[00:00:02]
YOU GOT YOUR WAY, MR. I THINK THAT WE GOT WATER.
[Charter Review Commission on December 5, 2023.]
OKAY.I'D LIKE TO CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER.
THIS IS THE MEETING OF THE CITY OF DALLAS CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION.
UH, IT'S CURRENTLY DECEMBER 5TH, 2023.
IT'S 6:35 PM WE HAVE A QUORUM PRESENT, AND THIS MEETING IS NOW CALLED TO ORDER.
UH, MEMBERS, UH, TONIGHT WE DON'T HAVE ANY REGISTERED SPEAKERS.
UH, IF ANYONE IN THE PUBLIC THOUGH IS INTERESTED IN SPEAKING TO THIS BODY, WE WELCOME YOU TO SIGN UP ONLINE FOR A FUTURE MEETING.
UH, HOWEVER, IS THERE ANYONE IN THE AUDIENCE TONIGHT WHO IS HERE THAT WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS THE COMMISSION HEARING AND SEEING NONE, WE'LL MOVE FORWARD WITH OUR AGENDA.
UH, OUR FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS IS TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FROM OUR LAST MEETING ON NOVEMBER 14TH, UH, 2023.
UH, ANY DISCUSSION MEMBERS? HEARING NONE.
TONIGHT WE HAVE FOUR BRIEFING PRESENTATIONS.
UH, I'M GONNA APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE.
I'M GONNA HAVE TO LEAVE A BIT EARLY.
AS I'D MENTIONED BACK IN SEPTEMBER, I'VE GOT, UH, WORK OBLIGATIONS THAT ARE KICKING TO HIGH GEAR IN DECEMBER.
AND CHAIR MADANO HAS GRACIOUSLY AGREED.
VICE CHAIR MADANO HAS GRACIOUSLY AGREED TO TAKE OVER FOR ME WHEN I HAVE TO LEAVE, AND HE'LL BE CHAIRING THE MEETING, UH, NEXT TUESDAY AS WELL.
SO, WE HAVE FOUR PRESENTATIONS TONIGHT, UH, TO KEEP US ON SCHEDULE.
I'D LIKE TO, UH, SET SOME OF THE SAME PARAMETERS OR SIMILAR PARAMETERS AS WE HAD BEFORE.
UH, I WILL ASK THE COMMISSIONERS LIMIT THEIR QUESTIONS, UH, OF PRESENTERS TO THREE MINUTES, AND FOLLOWING EVERYONE ON THE COMMISSION, GETTING A CHANCE TO SPEAK OR ASK QUESTIONS.
WE CAN, UH, HAVE A SECOND ROUND OF QUESTIONS AT ONE MINUTE.
SO OUR FIRST BRIEFING ITEM IS THE ONE WE'VE BEEN HAVE ASKING TO HAVE, WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT FOR QUITE SOME TIME.
AND I KNOW WE'RE ALL VERY EXCITED TO HAVE THIS PARTICULAR SPEAKER HERE.
UM, I'VE KNOWN HIM FOR A LONG TIME.
HE'S BEEN AN INSPIRATION TO ME IN PUBLIC SERVICE.
SO AT THIS TIME, I'D LIKE TO ASK, UH, THE HONORABLE RAPHAEL AND TO COME FORWARD.
HE'S A CURRENT MEMBER OF THE TEXAS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
HE LOOKS WAY TOO RESTED FOR SOMEONE WHO'S DONE THIS MANY SPECIAL SESSIONS.
HOW MANY SPECIAL SESSIONS HAS IT BEEN, MR. CHAIRMAN? THERE'S A ON BUTTON THERE, I THINK.
CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? I HEAR YOU.
THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN AND MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE.
THERE HAVE BEEN, UH, FOUR SPECIAL SESSIONS AND ONE REGULAR SESSION.
UH, SO WE'VE BEEN, UH, IN THE LEGISLATURE PRETTY MUCH ALL YEAR WITH, UH, WITH A BRIEF RESPITE, I GUESS, DURING THE SUMMER.
I WILL LEAVE IT TO YOU TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT WE'VE BEEN PRODUCTIVE, MR. CHAIRMAN AND, AND MEMBERS OF THE CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION.
UM, I HAVE THE EXTREME GOOD FORTUNE OF REPRESENTING THE COMMUNITIES, UH, IN DALLAS, IRVING CARROLLTON AND FARMER'S BRANCH IN THE STATE LEGISLATURE.
UH, THERE ARE MANY FAMILIAR FACES HERE IN, UH, AROUND THE HORSESHOE, I SHOULD SAY, PEOPLE I'VE KNOWN FROM DIFFERENT WALKS OF LIFE.
AND I WANTED TO THANK EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU FOR YOUR PUBLIC SERVICE.
UM, I SAT IN THE CHAIRMAN'S SHOES BACK IN 2014 AND HAD, UH, THE EXTREME GOOD FORTUNE OF WORKING WITH A 16 MEMBER, UH, COMMITTEE COMPOSED OF FORMER CITY COUNCIL PEOPLE, A COUPLE OF CITY MANAGERS, CITY ATTORNEYS, UH, MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY AT BOTH GRASSROOTS LEVEL, UH, FROM THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY.
AND IT WAS, IT WAS, UH, TRULY A REPRESENTATIVE BODY.
