, AND JUST TO BE CLEAR, I'M NOT SAYING ALL THREE ARE LEGAL IN TEXAS.
I'M JUST SAYING THIS IS HOW IT WORKS AROUND THE COUNTRY, UH, FOR THE MOST PART, UH, WITH SOME WEIRD EXCEPTIONS, LIKE A ST.
LOUIS OR, OR SOMETHING I DON'T NEED TO GO INTO.
UH, IN 2019, UH, FOR INSTANCE, RUNOFF DROP, UH, DROP OFF WAS 8%, WHICH MEANS, UH, ABOUT FOR EVERY 10 PEOPLE THAT VOTED IN MAY, ONLY NINE PEOPLE SHOWED UP IN THE JUNE RUNOFF.
SO LESS PEOPLE WERE ACTUALLY CHOOSING BETWEEN NOW MAYOR JOHNSON AND THEN CITY COUNCILMAN SCOTT GRIGGS.
UM, AND IN 2011, RUNOFF DROPOUT WAS 20%.
SO ESSENTIALLY FOR EVERY FIVE PEOPLE THAT VOTED IN 2011 IN MAY, IT WAS ONLY FOUR CAME BACK IN JUNE.
UH, I THINK PART OF THAT IS DUE TO COUNCIL RUNOFFS ALSO OCCURRING AT THE TIME.
UM, I COULD, OH, I COULD, I COULD TALK ABOUT, UH, MY OWN POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY IS WHY 2011 SAW BIGGER DROP OFF THAN 2019, BUT I DON'T NEED TO GO INTO THAT.
THE NUMBERS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES.
IN 2019, THE RUNOFF ELECTION COST THE CITY $1.1 MILLION.
AND, UH, FOR INSTANCE, IN 2021, NO MAYORAL CONTEST AND NO CITYWIDE ELECTION.
BUT, UH, AS, AS YOU ALL MIGHT REMEMBER, THE 2021 CITY COUNCIL ELECTIONS WERE HAPPENING POST COVID, THE NATION WAS NOT IN THE BEST PLACE, HONESTLY.
AND I THINK SOME OF THAT, UH, MALCONTENT, UH, BLED OVER INTO HOW RESIDENTS WERE VIEWING CITY OF DALLAS.
A LOT OF RUNOFFS OCCURRED, AND THOSE SIX CONTESTS, UH, RACKED UP OVER 800,000, UM, DOLLARS.
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NEXT SLIDE.AGAIN, UNDER THE CURRENT SYSTEM, VOTERS SELECT ONLY ONE CANDIDATE.
IF NO ONE GETS A MAJORITY OF VOTES, VOTERS ARE ASKED TO COME BACK IN FIVE WEEKS FOR A RUNOFF TO SELECT THE TWO MOST POPULAR CANDIDATES FROM THE FIRST ROUND UNDER AN RCV SYSTEM, VOTERS WOULD RANK THEIR CHOICES.
MOST PLACES HAVE DONE THIS UP TO FIVE CHOICES.
UH, IF NO ONE GETS A MAJORITY OF VOTES, ELECTION OFFICIALS CONDUCT INSTANT RUNOFFS UNTIL SOMEBODY GETS A MAJORITY USING THOSE VOTES THAT, UH, WERE CAST IN THAT FIRST ROUND.
UH, RCV IS EXPANDING ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
UH, TWO STATES HAVE ADOPTED IT, ALASKA AND MAINE.
UH, IT'S, IT'S AROUND THREE DOZEN CITIES HAVE ENACTED IT.
UM, INCLUDING PLACES LIKE MINNEAPOLIS, NEW YORK CITY, SALT LAKE CITY, SANTA FE, OUT IN NEW MEXICO.
UH, YOU SEE OTHER USAGE IN SOME PLACES.
AND AGAIN, IF YOU'RE NOT FAMILIAR, PRIMARY ELECTIONS FOR PARTISAN CONTEST.
IN MOST OF THE COUNTRY, THERE ARE NOT PRIMARY RUNOFFS.
AND A LOT OF THE SOUTH THERE ARE, AND MOST SOUTHERN STATES, OTHER THAN TEXAS, HAVE STARTED ADOPTING RANK CHOICE, VOTING FOR MILITARY BALLOTS, FOR PRIMARY ELECTIONS, AND ANYTHING ELSE THAT INVOLVES A POTENTIAL RUNOFF.
UM, BUT ONLY FOR THE ACTIVE ACT, ACTIVE DUTY MILITARY.
UM, WITH INSTANT RUN, UH, RUNOFFS, WHAT YOU SEE IS 71% OF PEOPLE USE THE RANKING OPTION.
AND WHAT I DO WANT TO NOTE ABOUT THAT 71% IS THAT, UM, THAT ON THE FLIP SIDE, THE 29% OVER INDEXES, UH, OF PEOPLE THAT ARE, THAT KNOW, THEY'RE SUPPORTING A FRONT RUNNER.
UM, SO FOR INSTANCE, IN A 2019, SOMEBODY THAT WAS RANKING NOW, MAYOR ERIC JOHNSON FIRST WAS PROBABLY GONNA BE LESS LIKELY TO GO THROUGH THEIR BALLOT AND RANK THE REST OF IT.
VERSUS SOMEBODY THAT WAS VOTING FOR SOMEBODY THAT THEY THOUGHT WAS PROBABLY GONNA FINISH BACK OF THE PACK IS GONNA BE MUCH MORE LIKELY TO RANK OUT THEIR ENTIRE BALLOT.
SO, FOR INSTANCE, IN MINNEAPOLIS, IN THEIR LAST MAYO ELECTION, BY THE TIME YOU GOT TO THE FINAL ROUND OF CALCULATIONS, THERE WAS ONLY A 12% DROP OFF.
88% OF VOTERS HAD RANKED AT LEAST ONE, ONE OF THE TWO FINALISTS IN THEIR TOP FIVE CHOICES.
UH, SOMETHING ELSE THAT WE HAVE THAT, THAT THE DATA SUGGESTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY, AND I KNOW THIS IS A CONCERN FOR SOME, IS THAT, UH, NON-WHITE VOTERS, SO LATINO BLACK VOTERS ARE ACTUALLY MORE LIKELY TO USE THE RANKING OPTION THAN WHITE VOTERS.
UM, SO THAT HAS BEEN HELPFUL IN UNDERSTANDING THE IMPLICATIONS FROM A VOTING RIGHTS PERSPECTIVE.
UM, AND THEN SOMETHING ELSE, RCV POLLS BETTER WERE USED AFTER IMPLEMENTATION, MEANING FOLKS ARE SATISFIED WITH IT AFTER EXPERIENCE IN IT.
SO, FOR INSTANCE, IF A PLACE, UH, VOTES TO ADOPT RANK CHOICE VOTING, LET'S SAY, GETS 60% IN THAT ELECTION TO ADOPT IT, WHEN THE CITY CONDUCTS POST-ELECTION SATISFACTION SURVEYS IN THAT CITY, SATISFACTION MAY HIT MAY RISE TO 80%.
SO THERE'S ESSENTIALLY A STRUCTURAL BIAS IN FAVOR OF THE STATUS QUO UNTIL PEOPLE EXPERIENCE AN ELECTION LIKE THIS.
UH, AND IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND CLICKING THAT LINK, I, I KNOW, UH, IN THE PAST TWO WEEKS, I'VE ASKED FOLKS TO PARTICIPATE IN A SIMULATOR.
I APPRECIATE THE, THE FOLKS THAT COULD DO THAT, UM, TO, TO SIMULATE AN ELECTION.
I MADE IT, UM, ESSENTIALLY LIKE THE BEST DAY YOU CAN HAVE IN DALLAS.
UM, CAN YOU GO, CAN YOU HIT PREVIOUS TO MAKE IT GO BACK TO ROUND ONE? UH, RIGHT TO THE RIGHT, SORRY.
OR IF, IF IT WOULD BE HELPFUL, I CAN WALK OVER AND CONTROL IT, IF THAT WOULD BE MORE HELPFUL.
SO WHAT YOU SEE HERE IS, UH, 15 PEOPLE VOTED.
UH, THE MOST POPULAR CHOICE WAS DINNER IN A CONCERT IN DEEP ELEMENT DISTRICT TWO.
THE SECOND MOST POPULAR CHOICE WAS GO TO THE ARTS DISTRICT MUSEUMS IN LUNG AND GLIDE WARREN PARK IF WE WERE CONDUCTING A SELECTION USING CURRENT CITY OF DALLAS AND STATE OF TEXAS LAWS.
YOU'RE GONNA BE FORCED TO VOTE AGAIN, AND YOU GET TO CHOOSE BETWEEN DINNER AND A CONCERT AND DEEP L AND IN ARTS DISTRICT MUSEUM AND LUNGE AND GLIDE WARREN PARK.
BUT UNDER THE SIMULATION, YOU DON'T HAVE TO SHOW UP IN FIVE WEEKS.
YOU GET TO KNOW THE ANSWER RIGHT NOW.
SO ROUND TWO, YOU ELIMINATE STUCK IN TRAFFIC IN THE SUBURBS BECAUSE NOBODY VOTED FOR THAT, UH, BECAUSE THAT SOUNDS TERRIBLE.