AND I, I THOUGHT, UH, I WAS VERY, VERY FORTUNATE, UH, BECAUSE WE WOULD MEET WEEKLY AND, UM, ULTIMATELY MADE A LOT OF PROGRESS.
UH, YOU'LL, YOU'LL FIND THAT, UH, YOU WILL LIKELY SET AN AMBITIOUS AGENDA.
AND THEN AS YOU, UH, WALK ALONG, UH, WALK THROUGH THIS ITERATIVE PROCESS, YOU WILL PAIR DOWN THE THINGS THAT YOU WANT TO FOCUS ON.
UM, I WANNA BEGIN, BECAUSE I, I SAW ANNA HOLMES EAR EARLIER AND THANKING CITY STAFF.
UH, I ALWAYS MAKE IT A POINT TO DO THAT BECAUSE THE WORK OF THIS COMMITTEE AND THE COUNCIL AND THE CITY, UH, WOULD NOT HAPPEN WITHOUT THEIR INVOLVEMENT.
I KNOW ANNA'S LEAVING THE CITY, UH, FOR INDIANA SHORTLY, AND I KNOW SHE WILL BE MISSED, UH, IN THIS, IN THIS PLACE, IN THIS INSTITUTION.
[00:05:01]
GONNA GIVE YOU A, A QUICK OVERVIEW AND THEN OPEN IT UP FOR QUESTIONS, NOT ONLY REGARDING THE, THE POLICY OUTCOMES, BUT, BUT ALSO THE PROCESS.I WAS APPOINTED BY MAYOR RAWLINGS.
UH, AND THAT WAS TO COMPLETE WHATEVER YOU DO, COMPLETE YOUR WORK BEFORE JUNE 4TH, 2014, UH, FOR INCLUSION ON THE NOVEMBER BALLOT THAT YEAR.
OTHERWISE, UH, THE MAYOR REALLY DID NOT GIVE ME A, A, A TON OF DIRECTION PER SE.
I MEAN, THE, THE, THE CITY HAD JUST GONE THROUGH A PRETTY TOUGH REDISTRICTING PROCESS, UH, THAT YOU ALL WILL RECALL.
AND THERE WERE, THERE WERE A LOT OF HURT FEELINGS AT THE TIME.
SO HE SAID, HE SAID, YOU KNOW, I WANT YOU TO FOCUS ON REDISTRICTING.
NOT, THERE WAS NOT A TOP DOWN MICROMANAGEMENT, BUT HE SAID, YOU KNOW, THE PROCESS NEEDS REFORM.
AND, AND I THINK HE SAID THIS PUBLICLY IN THE PAPER, HE SAID, IT JUST DIDN'T MAKE ME FEEL GOOD THE WAY IT, IT WENT DOWN.
UH, SO OTHER THAN THAT DIRECTION, UH, HE REALLY DIDN'T TELL US OR TELL ME, UH, OR SET FORTH AN AGENDA THAT HE WANTED TO ACCOMPLISH, WHICH, UH, PUT ME IN A, IN A POSITION JUST TO LISTEN TO OTHERS CANDIDLY AND LISTENED TO THE COMMUNITY.
UM, UH, WE HAD 13 WORK SESSIONS IN ALL, ALL OF THEM WERE BROADCAST ON THE CITY NEWS NETWORK.
WE RECEIVED PUBLIC TESTIMONY AT FIVE COMMUNITY MEETINGS.
WE MET IN EACH QUADRANT OF THE CITY.
SO AT MAR MARTIN LUTHER KING COMMUNITY CENTER AT BACHMAN LAKE LIBRARY, KEY RECREATIONAL CENTER, LAKE HIGHLANDS RECREATIONAL CENTER.
AND THEN WE HAD A FIFTH AND FINAL MEETING HERE AT, AT CITY HALL.
AND TO ENSURE THE GREATEST PARTICIPATION FROM THE PUBLIC, THE COMMISSION ADOPTED A COMMUNICATIONS PLAN AT THE BEGINNING.
IT INCLUDED MULTILINGUAL PRESS RELEASES, RADIO BROADCASTS, PRINT MEDIA, AND FLYERS.
WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WERE TOUCHING EACH CORNER OF THE COMMUNITY, MAKING SURE THAT, UH, OUR NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGE MEDIA ALSO FELT INCLUDED.
WHETHER IT WAS YOUR, YOU KNOW, KOREAN PRESS IN NORTHWEST DALLAS, OR YOUR SPANISH LANGUAGE MEDIA, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WERE, UH, TOUCHING ALL, ALL CORNERS OF THE COMMUNITY.
AND SO THE PEOPLE WHO WANTED TO BE INVOLVED WOULD BE INVOLVED.
THE COMMISSION, UH, WITH THE HELP, AGAIN, OF CITY STAFF, ALSO MADE AVAILABLE SIMULTANEOUS TRANSLATION SERVICES AT EACH OF THE COMMUNITY MEETINGS.
SO, UM, THEY WERE AVAILABLE EVEN WITHOUT REQUESTS.
AND I KNOW FOR, AT LEAST FOR OUR BILINGUAL SPANISH ENGLISH COMMUNICATION THAT WAS IMPORTANT, WE DID HAVE PEOPLE WHO NEEDED SIMULTANEOUS TRANSLATION.
AND THAT WAS ALWAYS AVAILABLE AT THE MEETINGS.
UM, WE ALSO DEVELOPED A LIST OF AMENDMENTS.