UM, AND THEN WHEN YOU MOVED ROUND THREE, WHAT YOU CAN ACTUALLY DO IN RING CHOICE VOTING IS YOU CAN ELIMINATE ALL CANDIDATES
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THAT ARE MATHEMATICALLY DEFEATED.SO IN THIS CASE, WE'RE GONNA ELIMINATE SAFARI NIGHTS AT THE DALLAS ZOO AND SHOPPING TRIP AT NORTH PARK AND REDISTRIBUTE THEIR TWO VOTES.
NOW, DINNER IN A CONCERT IN DEEP ELLUM, UH, GAINED A VOTE, AND SO DID DALLAS BLOOMS AT THE ARBORETUM STATE.
FERRETS FAIR PARK IS NOW IN LAST PLACE.
IT GETS ELIMINATED AND ITS TWO VOTES, MOVE TWO OTHER OPTIONS.
ONE VOTE TO DEEP ELLUM, ONE VOTE TO CLYDE WARREN PARK ARBORETUM IS NOW ELIMINATED.
THOSE THREE VOTES WILL BE REDISTRIBUTED TO THE TOP TWO CHOICES, AND A WINNER WILL BE DECLARED DINNER AND CONCERT IN DEEP ELLUM.
UM, I, I DID NOT EXPECT THAT TO WIN IF I BE, IF I'M BEING QUITE HONEST.
UM, UH, BUT I THINK OUR INSTRUCTIONS ARE CLEAR THAT AT THE CONCLUSION OF THIS, THE CITY OF DALLAS IS GONNA TAKE US TO REVOLVER TACO LOUNGE AND THEN TO THE FACTORY.
UH, AND WE'RE ALL GONNA GO HAVE FUN TOGETHER.
UM, BUT THAT AGAIN, IS A GOOD, UH, DEMONSTRATION OF HOW THIS WORKS.
RANKED CHOICE VOTING IN A PLACE LIKE DALLAS IS UNLIKELY TO CHANGE THE WINNERS.
I WANNA BE REALLY CLEAR WHEN OTHER PLACES HAVE ADOPTED RANK CHOICE VOTING, IT'S BEEN A DESIRE TO STOP PLURALITY WINNERS.
WE ALREADY DO NOT HAVE PLURALITY WINNERS HERE.
THIS RANK CHOICE VOTING PROPOSAL IS TO DO TWO THINGS.
IT'S TO ELIMINATE AN ELECTION THAT IS BURDENSOME AND COSTLY AND TO GET A RESULT FASTER.
UM, SO MOVING ON TO THE CASE STUDY, AUSTIN, THEY APPROVED A CHARTER AMENDMENT, UH, IDENTICAL.
OH, I COPIED THEIR CHARTER AMENDMENT WHEN I SUBMITTED THIS TO CITY STAFF.
UM, AUSTIN PUT RING CHOICE VOTING IN THEIR CITY CHARTER AFTER A MAY, 2021 BALLOT MEASURE USING A TRIGGER CLAUSE MECHANISM.
VOTERS APPROVED IT BY A 57.95 TO 42.05 MARGIN.
UM, THIS WAS PART OF A SLATE OF GOOD GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES.
UH, THERE WERE FIVE OF THEM THAT WERE PACKAGED TOGETHER.
UH, VOTERS ACTUALLY ONLY APPROVED TWO OF THE FIVE, UH, WITH THE TWO THAT WERE APPROVED, UH, BEING MOVING MAYORAL ELECTIONS TO PRESIDENTIAL CYCLES AND RANK CHOICE VOTING, UH, THINGS THAT VOTERS REJECTED WERE STRONG MAYOR EXPANDING COUNCIL AND PUBLIC FINANCING OF ELECTIONS.
AND I BRING UP THAT POINT BECAUSE I KNOW WE'VE BANTERED AROUND THE NOTION OF, UM, SHOULD WE MOSTLY CONCENTRATE ON THINGS THAT ARE CLEARLY ALLOWABLE UNDER STATE LAW.
AND I THINK THIS IS A GOOD EXAMPLE THAT VOTERS WANT WHAT THEY WANT, EVEN IF IT'S GONNA TAKE LONGER FOR IT TO OCCUR, BECAUSE THEY HAD FIVE OPTIONS, FOUR OF WHICH THEY COULD ENACT IMMEDIATELY.
ONE, THEY KNEW THEY WERE PLAYING THE LONG GAME.
THEY REJECTED THREE OF THE IMMEDIATELY ENACTABLE ONES, BUT GAVE A RUBBER STAMP TO THIS LONG GAME PROPOSAL.
UM, AND I, I WANT TO ADD, THE STATE HAS TAKEN NO ACTION AGAINST AUSTIN IN THE LAST TWO YEARS.
BENEFITS TO A RANK CHOICE VOTING SYSTEM.
UH, TRIPS TO THE POLLS ONCE ALLOWED TO BE IMPLEMENTED.
RCV WOULD ELIMINATE ALL RUNOFFS WHILE MAINTAINING MAJORITY RULE.
UM, IF, FOR INSTANCE, WE WOULD APPROVE BOTH OF MY CHARTER AMENDMENTS AND THEN RCV WAS EVENTUALLY ALLOWED TO BE IMPLEMENTED, PEOPLE IN CITY COUNCIL, DISTRICT THREE, UH, WOULD THIS YEAR, THEY HAD TO VOTE THREE TIMES UNDER MY PROPOSALS.
ONCE IMPLEMENTED, THEY WOULD ONLY NEED TO VOTE ONE TIME THIS YEAR.
SO WE'RE CUTTING THEIR AMOUNT OF TRIPS TO THE POLLS DOWN BY TWO THIRDS.
IT'S THE SAME IF YOU LIVED IN, UH, DISD DISTRICT TWO.
IF, UM, DISD WERE TO ALSO DO THIS, THAT WAS THE OTHER RUNOFF, UM, CAMPAIGN TONES.
RCV HAS BEEN SHOWN TO MAKE, MAKE CAMPAIGNS MORE POSITIVE ALLIANCES FORM BEFORE THE VOTE INSTEAD OF POST VOTE ENDORSEMENTS.
I THINK A GREAT EXAMPLE OF THIS, IF YOU FOLLOWED CITY COUNCIL ELECTIONS BACK IN 2021, UM, WHEN COMMISSIONER MADANO, WHO UNFORTUNATELY IS NOT HERE TONIGHT, UM, WAS, WAS FORCED OUT BY TERM LIMITS, UM, THERE WERE TWO CANDIDATES, INCLUDING NOW, COUNCIL MEMBER MORENO, WHO REALLY SHARED SIMILAR VISIONS, UM, AND RAN VERY SIMILAR CAMPAIGNS, WERE VERY FRIENDLY ON THE TRAIL TOGETHER, BUT UNDER OUR CURRENT SYSTEM, THEY WERE COMPETITORS.
THE OTHER CANDIDATE FINISHED IN THIRD.
SHE IMMEDIATELY ENDORSED HIM IN THE RUNOFF.
WHAT YOU SEE IN CITIES LIKE MINNEAPOLIS, WHEN YOU HAVE CASES LIKE THAT, MORENO AND HIS OPPONENT WOULD'VE PROBABLY COORS EACH OTHER IN A SENSE, WITH MORENO ENCOURAGING HIS VOTERS TO RANK THE OTHER INDIVIDUAL SECOND.
AND THAT INDIVIDUAL ASKING HER VOTERS TO VOTE, UH, CAST THEIR SECOND BALLOT FOR MORENO.
SO AGAIN, WE'RE NOT CHANGING THE END RESULT, WE'RE JUST NOT WASTING EVERYONE'S TIME BY MAKING THEM VOTE TWICE.
UH, COSTS RCV CAN COST IN THE FIVE FIGURES TO CONDUCT, BUT COMPARED TO RUNOFFS, THAT IS AROUND A 90% COST SAVINGS.
SO IN PLACES LIKE MAINE, WHEN THEY IMPLEMENTED, THEY, THEY SWITCH FROM PLURALITY SYSTEM TO RCV.
UH, MAINE HAS ABOUT THE SAME POPULATION AS CITY OF DALLAS, BUT IS OBVIOUSLY GEOGRAPHICALLY
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MASSIVE COMPARED TO THE CITY OF DALLAS.IT COST THEM $80,000, UH, TO CHANGE OVER.
UM, SOME OF THAT WAS SWEETENERS, ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE REMOTE NATURE OF THE STATE.
SO LIKE PAYING FOR POLICE ESCORTS THAT THE COUNTIES WOULD'VE NORMALLY PAID FOR.
THE STATE KIND OF THREW IN THAT MONEY AS A, AS A, UH, AS A SWEETENER.
UM, SO AGAIN, AN RCV ELECTION IN MAY OR NOVEMBER WILL SLIGHTLY COST MORE THAN A NORMAL ELECTION, BUT, UM, MASSIVELY REDUCE COST COMPARED TO A RUNOFF.
AND THEN THE LAST ONE, CAMPAIGN OUTREACH.
IF CAMPAIGNS KNOW A VOTER SUPPORTS SOMEBODY ELSE, LIKE AT, AT ONE OF THE OPPONENTS, THEY DON'T TALK TO THEM.
UM, BUT RCV MAKES BEING A SECOND CHOICE, A VALUABLE THING, AND WORTH TALKING TO EVERY VOTER.