I MEAN, YOU'RE GONNA BE INVENTORYING ALL THESE AMENDMENTS.
SOME WILL COME FROM COUNCIL, SOME WILL COME FROM INTERESTED PARTIES, SOME WILL COME FROM FELLOW MEMBERS.
AND WE DIVIDED THESE INTO THREE IMPORTANT CATEGORIES.
THE FIRST ONE WERE TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS.
OKAY? THOSE CHANGES TO THE CHARTER THAT WERE REQUIRED BY A CHANGE IN THE LAW OR ACROSS REFERENCED THAT NO LONGER EXISTED, COUNCILMAN.
I MEAN, STUFF THAT IS, IS THE, THE BASIC BLOCKING AND TACKLING.
AND WE, AND WE DISPENSED WITH THOSE FIRST.
AND I'LL SAY IT WAS IMPORTANT NOT JUST TO SHOW MOMENTUM, BUT ALSO DEVELOP, TO DEVELOP COMEDY AMONG THE MEMBERS, IN WHICH I THOUGHT WAS AN IMPORTANT STEP AT THE OUTSET.
WE ALL COME IN WITH OUR DIFFERENT IDEAS.
WE WERE ABLE TO COME TOGETHER ON A UNANIMOUS BASIS, DEAL WITH A BUNCH OF A, A BUNCH OF TECHNICAL FIXES JUST RIGHT OFF THE BAT IN OUR FIRST FEW MEETINGS.
AND I THOUGHT THAT WAS, THAT WAS HELPFUL.
THE SECOND THING WAS, AND WE HAD THOSE, THE SECOND BASKET, I SHOULD SAY, ARE THOSE OPERATIONAL AMENDMENTS.
THOSE ARE ITEMS THAT GO TO THE FUNCTION OF CITY GOVERNMENT OR DEPARTMENTS WITHIN THE CITY GOVERNMENT.
AND THOSE ARE A LITTLE MORE DIFFICULT, RIGHT? OFTENTIMES, YOU KNOW, THINGS HAVE BEEN DONE AT THE CITY FOR A LONG TIME.
INSTITUTIONS, UH, AND INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT EXISTS, AND CHANGING THOSE THINGS CAN BE A LITTLE TRICKIER.
AND IN, IN, IN MANY WAYS, UH, YOU KNOW, FOR THE MOST AMBITIOUS OF, OF THE PLANS, WE ULTIMATELY PUNTED ON ON MANY OF THEM, BECAUSE THERE, THERE WAS JUST NO CONSENSUS.
AND WHILE CONSENSUS WAS NEVER REQUIRED, IS NOT REQUIRED.
I THINK OPERATING BY AS MUCH CONSENSUS AS POSSIBLE, AT LEAST FOR US, FOR, FOR OUR 16 MEMBERS, WAS THE PREFERRED ROUTE.
THAT THAT'S REALLY WHAT WE WANTED TO, TO GO WITH.
AND THEN FINALLY, THE LAST BUCKET WERE POLICY AMENDMENTS.
THESE ARE THE HIGH LEVEL ITEMS THAT GET AT THE GOALS OF THE CITY, YOU KNOW, SUCH AS REDISTRICTING, WHICH WAS, AS I SAID BEFORE, ONE OF THE TOP PRIORITIES 10 YEARS AGO.
AND THEN THERE, THERE WERE OTHER ISSUES.
AND WE CONSIDERED, AND WE WOULD FILTER EACH OF THE, OF THE BUCKETS THROUGH THE, THE FOLLOWING FACTORS.
WHETHER AN, AN ITEM THAT IS BEING DISCOVERED OR, OR, OR DISCUSSED, WOULD
[00:10:01]
RESULT IN LITIGATION, RIGHT? LIKE WE, WE, WE DID NOT WANT TO EXPOSE THE CITY TO ADDITIONAL LITIGATION, ADDITIONAL COST RELATED TO, UH, LITIGATION.WE DIDN'T WANT THE TAXPAYERS TO HAVE TO, UH, ABSORB THAT.
SO THAT WAS ONE OF OUR INITIAL FILTERS.
OR IF A CHANGE IN, IN THE CITY CHARTER WOULD AVOID LITIGATION, GET SOMETHING SETTLED, THEN THAT WAS ALSO AN IMPORTANT FILTER, RIGHT? COULD WE DISPENSE WITH SOMETHING? UM, SECOND FILTER THAT WE LOOKED AT IN, WITHIN THESE THREE BUCKETS IS WHETHER AN ITEM WOULD BE BETTER SERVED THROUGH A CODE REVISION OR ORDINANCE CHANGE.
MANY TIMES YOU WILL GET GREAT IDEAS THAT ARE POLICY CHANGES THAT SHOULD NOT BE IN YOUR CONSTITUTION, RIGHT? THINK, THINK OF THE US CONSTITUTION VERSUS THE TEXAS CONSTITUTION.
THE TEXAS CONSTITUTION HAS BEEN,
BUT, UH,
WE TRY TO HAVE A CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION EVERY SO OFTEN THAT NEVER HAPPENS, BUT IS REALLY DESPERATELY NECESSARY.
WHEREAS, YOU KNOW, WE JEALOUSLY GUARD THOSE, UH, UH, AMENDMENTS TO OUR US CONSTITUTION.
I AND I, I PREFER SORT OF THE LATTER APPROACH.