UM, I, I THINK OF, UH, THE ELECTION THAT HAPPENED IN MY DISTRICT IN OAK CLIFF IN 2000, UH, 21, UH, WHERE MY COUNCIL MEMBER CHAD WEST, HAD TWO OPPONENTS, ONE OF WHICH WAS, UH, CLEARLY GONNA FINISH IN THIRD PLACE AND WAS KIND OF RUNNING AS A PROTEST, UM, IN AN AREA THAT THAT COUNCIL MEMBER WEST TRADITIONALLY DID VERY WELL IN.
UM, BUT, BUT HAD UPSET THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND I DIDN'T WORK FOR COUNCIL MEMBER WEST, BUT I VOLUNTEERED FOR HIM.
AND I REMEMBER KNOCKING ON DOORS WITH THAT CANDIDATE'S YARD SIGN, AND THE OVERWHELMING RESPONSES WERE KIND OF P****D OFF AT CHAD WEST FOR THE VOTE HE TOOK.
WE KIND OF WANNA FORCE HIM TO A RUNOFF JUST TO, YOU KNOW, KIND OF MAKE HIM SWEAT.
BUT OF COURSE, I'M GONNA VOTE FOR HIM IN THE RUNOFF.
AND I GOT THAT RESPONSE ON THE DOORS MULTIPLE, MULTIPLE TIMES.
AND RCV SYSTEM WOULD ENCOURAGE THE CAMPAIGNS TO GO KNOCK ON DOORS IN THAT SITUATION, HEAR FROM THE PEOPLE THAT, UH, HAD BEEN UPSET BY AN ACTION THAT THE COUNCIL MEMBER TOOK, UM, AND GET THAT COUNCIL MEMBER CLOSER TO THE PEOPLE, UH, IF, IF, IF THAT MAKES SENSE.
UM, UH, AND IT, AND IT REALLY ENCOURAGES CAMPAIGNS TO TALK TO EVERYONE.
UH, NEXT, ADDRESSING CONCERNS COUNTING TIMELINE ON ELECTION NIGHT, ELECTION DEPARTMENTS ONLY HAVE TIME TO RELEASE THE FIRST ROUND RESULTS IN MOST OF THE COUNTRY THAT HAS ADOPTED RANK CHOICE VOTING.
USUALLY A WINNER IS KNOWN WITHIN A WEEK.
UM, BUT I, YOU KNOW, DO HAVE TO SAY THAT IS FOUR WEEKS EARLIER THAN A RUNOFF.
UM, SO IN ELECTIONS THAT DO REQUIRE RANK CHOICE VOTING, UH, THE ELECTIONS DEPARTMENT WILL RELEASE, UM, FINAL RESULTS IN THE SUBSEQUENT DAYS.
UH, VOTER CONFUSION, BECAUSE ALL IN-PERSON VOTING IS DONE ON MACHINES IN DALLAS.
DALLAS CAN PREVENT WHAT'S CALLED OVER VOTING, WHICH IS ESSENTIALLY SPOILING YOUR BALLOT, UM, BY CASTING, UH, CONFLICTING VOTES.
IN 20 23, 90 7% OF PEOPLE HERE VOTED IN PERSON.
AND TEXAS HAVING WHAT I WOULD ARGUE ANTI VOTE BY MAIL LAWS ACTUALLY MAKES RANK CHOICE VOTING IN IMPLEMENTATION MUCH EASIER.
IT, IT'S MUCH HARDER IN STATES THAT DO ALMOST ALL BALLOT BY MAIL.
UM, IN TERMS OF VOTER CONFUSION, UH, COMP COMPATIBILITY WITH OTHER AMENDMENTS, UH, RCV DOES NOT CONFLICT WITH CHARTER AMENDMENTS DEALING WITH WHEN TO HOLD ELECTIONS.
THE ONE I SUBMITTED, OR COUNCIL TERM LINKS, THE ONES SUBMITTED BY COMMISSIONER LAMA AS WELL AS RESIDENTS, PHILIP KINGSTON AND RANDALL BRYANT.
UH, I KNOW THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WE HAD BEEN TALKING ABOUT IN TERMS OF WHICH ONES CAN WE STAFF ON EACH OTHER.
UM, WITH THAT I CAN CLOSE AND HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS LATER.
UH, THANK YOU, UM, MEMBERS, IF YOU'RE OKAY, HOLDING QUESTIONS UNTIL AFTER OUR NEXT PRESENTATION, EVERYBODY OKAY WITH THAT? OKAY.
SO OUR NEXT AND FINAL ITEM TONIGHT IS OUR CONVERSATION WITH THE INTERNATIONAL CITY SLASH COUNTY MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION, OR ICMA.
ICMA IS AN INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED LEADER IN THE WORLD OF LOCAL GOVERNANCE, WHICH OF COURSE INCLUDES CITY CHARTERS.
WE HAVE THEM TONIGHT IN ORDER, UH, TO FRAME WHAT WE ARE DOING AS A BODY PHILOSOPHICALLY AND RECEIVE PRACTICAL GUIDANCE AS FAR AS WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE, UH, DIFFERENT CHARTERS AROUND THE COUNTRY, WHAT LOOKS GOOD, WHAT WORKS, WHAT DOESN'T.
UH, DIRECTOR OF ADVOCACY FOR ICMA, JASON GRANT JOINS US TONIGHT FROM WASHINGTON DC HE'S SPENT THE LAST FEW DAYS IN DALLAS.
HE GOT TO MEET WITH SOME OF YOU.
I KNOW HE GOT TO MEET WITH, UH, SOME CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS AS WELL.
UH, SO I'M HOPING, UH, TONIGHT WE CAN HAVE, UH, KIND OF A CONVERSATION WITH HIM.
I KNOW HE'S GONNA TALK TO US A LITTLE BIT.
HE GAVE US, UH, UH, SOME MATERIALS BEFORE THE MEETING, BUT I THINK IT'D BE REALLY GOOD TO, YOU KNOW, HAVE THIS CONVERSATION WITH HIM, UH, AS OPPOSED TO MORE OF A PRESENTATION, ALTHOUGH HE, I KNOW HE HAS SOMETHING FOR US.
SO, WITH THAT IN MIND, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO JASON.
UH, MR. CHAIR, MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION.
MY NAME IS JASON GRANT WITH ICMA, THE INTERNATIONAL CITY COUNTY MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION.
UH, WE ARE A MEMBERSHIP BASED ORGANIZATION, UM, OF CITY AND COUNTY MANAGERS, PROFESSIONAL MANAGEMENT, LOCAL GOVERNMENT.
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CERTAIN THAT LOCAL GOVERNMENTS ARE EFFECTIVE.UM, WE HAVE MEMBERS ACROSS THE GLOBE AND, AND, AND MY JOB IS TO GO OUT AND TALK TO PEOPLE TO HELP UNDERSTAND WHAT ARE SOME GOOD PRACTICES FOR LOCAL GOVERNANCE AND AS IT RELATES TO A CHARTER, WHAT ARE SOME ISSUES AROUND THE CITY CHARTER? WHAT, WHAT SORT OF MAKES SENSE? UM, GIVE SOME IDEAS OF WHAT, WHAT WE SEE HAPPEN, UH, NATIONALLY, UH, TO HELP GUIDE, UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE LOOK AT.
UM, AND, AND, AND AS WE GO THROUGH, IF THERE'S THINGS YOU WANNA TALK, OBVIOUSLY AS THE CHAIR WANTS TO RECOGNIZE, I'M HAPPY TO ENGAGE HOWEVER YOU WANT THIS TO MOVE FORWARD.
SO, UM, IF YOU WANT TO ADVANCE, YEAH.
SO THE FIRST THING THAT I'VE TALKED ABOUT, AND, AND IT'S A PLEASURE TALKING TO A LOT OF YOU, UM, SOME OF YOU, THIS IS MY FIRST TIME SEEING YOU.
ONE OF THE THINGS LOOKING AT THE CHARTER IS TO UNDERSTAND THAT GOVERNMENT, LOCAL GOVERNMENT IS A LOCALIZED SOLUTION TO PROBLEMS THAT YOU FACE.
SO I TALK ABOUT LOCALIZED SOLUTIONS.
A LOT OF QUESTIONS I GET IS, WELL, WHAT IS EVERYBODY ELSE DOING? UM, AND, AND IT'S GOOD TO KNOW WHAT EVERYBODY ELSE IS DOING, BUT YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND WHY DO THEY DO THAT IN THE CONTEXT OF THEIR CITY? WHAT ARE THE PROBLEMS THAT THEY'RE FACING AND WHAT MAKES SENSE, UM, IN THE CONTEXT OF THEIR CITY? SO YOU FACE VERY UNIQUE CONTEXT WITHIN DALLAS.
THERE'S THINGS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO OTHER CITIES, BUT THE THINGS THAT ARE UNIQUE TO DALLAS, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE SEE THAT WHAT MAKES A GOOD CHARTER PROCESS IS TO HAVE A CLEAR VISION AND GOAL OF WHAT YOU WANT TO ACCOMPLISH.
WHAT DOES GOOD GOVERNANCE LOOK LIKE? UM, WITHOUT THAT CITY COMMISSIONS, UH, AND, UH, THAT, THAT DON'T PLACE THAT AT THE FOREFRONT, THEY OFTEN FIND THEMSELVES DEBATING, IS THIS A GOOD POLICY? I WANT THIS ONE ISSUE INTO IT.