AND I KNOW YOU'LL BE HEARING FROM SOME, FROM SOME SPEAKERS ABOUT MODEL APPROACHES AND WHAT SHOULD BE IN YOUR CONSTITUTION VERSUS NOT BE IN THERE.
THINGS THAT, UH, CAN BE DEALT WITH AROUND THE HORSESHOE, BY WAY OF EXAMPLE.
AND, AND FINALLY, WE WANTED, WE, WE, WE WANTED TO STRIVE FOR SIMPLICITY IN BALLOT LANGUAGE, RIGHT? WE WANTED A PRO PROPOSITIONS THAT WOULD, THAT YOU COULD BOIL DOWN REALLY TO ONE OR JUST A COUPLE OF SENTENCES, SO THAT MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC COULD FEEL COMFORTABLE ABOUT WHAT THEY WERE VOTING ON.
OFTENTIMES, YOU'LL GO, EVEN FOR THOSE OF US WHO ARE CANDIDLY INSIDERS, YOU GO TO A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT OR A CITY REFERENDUM, AND YOU'LL READ IT, AND YOU'LL WONDER IF YES MEANS NO, AND NO MEANS YES.
AND IT'S, IT, IT, WHAT IT DOES ULTIMATELY IS, IS LESSONS CONFIDENCE IN, IN THE PROPOSITION IN GOVERNMENT.
SO WE, WE SOUGHT TO CAPTURE THE PROPOSITIONS, UM, IN A WAY THAT WAS GOING TO BE SIMPLE AND STRAIGHTFORWARD FOR THE, FOR THE VOTERS.
AND FROM THERE, WE, WE BEGAN OUR WORK.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE TWO, WE, WE, WE HAD A COUPLE OF AREAS THAT, THAT WE, WE ULTIMATE, WE ENDED UP FOCUSING ON.
I MEAN, WE HAD, UH, MAYOR AND COUNCIL COMPENSATION WAS A BIG ISSUE THAT ONE BUBBLED TO THE VERY, VERY TOP, UH, REDISTRICTING CIVIL SERVICE AND PERSONNEL, INCLUDING, UH, A VERY AMBITIOUS, UM, UH, NON-DISCRIMINATION EXPANSION OF OUR NON-DISCRIMINATION ORDINANCE.
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE ENDED UP, UH, REALLY BEEFING UP IN THE, UM, IN THE CITY CHARTER.
AND THEN WE DEALT WITH BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS, UH, THE, UH, THE QUALIFICATIONS FOR BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS.
'CAUSE WE HAD HAD SOME SORT OF, YOU KNOW, SOME HEADLINE CHALLENGES WITH FOLKS WHO HAD SERVED ON BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS, WHO HAD HAD, UM, PECCADILLOS, UH, RUN-INS WITH THE LAW IF I WAS GONNA BE, IF I'M GONNA BE EUPHEMISTIC.
AND SO WE WANTED TO TIGHTEN THAT UP TO MAKE SURE ELIGIBILITY WAS SUCH THAT, UM, UH, WE WANTED A BROAD CROSS-SECTION OF COMMUNITY, BUT WE WANTED SORT OF OUR, OUR BEST MEMBERS OF COMMUNITY.
AND, AND, AND THAT INCLUDED, UH, THOUGHTS ABOUT, UM, REHABILITATION AS WELL.
AND PEOPLE WHO HAD SERVED, UH, THEIR, THEIR TIME, THEIR OBLIGATION TO SOCIETY, AND WERE NOW REHABILITATED, READY TO COME BACK AND, AND SERVE THE CITY.
UM, WE HEARD FROM NATIONAL EXPERTS, UH, WE USE SKYPE, I PRE ZOOM, RIGHT? WE WERE USING SKYPE AS A MECHANISM TO, UM, TO ACCESS THE, THE, THE BEST THINKERS AROUND THE COUNTRY WITHOUT HAVING THEM HAVE TO COME HERE TO DALLAS.
UH, AND WE DID THAT EXTENSIVELY, INCLUDING ON REDISTRICTING REFORM, WHERE WE, WE HEARD FROM NATIONAL EXPERTS ON THAT LAW, PROFESSORS.
UM, AND THEN WE HEARD INTERNALLY FROM OUR CITY ATTORNEY, THE CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER, CITY SECRETARY, REGARDING THE OPERATIONAL IMPACT AND FEASIBILITY OF SUGGESTED AMENDMENTS, AND, AND TRIED TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT THE AMENDMENTS, UH, CAUSED MORE, UH, MORE CHALLENGES THAN THEY ACTUALLY SOUGHT TO FIX.
AND FINALLY, CITY STAFF PROVIDED ALL THE DATA AND BACKGROUND WE NEEDED.
THEY HELPED US ORGANIZE EVERYTHING.
UM, AND THEN, AS YOU ARE DOING CURRENTLY, UM, THERE WERE COMPARISON, UH, COMPARISON DATA ON MAYOR AND COUNCIL, COMPENSA COMPENSATION, CENSUS DATA, AND A BREAKDOWN OF THE CITY'S BOARDS, BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS.
UM, IN TERMS OF THE POLICY AMENDMENTS, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE WAS A, A, IN SOME WAYS, A COUPLING
[00:15:01]
OF THE COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND THE INDEPENDENCE OF THE REDISTRICT CITY REDISTRICTING COMMISSION.THE CITY REDISTRICTING COMMISSION HAD BEEN QUASI INDEPENDENT, BUT THE PEOPLE ON THE COMMISSION HAD ESSENTIALLY SERVED AS PROXIES, RIGHT? COUNCILPERSON APPOINTS, LISA LAMA, LISA LEMASTER IS IN CLOSE COMMUNICATION WITH, UH, COUNCILPERSON, ESSENTIALLY DOES COUNCILPERSONS BIDDING, UM, TO THE EXCLUSION MANY TIMES OF THE PUBLIC, RIGHT? AND, AND, AND THE REASON WE WANTED TO CREATE MORE INDEPENDENCE IS THAT PEOPLE LIKE ME HAVE AN INHERENT CONFLICT IN THE DRAWING OF LINES.
AND WHEN WE ARE ENTRUSTED TO DRAW LINES, THAT CONFLICT REAL OR PERCEIVED, UH, WILL, WILL IMPACT THE OUTCOME, OFTENTIMES THROUGH THE DETRIMENT OF, UH, OF OUR POPULACE.
RIGHT? SO WE WANTED TO SEPARATE OUT THE, UM, UH, THE DECISION, THE ULTIMATE DECISION MAKERS AND THE, THE PUBLIC, RIGHT? WE WANTED TO INCREASE TRANSPARENCY.
SO I, I, I JUST WANTED TO, UH, CONTEXTUALIZE THAT FOR YOU, BECAUSE IT WASN'T JUST ABOUT THE NATURE OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE ELECTED OFFICIAL WHO WAS DRAWING THEIR OWN LINES AND COULD PICK THEIR, THEIR OWN CONSTITUENTS RATHER THAN CONSTITUENTS PICKING THEIR OWN PUBLIC SERVICE.
BUT THERE WAS ACTUALLY A CONFLICT, UH, IN THE CHARTER THAT WE TRIED TO RECONCILE.
SO, IN, IN, IN CHAPTER FOUR, SECTION FIVE B TWO, THE CHARTER PROVIDES THAT A MEMBER OF THE CITY COUNCIL IS NOT ELIGIBLE FOR APPOINTMENT TO THE REDISTRICTING COMMISSION.
OKAY? AND THAT'S WHY THEY HAD APPOINTEES.
BUT WE WOULD BE DOING VIOLENCE TO THAT PROHIBITION IF WE JUST HAD A PROXY, RIGHT? WE'D BE GIVING NO MEANING TO THAT PROHIBITION, THAT PROHIBITION, UNDERSTANDING THE INHERENT CONFLICT OF, UH, OF THE COUNCIL PERSON IF WE JUST ALLOWED AN ARM'S LENGTH PROXY TO SERVE.
RIGHT? AND AT THE SAME TIME, UH, NINE LINES AND A AND A SUBSECTION LATER, THE, THE CHARTER READS THAT THE CITY COUNCIL SHALL, SHALL ADOPT THE PLAN AS SUBMITTED, OR SHALL MODIFY AND ADOPT THE PLAN.
SO, SO THE DUALITY OF THAT PROCESS IS CITY COUNCIL PEOPLE, WE WANT THEM AT ARMS, ARMS LENGTH.
'CAUSE THERE'S AN INHERENT CONFLICT OF INTEREST.
BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, THEY NEED TO ADOPT THE PLAN, RIGHT? SO THAT'S WHERE WE WANTED TO PLAY.
WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE WAS ENOUGH TRANSPARENCY, THERE WAS ENOUGH DISTANCE, AND THERE WAS ENOUGH INDEPENDENT DELIBERATION BY THE COMMISSION UNTIL THE PLAN GOT TO THE MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL, THE INTERESTED PARTIES.
AND SO, WE DID A COUPLE OF THINGS.
WE, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE INTAKE FOR THE PROCESS WAS WIDELY PUBLICIZED.
THAT THE CITY, CITY SECRETARY RECEIVED SOLICITATIONS FROM EVERY CORNER OF THE COMMUNITY.
WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE, THE, UM, THE COMMISSION WAS ALSO REPRESENTATIVE OF THE CITY.
SO AFTER ALL OF THE APPOINTMENTS WERE, WERE MADE, WE ADOPTED A, UH, UH, I GUESS YOU, MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ULTIMATELY VOTED ON AND ADOPTED A SMOOTHING MECHANISM TO HAVE FOUR AT LARGE MEMBERS THAT WERE REPRESENTATIVE OF COMMUNITY, RIGHT? AND, AND IT'S BROADLY SPEAKING, COULD BE RACE, ETHNICITY, GENDER, NEIGHBORHOODS.
BUT, BUT TO THE EXTENT THAT THERE WERE GAPS AFTER THE APPOINTMENTS BY THE MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL.
AND, AND INEVITABLY THERE ARE, RIGHT? UH, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT OTHER VOICES WERE BROUGHT AROUND THE TABLE IN, IN THE COMMISSION.
ONE, WE CREATED A CONE OF SILENCE AROUND THE DELIBERATIONS.
WE SAID, CITY COUNCIL PEOPLE CANNOT BE IN COMMUNICATION WITH THEIR, UH, APPOINTEES.
AND WHY DID WE DO THAT? RIGHT? WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE APPOINTEES WERE NOT LISTENING TO THE CITY COUNCIL PERSON.
THEY, INSTEAD, WERE LISTENING TO THE PUBLIC RIGHT NOW, COUNCIL PEOPLE, WERE GONNA HAVE THEIR SAY AT THE END, OKAY? BUT WE WANTED THE, THE COMMISSION TO BE TRULY INDEPENDENT.