AND IT OFTEN BECOMES EITHER A HORSE TRADING OR A LOT OF WHOEVER HAS THE STRONGEST VOICE THAT REALLY WANTS TO ADVOCATE STRONGLY FOR THEIR PARTICULAR ISSUE.
THAT'S, THAT'S WHERE EVERYTHING GETS DRIVEN.
WHEN THERE'S A CLEAR VISION OF WHERE ARE WE TRYING TO GO? WHAT DOES GOOD GOVERNANCE LOOK LIKE? WE CAN TAKE EACH OF THOSE AND SAY, HOW DOES THAT FIT IN WITH THE VISION THAT WE'VE AGREED ON THAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE? DOES THAT, AND I'LL PAUSE THERE TO SEE IF THAT KIND OF MAKES SENSE, IF THERE'S QUESTIONS TO THAT.
SO, UM, AS WE LOOK AT IT, ONE OF THE THAT'S COME UP, UH, ONE OF THE QUESTIONS WAS DISTRICT REPRESENTATION.
UM, RIGHT? SO IT IS, DO WE HAVE AT LARGE, DO WE HAVE BY DISTRICT? AND SO I LAID OUT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE SEE OF DISTRICT REPRESENTATION, AND YOU CAN LOOK, THERE'S RESEARCH THAT'S OUT THERE ON IT.
ONE DISTRICT REPRESENTATION GIVES GREATER EQUITY, RIGHT? SO AS A, AS A, UH, REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY, EACH DISTRICT, IF WE ARE BY DISTRICT, HAS AN EQUAL VOICE.
SO EVEN IF THAT DISTRICT HAS LESS MONEY TO PUT INTO CAMPAIGNS, THEY HAVE LESS VOTERS THAT COME OUT THAN ANOTHER DISTRICT, THEY STILL HAVE EQUAL REPRESENTATION ON THE COUNCIL, RIGHT? IF YOU'RE AT LARGE, THOSE AT LARGE MEMBERS WILL OFTEN TEND TO CATER TO WHERE THERE'S MONEY, WHERE THERE'S LARGER VOTER TURNOUT.
'CAUSE THEY NEED TO GET 50% PLUS ONE VOTE, RIGHT? SO WHERE YOU START TO SEE WHO HAS A VOICE AND IS THERE EQUAL VOICE AND REPRESENTATION AS YOU WANT TO, PARTICULARLY WHEN YOU HAVE DIVERSE COMMUNITIES, UM, THEN THERE'S A RECOMMENDATION.
USUALLY HAVE DISTRICT REPRESENTATION, WHICH YOU ALL HAVE, RIGHT? UM, WHERE IT'S HOMOGENOUS.
THIS, THOSE CITIES SOMETIMES AT LARGE MAKES MORE SENSE BECAUSE THEY'RE SMALLER CITIES BY LANDMASS, THEY'RE MORE HOMOGENOUS.
THERE'S NOT SEPARATION BY COMMUNITIES.
SOMETIMES YOU'LL SEE THOSE AT LARGE.
AND THEN YOU WILL SEE SOME THAT, THAT BLEND THOSE, THERE'S A NUMBER OF DISTRICTS AND THERE'S SOME AT LARGE.
UM, AND THEN UNDERSTAND WHAT THOSE TRADE-OFFS ARE.
AGAIN, WHAT'S THE VISION? WHAT DOES GOOD GOVERNANCE LOOK LIKE? WHAT ARE WE TRYING TO ACHIEVE? UM, THOSE WHO WANT MORE AT LARGE WILL SAY, WE NEED MORE REPRESENTATION OF WHAT'S THE BENEFIT OF THE CITY AS A WHOLE, OTHERWISE, WE END UP WITH FIEFDOMS BY DISTRICT, RIGHT? AND SO THERE'S ALWAYS THIS TRADE-OFF WHAT'S GOOD, WHAT'S BAD, WHERE DO WE GO, YOU ALL, I WOULD ENCOURAGE TO MAKE A DECISION.
WHAT ARE WE TRYING TO GET TO, TO SEE? DO WE ADD AT LARGE OR NOT? DO WE MAINTAIN IT BY A DISTRICT? DO WE GROW THE NUMBER OF DISTRICTS? THOSE KIND OF QUESTIONS SHOULD BE FRAMED AROUND AN END GOAL.
WE LOOK AT DISTRICTS AS BEING MORE RESPONSIVE.
UM, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT RESPONSIVENESS, THERE'S USUALLY THOSE MEMBERS THAT IN A COMMUNITY KNOW WHO THEIR COUNCIL MEMBER IS.
THEY CAN GO TO THEIR COUNCIL MEMBER.
THAT COUNCIL MEMBER CAN THEN BE THAT ADVOCATE FOR THEM WITHIN THE STRUCTURES OF GOVERNMENT.
THEY CAN BRING THAT TO THE TABLE, UH, MUCH EASIER THAN IF YOU HAVE AT LARGE, WHERE THEY MAY NOT LIVE IN MY COMMUNITY.
I MAY NOT HAVE AS EASY ACCESS TO THEM.
I MAY NOT SEE THEM EVERY DAY AT THE GROCERY STORE AS I WILL MY COUNSELOR WHO LIVES IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD, RIGHT? SO, UM, RESPONSIVENESS IS BIGGER.
UM, WE TALKED ABOUT THE REDUCTION OF MARGINALIZATION.
UM, AND THE RISK IS BECOMING DISCONNECTED, RIGHT? I'M ONLY CONCERNED ABOUT MY OWN DISTRICT.
IT DOESN'T REALLY MATTER WHAT'S HAPPENING.
UM, IF I'M IN THE SOUTH SIDE, YOU'RE IN THE NORTH SIDE, WE DON'T REALLY SHOP IN THE SAME PLACES OR DO A WHOLE LOT TOGETHER ANYWAY, SO WHY DO I CARE WHAT'S HAPPENING THERE? UM, SO SOMETIMES YOU CAN GET DISCONNECTED AND IT'S HARDER TO BRIDGE THOSE TOGETHER IN COUNCIL.
SO THOSE ARE ISSUES TO CONSIDER.
UM, AND AGAIN, STARTING WITH A VISION, UM, WHICH OFTEN IN A CHARTER IS PLACED IN A PREAMBLE, YOU ALL DON'T HAVE MUCH OF A PREAMBLE IN THERE.
UM, AND, AND WHEN YOU, I THINK THE NATIONAL CIVIC LEAGUE IS GONNA COME TALK TO YOU ALL IN DECEMBER ABOUT MODEL CITY CHARTER.
YOU'LL SEE THEY HAVE A PREAMBLE IN THERE.
[00:30:01]
MANY CITIES WILL ADOPT A PREAMBLE, WHICH SORT OF GIVES SORT OF THAT VISIONARY ASPIRATIONAL VIEW.THIS IS WHY THE CHARTER'S HERE, AND HERE'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH.
THE OTHER BENEFIT IS THAT YOU HAVE TO GET VOTERS TO VOTE ON THIS.
IT'S A LOT EASIER TO HELP 'EM UNDERSTAND WHY YOU DID WHAT YOU DID.
WHEN IT'S CLEAR FROM THE GET GO, THESE ARE THE TYPES OF, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS THEY CAN SEE COMING FORWARD.
SO I'LL PAUSE ON THAT AND SEE IF THERE'S QUESTIONS ABOUT DISTRICT REPRESENTATION AT LARGE THAT YOU ALL HAVE THAT I HAVEN'T ADDRESSED THAT.
ALRIGHT, SO OTHER QUESTION WAS VOTING CONSIDERATIONS.
GREAT PRESENTATION ON, UM, UH, RANKED CHOICE VOTING.
I'VE LISTED THAT THAT'S ONE OF THE WAYS THAT MANY CITIES WILL TRY TO REDUCE RUNOFFS.
RUNOFFS IS ONE THAT, THAT SOME CITIES LIKE RUNOFFS.
UM, UH, AGAIN, WHAT IS, WHAT IS IT THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH? AND WHAT IS THE GOAL? OFTEN IT'S A MATTER OF COST AND VOTER TURNOUT.
THOSE ARE THE TWO REASONS WHY MOST COMMUNITIES DO NOT WANT RUNOFFS RUNOFF.
YOU WILL HAVE LOWER TURNOUT NO MATTER WHAT.
IT'LL ALWAYS BE LOWER THAN WHAT THE GENERAL ELECTION WAS.
UM, THE PERCENTAGES MAY VARY, BUT IT'S ALWAYS GONNA BE LESS THAN WHAT INITIALLY VOTED.
UM, PARTICULARLY SOME OF THAT IS BECAUSE THE, MAYBE THE CANDIDATE THEY WANTED, THEY DON'T WANT EITHER OF THE TWO THAT ARE REMAINING, SO THEY DON'T BOTHER TO COME OUT BECAUSE THEIR CANDIDATE DIDN'T MAKE IT TO THE RUNOFF ANYWAY.
UM, SOME OF IT IS BECAUSE TIMING AND, AND, AND JUST INTEREST IN IT, THEY, THEY JUST, THEY, THEY, THEY MADE IT OUT.
THEY WERE KIND OF, I DID MY CIVIC DUTY AND VOTED, BUT I DON'T REALLY CARE ENOUGH TO COME OUT.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF THESE DIFFERENT PSYCHOLOGIES THAT HAPPENED WITH VOTERS.