THE ONE THING WE DID NOT GET DONE, I SAY THE ONE THING, BUT THAT THE COUNCIL DID NOT ADOPT.
AND IT'S, IT'S, IT'S NICE THAT IF, IN TERMS OF REDISTRICTING, YOU ARE GOING TO BE MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS TO PEOPLE WHO WILL LIKELY NOT BE ON THE COUNCIL, UM, WHEN REDISTRICTING HAPPENS, AGAIN, UNLESS THEY'RE RECENTLY ELECTED, IT'S POSSIBLE, I GUESS.
BUT WITH THE TERM LIMITS, IT, IT IS LIKELY THAT THEY WILL NOT BE ON THE COUNCIL.
SO THAT CAN VOTE NOW AND NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THE, THE, YOU KNOW, THE RAMIFICATIONS LATER.
BUT THE ONE THING THAT WE WERE NOT ABLE TO GET DONE IS AFTER THE INTAKE PROCESS, WE WANTED THERE TO BE A MECHANISM BY WHICH WE INCLUDED INSIDERS AND LIKE PEOPLE LIKE US, RIGHT? PEOPLE LIKE US.
UH, AND SO WE HAD DISQUALIFIERS, FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU WORKED FOR A MEMBER OF THE COUNCIL
[00:20:01]
OR RELATED TO A, A, A MEMBER OF THE COUNCIL BY A CERTAIN DEGREE OF CONSANGUINITY, IF YOU WERE A CAMPAIGN TREASURER, IF YOU WERE A POLITICAL CONSULTANT, RIGHT? UH, IF YOU WERE A REGISTERED LOBBYIST, THIS WAS A LIST OF THINGS THAT WOULD BE DISQUALIFIERS SO THAT YOU COULDN'T DO IT.YOU, YOU DON'T WANT PEOPLE WITH OTHER INTERESTS OTHER THAN MAYBE THE PUBLIC INTEREST TO BE MAKING THESE DECISIONS.
AND SO, ULTIMATELY, SOME OF THOSE QUALIFIERS DID NOT GET IN.
AND I WOULD URGE THE, UH, THE COUNCIL, AND I'M HAPPY TO COMMUNICATE WITH, WITH ALL OF YOU, THOSE, THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS ABOUT EXCLUSIONS THAT DID NOT GET IN.
'CAUSE I DO THINK THEY'RE IMPORTANT.
I DO THINK, TO THE EXTENT POSSIBLE, PEOPLE THAT, UH, ARE SOMEHOW, UH, EITHER POLITICALLY BEHOLDEN THROUGH CONSANGUINITY, THROUGH MARRIAGE, THROUGH POLITICAL AFFILIATION, THROUGH EMPLOYMENT, UH, THROUGH A LOBBYING, UM, UH, REGISTRATION SHOULD NOT BE PART OF THE PROCESS, RIGHT? ULTIMATELY, THAT DID NOT GET IN.
AND I WOULD, I WOULD URGE YOU TO RECONSIDER IT.
AND THEN FINALLY, WE WANTED TO CREATE A HIGH BAR, BECAUSE ESSENTIALLY IN THE PRIOR REDISTRICTING, WHAT HAPPENED WAS THE COMMISSION OFFERED UP A MAP.
THE MEMBERS GOT TOGETHER, FACTIONS WENT TO THE BACK, THEY CUT A DEAL, THEY COME OUT WITH A NEW MAP.
AND PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES WERE EXCLUDED.
PEOPLE, UM, PEOPLE WERE, HAD SOME PRETTY RAW FEELINGS ABOUT THAT.
AND IT WAS, UH, AND, AND, AND FOLKS DID NOT FEEL WELL REPRESENTED AFTER THAT PROCESS.
UM, AND THE COMMISSION, YOU KNOW, WHO HAD DEVOTED ALL THIS WORK TO IT, SUDDENLY THE POLITICIANS GO IN THE BACK AND THEY COME OUT AND, HEY, THERE'S A NEW MAP.
UM, I THINK THAT'S A BAD OUTCOME.
THE MAYOR AFTERWARDS ACKNOWLEDGED IT WAS A BAD OUTCOME, AND IT'S NOT HOW IT SHOULD HAVE GONE DOWN.
AND, AND SO WE CREATED A THREE FOURTH BAR.
IF YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE A CHANGE TO THE MAP, AND THIS WAS ADOPTED, IF YOU'RE GONNA MAKE A CHANGE TO THE MAP, IT'S GONNA TAKE A THREE-FOUR SUPER MAJORITY TO MAKE THAT CHANGE.
SO, LOOK, IF, IF SOMEHOW THE COMMISSION MADE A MISTAKE AND THEY DIDN'T PUT, YOU KNOW, UM, YOUR HOUSE IN THE DISTRICT, BY WAY, YOU KNOW, JUST TO USE AN EXTREME EXAMPLE, YOU COULD GO TO YOUR NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR AND SAY, HEY, LET'S MOVE THIS LINE OVER.
YOU JUST TALK TO YOUR COUNCIL PEOPLE ABOUT IT.
THOSE TYPE OF TECHNICAL FIXES, YOU KNOW, FINE, THOSE GET DONE.
IT IS, IT IS THE, THE POLITICAL DEALS THAT ULTIMATELY DON'T GET DONE AT THAT POINT BECAUSE OF THE HIGHER BAR.