UM, IN TEXAS, UM, AS WAS MENTIONED, YOU, YOU, YOU'LL HAVE TO GET, UM, STATE LAW TO CHANGE TO IMPLEMENT RANK CHOICE VOTING.
UM, YOU ALSO CAN'T DO PLURALITY VOTING BECAUSE THE STATE VOTING CODE STIPULATES THAT IT NEEDS TO BE MAJORITY.
AND THAT'S, THAT'S THE LANGUAGE WHILE, SO WHILE IT DOESN'T EXPLICITLY SAY YOU CAN'T DO RANK CHOICE VOTING, IT DOES USE THE, THE TERM MAJORITY VOTING.
AND THAT'S WHERE, UM, MOST OF THE LEGAL EXPERTISE HAS SAID YOU, YOU'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO IMPLEMENT IT.
UM, AS WAS STATED, AUSTIN DID, UM, PLACE, UH, AN INITIATIVE THAT WAS NOT A COMMISSIONED BASED INITIATIVE THAT WAS CITIZENS LED.
ALL OF THOSE WERE CITIZEN LED, UM, INITIATIVE.
SO IT WASN'T THROUGH A COMMISSION PROCESS.
IT WAS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT PROCESS.
UM, THE LAST ONE, NON-PARTISAN ELECTIONS, WHICH YOU HAVE SOME CITIES DO THAT TO HELP REDUCE COSTS, TO ELIMINATE PRIMARIES, AND TO ALLOW ANYBODY TO RUN.
UM, SO THOSE ARE USUALLY THE AREAS OF VOTING CONSIDERATION BY CHARTERS THAT YOU SEE NATIONALLY THAT THEY'RE CONSIDERING AS THEY MOVE, MOVE THROUGH IT.
AND AGAIN, REALLY IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND, AND, AND I'LL GET TO A LITTLE BIT OF, OF YOU'RE, YOU'RE BOUND TO WHAT THE STATE PROVIDES IN SOME OF THESE.
UM, JUST TO BE AWARE OF THAT, UM, LENGTH OF TERM.
UM, SO AGAIN, THIS HAS COME UP.
I KNOW YOU ALL HAVE A VERY LARGE COUNCIL, UM, COMPARED TO MOST CITIES, MOST CITIES IT'S BETWEEN SEVEN AND NINE.
UM, SO YOU'RE A LARGE COUNCIL BY COMPARISON.
UM, AND YOUR LENGTH OF TERM IS SHORTER, UH, BY COMPARISON, GENERALLY THEY'RE FOUR YEARS.
UM, I THINK IN THE MODEL CITY CHARTER, UM, THEY, THEY RECOMMEND FOUR YEARS IN THAT MODEL, CITY CHARTER AS WELL.
UM, AND SO DOING EVERY TWO YEARS, THE CHALLENGE WITH TWO YEARS, UM, IS THAT MEANS YOU'RE RUNNING FOR OFFICE EVERY OTHER YEAR.
UM, WHICH IS DIFFICULT FROM A COUNCIL PERSPECTIVE.
UM, OFTEN BECAUSE THOSE COUNCIL MEMBERS, THEY GET IN, USUALLY ONCE YOU GET ELECTED, IT TAKES ABOUT A YEAR TO UNDERSTAND HOW THINGS WORK, WHAT THE CYCLE IS OF BUDGETS AND LAND USE AND ALL THE ISSUES THAT COME UP.
HOW TO EVEN CHECK MY EMAIL BECOMES A CHALLENGE THE FIRST FEW MONTHS, RIGHT? SO AS A COUNCIL MEMBER, YOU GET YOUR FEET UNDER YOU AND THEN YOU GOTTA RUN FOR ELECTION.
AND MOST COUNCIL MEMBERS DO NOT WANT TO TAKE ON MAJOR ISSUES DURING AN ELECTION CYCLE THAT THEY AREN'T SURE WHERE THE VOTERS ARE ON IT.
UM, SO SOMETIMES THAT CAN BE REALLY DIFFICULT TO TAKE ON MAJOR ISSUES THAT WHERE THERE IS DISCREPANCY, UM, BECAUSE THERE'S ALWAYS THAT FEAR OR CONCERN OF THE ELECTION CYCLE THAT PLAYS A FACTOR IN WHAT POLICY DECISIONS THEY'RE WILLING TO TAKE ON LARGE CAPITAL PROJECTS THEY MAY BE WILLING TO TAKE ON IN A FOUR YEAR CYCLE.
WHAT HAPPENS IS YOU HAVE YOUR FEET UNDER YOU.
USUALLY IN THOSE FIRST COUPLE YEARS, THEY'RE ABLE TO SAY, OKAY, LET'S TAKE ON THIS BIG PROJECT.
BECAUSE WE HAVE TIME NOW FOR THE VOTERS TO SEE WHAT THOSE RESULTS ARE.
WHEN, WHEN, WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU HAVE SOMETHING DONE, IT'S NOT GONNA GET DONE INSTANTLY FOR BIG PROJECT, RIGHT? WHETHER IT'S A ROAD PROJECT, WHETHER IT'S A CAPITAL PROJECT, IT'S GONNA TAKE YOU A YEAR TO DO PLANNING AND ACQUISITION.
IT'S GONNA TAKE ANOTHER YEAR TO ACTUALLY GET IT, UH, UH, GET IT UP AND RUNNING, AND THEN YOU'RE GONNA START SEEING RESULTS IN YEARS THREE OR FOUR.
AND SO THE ABILITY TO SAY, WE HAVE TIME TO SEE THE RESULTS OFTEN FOR COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE ABLE TO TAKE ON LARGE PROJECTS EARLY ON.
UM, AND, AND THEY'RE NOT ALWAYS CONFRONTED WITH AN ELECTION EVERY OTHER YEAR.
ALSO, IT'S USUALLY A COST SAVINGS BECAUSE YOU OBVIOUSLY YOU HAVE HALF THE AMOUNT OF ELECTIONS THAT YOU NORMALLY WOULD HAVE.
UM, AND SO THERE'S A LOT OF FACTORS THAT GO INTO THAT.
BUT GENERAL LENGTH OF TERM IS FOUR YEARS.
BUT AGAIN, IT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU ALL SHOULD DECIDE.
IF TWO YEARS IS THE RIGHT YEARS, THEN THAT'S WHERE IT IS.
BUT IT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT EVERY CHARTER COMMISSION SHOULD CONSIDER.
[00:35:01]
ALSO THE QUESTION OF STAGGERED TERMS. IF THE DESIRE FOR STAGGERED TERMS. SO AGAIN, WITH THE LARGE CITY COUNCIL, THE REASON THAT PEOPLE OFTEN PREFER STAGGERED TERMS WITH LARGER COUNCILS IS THEY THEY HAVE CONTINUITY.THERE'S THERE, THERE'S NOT AN ENTIRE TURNOVER, RIGHT? THEORETICALLY, YOU COULD HAVE EVERY SINGLE, UM, ALL 14 OF YOUR COUNCIL MEMBERS COULD BE NEW.
THAT'D BE A LOT TO BRING ON BOARD.
THERE'S NO INSTITUTIONAL KNOWLEDGE THERE.
HOW DO WE GET THINGS DONE? WHAT ARE THE RELATIONSHIPS THAT I HAVE? WE HAVE A NEW COHORT.
WE NOW NEED TO BUILD THOSE RELATIONSHIPS AMONGST 14 TO GET THINGS DONE.
SO STAGGERED TERMS ARE USUALLY PREFERRED IF THE DESIRE IS TO MAINTAIN CONTINUITY FROM WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING AND ANY NEW PEOPLE TO COME TO THE BOARD.
IT'S A CONTINUOUS CYCLE EVERY TWO YEARS TO BE ABLE TO BRING PEOPLE ON BOARD AND KEEP THINGS MOVING AS A COUNCIL.
SOME WILL ARGUE THAT IT DISRUPTS IT BECAUSE THERE'S CONSTANT CHANGE EVERY TWO YEARS.
GIVE US FOUR YEARS AS A COHORT AND THEN WE CAN GET IT AGAIN, UM, AND MOVE FORWARD.
SO AGAIN, YOU WANT TO DEBATE THOSE FROM A POLICY.
YOU WANT TO WEIGH THOSE, TALK WITH YOUR COUNCIL MEMBERS, KIND OF UNDERSTAND THE WAY THAT THAT WORKS, AND GET A FEEL OF WHAT WOULD MAKE THE MOST SENSE.
UM, IN TERMS OF STAGGERING OR NOT.
IF THE DESIRE WAS TO STAGGER, I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT YOU ACTUALLY BIND THAT WITH A FOUR YEAR TERM.
STAGGERING TWO YEAR TERMS WOULD BE UNTENABLE.
EVERY YEAR YOU WOULD HAVE ELECTIONS.
THAT THAT WOULD JUST BE A, A NIGHTMARE MOST LIKELY.
SO, UM, IF YOU WERE LIKE, MAN, WE REALLY NEED TO HAVE STAGGERED TERMS, YOU PROBABLY WANT TO HAVE THEM LONGER AS WELL.
UM, BUT AGAIN, YOU CAN HAVE FOUR YEARS.
THEY DO NOT NEED TO BE STAGGERED.
IF YOU DO FOUR YEARS, YOU CAN STILL DO THEM ALL AT ONE TIME.