AND I THOUGHT THAT, UM, THAT WAS ULTIMATELY SOMETHING WE HEARD FROM EXPERTS ON AS BEING A, AN, AN IMPORTANT CHECK ON THE ULTIMATE CONTROL OF THE COUNCIL.
AND I'M PROUD TO SAY THAT, UM, THERE WAS NO MEANINGFUL REDISTRICTING LITIGATION FOR THE FIRST TIME.
AND AS FAR BACK AS I CAN REMEMBER, AFTER THIS PROCESS WAS PUT IN PLACE, I THINK THERE WAS ONE NUISANCE SUIT THAT GOT IMMEDIATELY DISMISSED.
BUT, YOU KNOW, NONE OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS GROUPS FILED SUIT.
NONE OF THE PARTISAN GROUPS FILED SUIT.
THE CITY DID NOT HAVE TO DEFEND LITIGATION BECAUSE OF THIS PROCESS THAT, THAT GOT PUT IN PLACE.
I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO REVISIT IT.
LOOK AT THE THINGS THAT WE DID NOT THAT, THAT ULTIMATELY WERE NOT ADOPTED LAST GO AROUND, BECAUSE I, THEY DO HAVE, I, I REALLY DO BELIEVE THEY HAVE MERIT.
THERE'S STILL SOME OPPORTUNITIES TO STRENGTHEN THIS PROCESS, AND YOU'RE GONNA HAVE IDEAS THAT ARE, THAT ARE BETTER THAN OURS.
THAT, UH, I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO ALSO LOOK AT THE LAST THING I WOULD LEAVE YOU WITH, UM, AS, AS, AS YOU KNOW, KIND OF A VOTING, RIGHT? I'VE DONE REDISTRICTING TWICE AS A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER, AND FOUR TIMES AS A, UM, AS, AS A STATE LEGISL DURING MY, MY PUBLIC SERVICE.
YOU KNOW, I, I HEADED UP THE MEXICAN AMERICAN LEGISLATIVE CAUCUS.
WE FILED SUIT, WE WENT ALL THE WAY UP TO THE SUPREME COURT, UH, ON, ON VOTING RIGHTS LITIGATION.
I WAS VERY, VERY PROUD THAT, UM, UNANIMOUSLY WE PUT IN ELEMENTS OF SECTION TWO AND SECTION FIVE OF THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT INTO THE CITY CHARTER.
THESE ARE PROTECTIONS, UM, EVERY TIME REDISTRICTING HAPPENS FOR COMMUNITIES THAT ARE PROTECTED CLASSES AND MADE A STRONG STATEMENT ABOUT DISCRIMINATION AND REDISTRICTING.
SO, UM, WITH THAT, MR. CHAIRMAN AND MEMBERS, I KNOW I'VE SPOKEN TOO LONG, UH, I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS IF YOU HAVE THEM FOR ME.
AND I'M, I'M REALLY GRATEFUL TO YOUR PUBLIC SERVICE.
I KNOW THE ONE THING THAT WE ALL HAVE IN COMMON, REGARDLESS OF NEIGHBORHOOD OR PER POLITICAL PERSUASION OF, OR, OR WHO APPOINTED US, IS THAT WE LOVE THE CITY.
AND SO, I'M REALLY GRATEFUL THAT YOU'RE DOING THIS WORK.
AS EXPECTED, I MEAN, SUCH AMAZING INSTITUTIONAL KNOWLEDGE.
I GONNA OPEN UP FOR QUESTIONS HERE IN A SECOND, BUT I, I
[00:25:01]
JUST WANT US TO REMEMBER, MAYBE CARRIE, JAKE, TAKE A NOTE THAT WHEN WE GET TO THE END OF THIS PROCESS, TO, YOU KNOW, MAKE A RECORD OF WHAT WORKED, WHAT DIDN'T WORK.BECAUSE I KNOW BACK IN AUGUST WHEN I SAT DOWN WITH Y'ALL REPRESENTATIVE MACCHIO, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THAT HELPED ME WAS TO LOOK AT WHAT YOU AND YOUR COMMISSION HAD DONE IN 2014, UH, AS FAR AS, YOU KNOW, SETTING SOME PARAMETERS FOR OUR OPERATIONS.
'CAUSE I HAD NO IDEA COMING INTO IT.
RIGHT? SO THANK YOU FOR, FOR THAT AND, AND BEING HERE TONIGHT.
UH, MEMBERS, ANY QUESTIONS FOR REPRESENTATIVE ILLA? MS. HUNT REPRESENTATIVE, THANK YOU AS ALWAYS FOR ALL OF YOUR SERVICE TO THE CITY, AND THANKS FOR JOINING US TONIGHT.
UH, I WAS INTERESTED IN HEARING ABOUT THE ATTENDANCE AT SOME OF YOUR COMMUNITY MEETINGS, UM, SETTING ASIDE THE FOLKS WHO WERE THERE FOR REDISTRICTING, BECAUSE THAT WAS SUCH A HOT TOPIC, THEN I, I'M INTERESTED TO KNOW HOW WELL ATTENDED THOSE MEETINGS WERE.
IF YOU SET ASIDE THOSE FOLKS, YOU KNOW, HIT AND MISS, UH, FRIEND.
UH, AND, AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND WORDS.