SO IF YOU WANTED TO GO TO FOUR BECAUSE YOU FELT THAT GIVES US MORE ABILITY TO, TO ACCOMPLISH THINGS AS A COUNCIL, THAT DOESN'T REQUIRE YOU TO DO THEM.
STAGGERED PEOPLE WILL DO FOUR YEAR TERMS IN THE ENTIRE COUNCIL AT ONE TIME AS WELL.
LAST ONE IS TIMING OF ELECTIONS.
SOME OF THIS WAS DISCUSSED IN THE PREVIOUS PRESENTATION.
AND AGAIN, ON TIMING, YOU WILL GET MORE VOTER TURNOUT IN NOVEMBER.
AGAIN, YOU HAVE TO CHECK THE STATE CODE TO MAKE SURE YOU'RE ALLOWED TO DO IT IN NOVEMBER.
UM, EACH STATE CODES ARE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENTLY OF WHEN LOCAL ELECTIONS CAN BE HELD.
UM, NOVEMBER, YOU WILL HAVE GREATER TURNOUT.
PEOPLE ARE USED TO VOTING IN NOVEMBER.
SOME PEOPLE HAVE OFF WORK THAT NOVEMBER NO MATTER WHAT.
SO YOU WILL HAVE A LARGER TURNOUT IN NOVEMBER IF YOU'RE ABLE TO DO IT IN NOVEMBER.
UM, AUSTIN, UM, AND, AND OTHERS TRYING TO MOVE IT TO THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, THAT WAS A DESIRE TO HAVE VOTER TURNOUT.
SO IF YOU VALUE VOTER TURNOUT, YOU'LL GET FAR MORE PEOPLE DURING A PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.
IF, HOWEVER YOU VALUE LOCAL ISSUES BEING THE FOCUS OF LOCAL ELECTIONS, YOU WILL NOT GET THAT DURING A PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.
IT'LL BE THE FEDERAL ISSUES, THE STATE ISSUES THAT END UP DOMINATING THE CONVERSATION.
AND THAT'S WHERE THE MONEY'S GONNA BE PLACED ON POLITICAL AD CAMPAIGNS.
UM, AND THEN, SO IT BECOMES A DOWN BALLOT TYPE OF ELECTION SYSTEM.
EVEN IN A NONPARTISAN ELECTION, THE PARTIES WILL INDICATE TO THE VOTERS WHO IS WITH THEIR PARTY, UH, ALIGNMENT.
AND SO YOU KIND OF KNOW WHERE THEY FALL ON THAT E EITHER WAY, UM, OUTSIDE OF THE ACTUAL VOTING BOOTH.
SO, UM, THE TIMING OF THE ELECTION, YOU, YOU, YOU WANNA MAKE SURE WHAT IS THE VALUE, RIGHT? AND, AND WHAT DO WE VALUE MORE? 'CAUSE THERE'S ALWAYS GONNA BE A TRADE OFF.
THERE'S GONNA BE AN ADVANTAGE IN ONE ASPECT.
THERE'LL BE A DISADVANTAGE IN ANOTHER ASPECT.
HAVING A VISION, UNDERSTANDING WHAT WE'RE MOVING FOR CAN HELP GUIDE SORT OF THAT DISCUSSION.
AND AGAIN, I'LL PAUSE THERE TO SEE IF THERE'S ANYTHING ON VOTING CONSIDERATIONS THAT I HAVEN'T ADDRESSED THAT YOU ALL HAD QUESTIONS ON.
UH, I JUST WANNA CONFIRM, I'M, I'M, SHOULD I WAIT TILL THE END TO ASK QUESTIONS OR AM I GOOD TO GO NOW? IT'S FINE.
I'LL, I'LL MAKE IT ONLY ONE QUICK ONE.
UM, IN REGARD TO STAGGERED TERMS, UH, FOR CITIES THAT HAVE STAGGERED TERMS NOW AND OR, OR MAYBE IN THE LAST TWO DECADES HAVE CHANGED FROM NON-ST STAGGERED, TWO STAGGERED TERMS, UH, WHAT IS THE SELECTION PROCESS BEEN FOR CHOOSING WHAT DISTRICTS TO STAGGER WITH, WITH THE MAYORAL ELECTION VERSUS NOT? AND, AND FOR WHAT REASONS HAVE THEY CHOSEN WHICH DISTRICTS TO DO SO? SO THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT PROCESSES THEY'LL GO THROUGH.
SO THEY'LL DRAW A NUMBER AND YOU'RE, AND IT'S WHAT'LL HAPPEN IS LET, LET'S JUST USE FOUR YEAR TERMS BECAUSE IT'S EASIER TO UNDERSTAND IN THAT STAGGERED CYCLE.
SO IN A FOUR YEAR STAGGERED CYCLE, WE BRING THEM ON AND WE WANT TO DO THEM AS STAGGERED TERMS. WHAT WILL HAPPEN IS, UM, YOU'LL DRAW LOTS.
HALF OF THEM ARE GONNA RUN FOR A TWO YEAR TERM.
THEY'RE ALL GONNA HAVE THE SAME ELECTION DAY AT FIRST, ALL, ALL 14 WOULD BE ELECTED AT ONE OR 15.
SO ALL 15 ARE GONNA BE ELECTED AT ONE TIME.
UM, HALF OF THOSE ARE GOING TO RUN FOR A TWO YEAR TERM.
THE OTHER HALF ARE GONNA DRAW AND THEY'RE GONNA GET A FOUR YEAR TERM.
AND THEN AFTER THAT, THAT TWO YEAR TERM FOLKS RUN ON A FOUR YEAR.
AND YOU'RE ALWAYS ON YOUR FOUR YEAR CYCLE AFTER THAT.
YOU JUST DRAW, I GET THIS SHORT STRAW, I'M ON A TWO YEAR TERM, OR I'M ON A FOUR YEAR TERM BY DISTRICT.
SOME WILL DO IT BY ALL, EVEN DISTRICTS ARE GONNA BE TWO YEARS ALL ODD, WHICH
[00:40:01]
THE MAYOR IS ODD BY YOUR CHARTER AS NUMBER 15.THEY'RE ALL GONNA BE ON A FOUR YEAR TERM AND THEN WE GET ON IT.
UM, SO THERE'S THOSE KIND OF ISSUES.
UM, BUT IT'S HOWEVER YOU CHOOSE TO DO THAT.
BUT YOU'D WANT TO BE CLEAR HOW THAT GETS ESTABLISHED.
UH, CAN YOU, UH, TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT YOUR COMMENT THAT AN ELECTION EVERY YEAR IS SOMETHING THAT YOU DON'T ADVISE CITIES? UH, AND I BELIEVE THE ONLY TWO SCENARIOS OF THAT ARE TWO YEARS STAGGERED AND THREE YEARS STAGGERED ARE ARE INSTANCES THAT WE'D HAVE TO HOLD AN ELECTION EVERY YEAR.
SO WHEN YOU RUN ELECTIONS EVERY YEAR AND YOU'RE STAGGERED AND YOU'RE BY DISTRICT, WHAT YOU'LL, IT BECOMES MORE DIFFICULT.
'CAUSE EVERY YEAR YOU'RE RUNNING AN ELECTION CYCLE AND WHO'S ON AND WHO'S OFF.
THERE'S LESS TALK ABOUT IN THE ELECTION.
UM, IT'S USUALLY A HIGHER COST.
AND THE ABILITY FOR COUNCIL TO FOCUS ON GETTING THINGS DONE BECOMES MUCH MORE DIFFICULT.
'CAUSE HALF OF THEM ARE ALWAYS GONNA BE IN AN ELECTION YEAR CAMPAIGNING.
SO I GOTTA GO OUT, GOTTA CAMPAIGN, I GOTTA KNOCK DOORS.
THERE'S EFFORTS I HAVE TO DO JUST TO RUN FOR OFFICE.
AND THE ATTENTION TO BE ABLE TO, TO BE GIVEN TO THE ISSUES THAT ARE BROUGHT FOR THEM BECOMES VERY DIFFICULT.
WE ALL KNOW ELECTION YEARS CAN BE DIFFICULT.
SO WHEN YOU HAVE EVERY SINGLE YEAR, UM, IT DOES MINIMIZE EVEN MORE THE ABILITY TO FOCUS ON THOSE EFFORTS.
AT OUR LAST MEETING, I THOUGHT COMMISSIONER LAMA, UH, EXPLANATION OF THE HISTORY OF, OF OUR, OUR MAYOR'S TENURE WAS EXTREMELY HELPFUL.
AND SO ON THE STAGGERED TERM ISSUES, UH, I'M GOING TO ASK STAFF IF YOU COULD PLEASE GIVE US MAYBE FOR THE LAST 40 YEARS THE OVERLAP OF COUNCIL MEMBER, UM, UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS BECAUSE I, I UNDERSTAND THERE'S SOME CONCERN THAT WE COULD LOSE, UM, EVERYONE ON THE COUNCIL.
UM, AND THERE WOULD BE ALL NEW PEOPLE AND IT WOULD BE VERY CHALLENGING.
I'D LIKE TO SEE HOW REALISTIC THAT CONCERN IS.
UH, SO YOU LAID, YOU ANSWERED MY QUESTION GREATLY, UH, UH, EXCELLENTLY AND I THANK YOU FOR THAT.
YOU LAID OUT TWO DIFFERENT WAYS THEY CAN DO IT.
UM, IS THERE ANY VOTING RIGHTS ACT IMPLICATIONS FOR THE COUNCIL OR OUR BODY TO CHOOSE SPECIFIC DISTRICTS TO BE STAGGERED? OR DOES IT HAVE TO BE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED, LIKE EVEN OR ODD OR BY, BY LOT? YEAH, THIS COMMISSION WOULD DETERMINE HOW THOSE, YOU, YOU WOULD LAY OUT.
SO, SO IF, IF YOU CHOSE TO DO THAT, UM, TO DO STAGGERED ELECTIONS, YOU WOULD LAY OUT AS THAT AMENDMENT AND THAT PEOPLE VOTE ON SO THEY KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING.
THESE ARE THE ONES THAT ARE GONNA BE ON TWO YEAR CYCLE.
THESE ARE THE ONES THAT ARE GONNA BE ON THE FOUR YEAR CYCLE ON ELECTION ONE.
SO YOU WOULD LAY THAT OUT AS A COMMISSION, AS A RECOMMENDATION.
UM, THE COUNCIL ULTIMATELY WOULD MAKE THAT RECOMMEND THE, THE DECISION GENERALLY IN TERMS OF HOW THAT PLAYS OUT.
SO SOMETIMES THE RECOMMENDATION, WHAT YOU'LL SEE IN CITIES IS THAT COMMISSION WILL MAKE A RECOMMENDATION TO, TO LEAVE IT OPEN TO THE COUNCIL HOW THEY WANT TO DO THAT.
UM, BUT YOU, YOU, YOU WILL HAVE TO BE EXPLICIT.
SO WHEN PEOPLE RUN FOR OFFICE, THEY KNOW WHAT THEY'RE RUNNING FOR.
SO IT WOULD HAVE TO BE DETERMINED BEFORE THE ELECT THAT ELECTION OF THE FULL COUNCIL COMES UP.
FIRST OF ALL, I'M GONNA APOLOGIZE FOR GOING BACKWARDS BECAUSE I THOUGHT WE WAS GOING TO WAIT TILL AFTER THE WHOLE PRESENTATION TO ANSWER QUE ASK QUESTIONS.
BUT I WANTED TO, OVER IN YOUR INTRODUCTION, YOU WAS TALKING ABOUT DISTRICT REPRESENTATION.
UH, AND ONE OF THE THINGS YOU PUT ON THERE WAS GREATER EQUITY AND REDUCE MARGINALIZING.
HOW DO WE GO ABOUT REDUCING MARGINALIZING FOR, FOR WHICH PART? I'M SORRY.
UH, DISTRICT REPRESENT REPRESENTATION.
SO IF WE LOOK AT DISTRICT REPRESENTATION AND WE'RE TALKING ON EQUITY, THE, THE POINT WHERE DISTRICT REPRESENTATION SHOWS GREATER EQUITY IS THAT YOU HAVE, PARTICULARLY IN DIVERSE COMMUNITIES WHERE YOU HAVE DISCREPANCIES DIFFERENCES BY DISTRICT EITHER BY RACE, ETHNICITY, SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS, WHAT HAVE YOU.
AND SO WHAT HAPPENS IS THOSE COMMUNITIES GET AN EQUAL VOICE IN THEIR REPRESENTATION TO COUNCIL.
SO THEY ELECT A COUNCIL MEMBER.
THAT COUNCIL MEMBER HAS JUST AS STRONG OF A VOTE AS EVERY OTHER COUNCIL MEMBER AND JUST AS MUCH OF A VOTE AS THE MAYOR.
SO THAT'S WHERE THE EQUITY COMES IN, IN TERMS OF THOSE COMMUNITIES ARE NOT MARGINALIZED BECAUSE THEY
[00:45:01]
DON'T HAVE AS MUCH MONEY THAT THEY'RE PUTTING INTO CAMPAIGNS OR THEY DON'T HAVE AS MANY PEOPLE TURNING OUT TO AN AT LARGE, UM, ELECTION CYCLE.DOES, DOES THAT ANSWER? OH, WELL, I GUESS BECAUSE I KNOW, UH, EACH COUNCIL MEMBER GOT ONE VOTE.
SO IF IT'S, UH, YOU KNOW, THEY VOTED AGAINST, THEN IT'S JUST GOOD GOVERNMENT, HUH? CORRECT.
AND SO, BUT THAT ONE VOTE, SO WHEN WE LOOK AT IT FROM, AS COMPARED TO THE AT LARGE, UM, JURISDICTIONS AND DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE HAS WEIGHED IN THIS ON COMMUNITIES WHERE THERE IS, UM, DIVERSE COMMUNITIES WHERE THEY'VE BEEN FORCED TO HAVE TO DO BY DISTRICT REPRESENTATION.
BECAUSE WHAT'LL HAPPEN IF YOU RUN AT LARGE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE EVEN ONE VOTE ON COUNCIL IN A COMMUNITY WHERE THEY DON'T VOTE IN THE SAME AMOUNT OF NUMBERS AS OTHER DISTRICTS AND THEY DON'T HAVE AS MUCH FINANCE THAT THEY PUT INTO THOSE CAMPAIGNS, THEN THE AT LARGE CANDIDATES HAVE ITS PARTICULAR INTEREST WHERE THE VOTER TURNOUT IS, WHICH MAY NOT BE IN SOME OF THOSE OTHER MARGINALIZED DISTRICTS.
AND SO WHILE YOU HAVE ONE VOTE ON COUNCIL FROM THOSE DISTRICTS, THAT MAY WIN OR LOSE IN TERMS OF THE MAJORITY.
IF YOU GO AT LARGE IN THOSE COMMUNITIES, THOSE AT LARGE CANDIDATES, THEY DON'T GET TO PICK THE CANDIDATE THEY WOULD OTHERWISE CHOOSE.
'CAUSE IT'S AN AT LARGE CANDIDATE THAT MAY NOT HAVE AS MUCH INTEREST IN THOSE COMMUNITIES.
SO THEY LOSE ANY REPRESENTATION ON THE COUNCIL AT ALL IF THAT WERE TO OCCUR IN A CITY THAT WAY.
WELL, THE REASON I ASKED THE QUESTION BECAUSE, UH, YOU KNOW, SOUTH OF 30, UH, A LOT OF TIMES IT DON'T MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE ABOUT HOW MANY COUNCIL MEMBERS WE HAVE BECAUSE WE ARE ALWAYS THE MINORITY AND WE SEEM TO ALWAYS GET THE BUTT IN OF THE EVERY DEAL THAT COMES ACROSS THE TABLE WAS OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS VOTE ON US OR NOT.
SO THAT WAS WHY WANTED TO ASK THAT BECAUSE WE, WE SUFFER A LOT OF SETBACKS BECAUSE OF THINGS THAT NORTH DALLAS WANT IN OUR COMMUNITY, BUT WE DON'T WANT IN OUR COMMUNITY, BUT WE DON'T OUT VOTE NORTH DALLAS.
SEE WHAT I'M SAYING? A A ABSOLUTELY.
AND, AND, AND SO FROM A CHARTER PERSPECTIVE, WHAT YOU CAN DO IS SAY, HOW DO WE STRUCTURE THIS FROM A CHARTER TO GIVE VOICE AND REPRESENTATION, WHICH IS DIFFERENT THAN THE COUNCIL MAKES THE DECISIONS IN A MAJORITY.
THAT'S, THAT'S A POLITIC ASPECT THAT THE CHARTER WON'T RESOLVE, RIGHT? I GUESS I ASK THAT QUESTION BECAUSE WHEN IT COME DOWN TO APPOINTMENTS AND BOARDS AND, YOU KNOW, COMMISSIONS, YOU KNOW, THAT MAKE SURE WE GET EQUALITY AND PROPER REPRESENTATION.
SO THAT'S WHY THANK YOU FOR ANSWERING MY QUESTION.
SO IN HERE, ON ON ON JUST, THIS IS REALLY BROAD OVERVIEW JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT SOMETIMES COMMISSIONS SOMETIMES FAIL TO RECOGNIZE WHAT RIGHTS OR POWERS THEY HAVE AND DON'T HAVE.
UM, SO JUST BASICALLY ON THIS 10TH AMENDMENT OF THE CONSTITUTIONS, POWER'S NOT DELEGATED FEDERAL GOVERNMENT RESERVED TO THE STATES.
THERE IS NO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL.
YOU HAVE NO RIGHTS OTHER THAN THAT WHICH IS GRANTED BY THE STATE.
SO, UM, SOMETIMES WE, WE FORGET THAT WE THINK, WELL, WE'RE A, WE'RE A HOME RULE STATE.
WE, WE CAN ADOPT A CHARTER AND WE CAN DO WHATEVER WE WANT.
UM, YOU'RE STILL BOUND TO THE POWERS THAT THE STATE, UH, PROVIDES YOU.
THE STATE IS THE ONE WHO GETS TO ESTABLISH LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, RIGHT? SO, AND YOU CAN HIT THAT AND I WON'T GO THROUGH ALL OF THOSE, RIGHT? SO AS YOU GO THROUGH, THERE IS GONNA BE NO UNIFORM STRUCTURE IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT.
SO WHEN PEOPLE ASK ME WHAT DO THEY DO OTHER PLACES, HOW, HOW DOES THIS OPERATE HERE? THERE IS NO UNIFORM STRUCTURE WITHIN THE STATE OF TEXAS.
CERTAINLY NOT UNIFORM STRUCTURE BEYOND THE STATE OF TEXAS AND HOW IT WORKS.
EACH STATE ESTABLISHES BY THEIR CONSTITUTION OR THEIR STATE CODE WHAT IS ALLOWABLE OR NOT.
UM, SOME STATES DON'T EVEN ALLOW CONSTITUTIONS, UH, CITY CHARTERS, RIGHT? SO AGAIN, YOU'RE A HOME RULE STATE BY CONSTITUTION ALLOWS YOU TO ADOPT IT.
SO YOU'RE NOT GONNA FIND A UNIFORMITY ACROSS THE BOARD.
SO AS YOU LOOK AT OTHER CITIES AND OTHER PLACES, YOU WANNA UNDERSTAND THAT YOU HAVE TO GO TO THEIR STATE CODES TO UNDERSTAND WHAT ARE THEY EVEN ALLOWED TO DO THAT MAY STIPULATE WHY THEY DO WHAT THEY DO.
SOME CITIES DO THINGS NOT BECAUSE THEY THINK IT'S THE BEST WAY TO DO IT, IT'S THE BEST WAY THEY CAN DO IT WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THEIR STATE OF WHAT THEY'RE ALLOWED TO DO.
SO AS YOU LOOK AT COMPARISONS, MAKE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND THAT, UM, AT THE LOCAL LEVEL, YOU WILL SEE MUCH HIGHER DEGREE OF PROFESSIONALISM, UM, AT THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT.
YOU GOTTA DEAL WITH IMMEDIATE ISSUES IN FRONT OF PEOPLE THAT ARE THE AFFECTS THEIR EVERYDAY LIFE, RIGHT? THEIR, THEIR, THEIR UTILITIES, THEIR THEIR WATER, THEIR ROADS, THEIR PARKS, THEIR SCHOOLS ISSUES THAT THEY SEE EVERY SINGLE DAY, THEY WANT YOU TO ADDRESS AT THE LOCAL LEVEL.
AND SO YOU NEED MORE PEOPLE AT THE LOCAL LEVEL THAT UNDERSTAND HOW TO ACCOMPLISH THESE TASKS QUICKLY VERSUS
[00:50:01]
AT STATE AND FEDERAL, THEY'RE USUALLY LONGER TERM BIGGER PICTURE.AND SO YOU'LL SEE MORE POLITICAL APPOINTMENTS AT THE STATE AND FEDERAL LEVEL THAN YOU GENERALLY WILL SEE AT THE LOCAL LEVEL.
AND SO YOU'LL ALWAYS WANT TO KIND OF CONSIDER HOW DOES THAT LOOK HERE BASED ON THE DECISIONS YOU MAKE CAN AFFECT THE MAKE OF GOVERNMENT? AND HOW MUCH DO WE HAVE, UM, APPOINTED OFFICIALS? HOW MUCH DO WE HAVE EXPERIENCED KNOWLEDGEABLE PEOPLE IN CERTAIN ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES? KIND OF UNDERSTAND THAT AS YOU LOOK AT IT.
UM, AND JUST ALWAYS REMEMBER, YOU'RE A CHILD OF THE STATE AND IN TEXAS THERE'S A LOT OF DEBATE RIGHT NOW FROM THE STATE.
A LOT OF PREEMPTION LAWS THAT ARE COMING AT FROM THE STATE LEVEL TO TRY TO PREEMPT EVEN HOME RULE STATE CITIES FROM BEING ABLE TO IMPLEMENT SOME OF THE HOME RULE POLICIES.
THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TO DO THAT AS YOU DETERMINE SOME OF THE POLICIES THAT COME THROUGH.
I ALWAYS CAUTION PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WHAT THE NATURE IS AT THE STATE.
UM, BECAUSE A LOT OF THESE PREEMPTION LAWS THAT ARE COMING AT THE STATE, UH, AROUND THE COUNTRY, UM, ARE USUALLY IN RESPONSE TO WHAT'S HAPPENING IN YOUR LARGER URBAN AREAS THAT HAVE HOME RULE CHARTERS AND ARE TAKING ACTION THAT THE STATE DOESN'T LIKE.
UM, AND THEN SO OFTEN THAT CAN ANTAGONIZE AT SOME POINT THOSE STATES.
SO UNDERSTAND, AGAIN, SOMETIMES IT'S POLITICAL REASON TO DO THAT AND IT'S STRATEGY TO DO THAT, BUT YOU WANT TO HAVE THAT IN CONTEXT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT POWERS THEY HAVE AT THE STATE TO DO THAT.
THAT THE US SUPREME COURT HAS UPHELD TIME AND AGAIN, THAT, UM, BY OUR CONSTITUTION, THE, THE, THE RIGHTS THAT THE STATE DETERMINES THAT THEY HAVE, THAT YOU'RE, YOU'RE PROTECTED BY HAVING A CONSTITUTION THAT ALLOWS CITY CHARTERS.
BUT AGAIN, THEY COULD, THEY COULD CHANGE THAT IF THEY WANTED TO BY A, UM, BY A REFERENDUM TO ALL THE VOTERS TO WHETHER OR NOT THEY WANT THAT IN THE CONSTITUTION, RIGHT? SO THERE, THERE'S ALWAYS JUST KNOW THAT I LIKE THE POINT THAT OUT TO CHARTER COMMISSIONS AS THEY KIND OF LOOK THROUGH THINGS, WHAT ARE THE CHANGES WE WANT TO TAKE ON? WHAT ARE THE CONTEXT THAT IT'S IN? AND JUST UNDERSTAND THAT AS YOU MOVE FORWARD.
SO THE MAIN ISSUES THAT COME UP ALL THE TIME IN CITY CHARTERS, THESE ISSUES, AGAIN, IT'S NOT A RIGHT OR WRONG, IT'S NOT A GOOD OR BAD, IT'S UNDERSTANDING WHERE YOU'RE TRYING TO GO.
UM, THERE'S THIS ADMINISTRATION POLITICS DICHOTOMY LIKE HOW MUCH IS ON THE ADMINISTRATION AND, AND THEY'RE RUNNING A GOVERNMENT.
HOW MUCH IS THIS POLITICAL? WHAT ARE THE JOBS THAT SHOULD BE DONE? WHAT ARE THE APPOINTMENTS THAT SHOULD BE DONE? UM, AND IT'S NOT THAT THEY DON'T OVERLAP, THEY'RE TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN.
UM, BUT IT'S UNDERSTANDING THERE'S ALWAYS THIS STRUGGLE BETWEEN HOW MUCH IS ELECTED, HOW MUCH IS APPOINTED, UM, HOW MUCH ARE PROFESSIONALS, HOW MUCH ARE, UM, POINTED APPOINTEES INTO CERTAIN POSITIONS.
YOU'LL ALWAYS WANT TO KIND OF UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'LL BE SOME OF THOSE STRUGGLES THAT COME IN AS YOU DEBATE IT, UNDERSTAND WHERE PEOPLE COME, ARE COMING FROM ON THOSE ISSUES.
BECAUSE SOMETIMES WE MAY JUST BE SEEING A DIFFERENT SIDE OF THE SAME ISSUE AS WE DEBATE IT.
ACCOUNTABILITY IS SOMETHING YOU ALWAYS WANNA LOOK AT.
THE PEOPLE EXPECT THE GOVERNMENT TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE TO THE NEEDS AND INTERESTS OF THE PEOPLE.
SO THAT QUESTION OF ACCOUNTABILITY AS YOU'RE LOOKING AT CHANGES TO THE CHARTER, THOSE CHARTER ISSUES THAT WE BRING FORWARD, HOW DOES THIS INCREASE OR DECREASE ACCOUNTABILITY? WHAT DOES ACCOUNTABILITY LOOK LIKE AS WE'RE DOING THIS? A LOT OF TIMES YOU'LL HEAR IN CHARTER COMMISSIONS THAT, THAT THE DEBATE IS AROUND, WE WANNA MAKE SURE PEOPLE ARE HELD ACCOUNTABLE.
SO WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? WHAT DOES ACCOUNTABILITY MEAN? HOW DO WE HOLD 'EM ACCOUNTABLE? AND DOES THIS ACCOMPLISH THAT GOAL? UM, THAT'S GONNA OFTEN COME UP IN A LOT OF CHARTER TYPE ISSUES.
THE SEPARATE AND UNIFIED POWERS UNDER, UNDER THE FORMER GOVERNMENT YOU HAVE NOW, THE COUNCIL HAS BOTH EXECUTIVE AND LEGISLATIVE POWERS.
UM, THEY, THEY HIRE, UH, A CITY MANAGER TO RUN THE DAILY OPERATION, BUT THE POWERS STILL REST WITH THE COUNCIL BECAUSE THEY CAN HIRE AND FIRE THAT CITY MANAGER.
UM, AS YOU LOOK AT WHERE YOU TRY TO UNPACK THAT, SOMETIMES THERE'LL BE DO WE, DO WE ADD A COMMISSION? DO WE ADD SOME SORT OF BOARD? DO WE HAVE SOME OTHER ENTITY THAT SOMEWHAT PULLS AWAY SOME OF THAT POWER AWAY FROM COUNCIL TO VEST IN ANOTHER BODY? UM, OFTEN THOSE ARE A MATTER OF EXPEDIENCY TAKES TOO LONG TO DEBATE, TOO LONG TO ARGUE WE NEED TO MOVE THESE QUICKER.