IT, SOME, YOU KNOW, DEPENDS WHAT TIME OF DAY OR NIGHT, YOU KNOW, THE EVENT WAS ON.
SOMETIMES WE, WE, AND WE, WE PLAYED WITH ALL KINDS OF VARIABLES.
SOMETIMES WE, WE WANT, YOU KNOW, FOR PEOPLE WHO, WHO HAVE A BUSY WORK WEEK OR, OR WORK EVENING MM-HMM.
WE, WE HAD SOME DAYTIME SESSIONS MM-HMM.
WE HAD SOME NIGHTTIME SESSIONS.
UM, SO, AND, AND PEOPLE WERE NOT RELEGATED TO PARTICIPATING, SORRY, IN THE, UM, IN THE QUADRANT THAT IN WHICH THEY LIVED, RIGHT? YOU COULD COME TO SURE TO ALL OF THEM.
YOU COULD COME TO NONE OF THEM.
YOU COULD COME TO THE, ONE OF YOUR CO UH, QUADRANT, YOU COULD COME TO THE ONE IN CITY HALL.
SO WE PLAYED WITH DIFFERENT, UM, STRATEGIES TO, TO TRY TO MAXIMIZE, UH, PARTICIPATION.
YOU KNOW, I THOUGHT A GOOD MEETING WAS WHEN WE'D GET 30 TO 50 PEOPLE THERE.
FOR ME, UH, I THOUGHT THAT WAS PRETTY DARN GOOD.
UM, FOR, FOR AN ISSUE, AN ISSUE LIKE THIS.
UM, AND SO, UH, YOU KNOW, IT'S IMP IT'S IMPORTANT WORK.
AND, AND TO THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE COME TO THIS ONE, I, I, I, I COMMEND THEM.
BUT IT REALLY WAS HIT AND MISS.
I, UH, WE REALLY ENCOURAGE ANY TIME, EVEN IF PEOPLE DID NOT, UH, UH, SIGN UP TO SPEAK AT THE MEETINGS, SOMETIMES WE WOULD JUST GO AROUND THE ROOM AND SAY, OKAY, HEY, YOU'RE HERE, YOU KNOW, UH, PLE, PLEASE GO AHEAD AND SIGN UP.
YOU KNOW? AND WE JUST START CALLING ON PEOPLE.
AND, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WOULD TELL US WHAT WAS ON THEIR MIND.
SOMETIMES IT WAS RELATED TO THE CHARTER REVIEW, SOMETIMES IT WASN'T.
AND, UH, THE NICE THING IS THAT SOMEONE WHO'S HAD A MILLION TOWN HALL MEETINGS, YOU KNOW, CITY STAFF IS THERE.
SO IF THERE WAS A, A WATER BILL ISSUE, OR IF THERE WAS A ZONING ISSUE, EVEN IF THOUGH IT WAS UNRELATED TO THE CITY, UH, CITY CHARTER, YOU KNOW, WE GOT THOSE PEOPLE TAKEN CARE OF.
LET, LET ME ASK ONE MORE, VERY QUICK QUESTION.
UM, PROCESS WISE, DID, DID YOUR GROUP HAVE ANY WORK SESSIONS WHERE YOU SAT AROUND A TABLE RATHER THAN A HORSESHOE? UH, I'M JUST WONDERING IF, IF YOU DID ANYTHING LIKE THAT TO KIND OF HAMMER OUT SOME OF THE FINER POINTS OF THE CHARTER CHANGES.
YOU KNOW, WE, WE, WE HAD OPEN MEETINGS ACT, UH, REQUIREMENTS.
SO WE DIDN'T DO, WE, WE POSTED FOR WORK SESSIONS, BUT THOSE WORK SESSIONS WERE USUALLY INVITED TO TESTIMONY FROM EXPERTS.
UM, 'CAUSE WE DIDN'T WANNA, YOU KNOW, E EVER GET CLOSE TO ANY WALKING QUORUMS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
SO, AND, AND YOU, YOU KNOW, I, I KNOW YOU'RE, YOU'RE SENSITIVE TO THAT TOO.
SO, UM, WE DIDN'T HAVE WORK SESSIONS, PER SE, WHERE WE WERE COMMUNICATING WITH EACH OTHER.
WE HAD WORK SESSIONS WHERE WE HAD EXPERTS COME IN AND SURE.
MR. MAGOO, UH, REPRESENTATIVE ACHI, AGAIN, THANK YOU.
UM, EVEN FROM YOUR RECAP TONIGHT, IT SHOWS YOUR DEDICATION AND HOW HARD YOU WORKED.
AND, UM, I GOT TO WATCH YOU, UM, THE LAST TIME AND JUST, IT WAS EVIDENT HOW MUCH YOU PAID ATTENTION TO EVERYTHING AND KIND OF REALLY LED WELL THROUGH ALL OF THIS.
AND THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT.
UM, I REALLY JUST WANTED TO SHOW APPRECIATION, BUT ALSO, YOU KNOW, YOU GAVE US A LOT OF, A LOT OF THINGS TO CONSIDER, A LOT OF HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE.
DO YOU JUST HAVE ANY, JUST GENERAL ADVICE FOR US AS YOU SIT HERE TONIGHT AS WE'RE LOOKING AT WHERE WE ARE NOW AND KIND OF THE DIFFERENT STAGES WE ARE IN THINGS AND, UM, HOW WOULD YOU JUST ADVISE US? YOU KNOW, I, I WOULD SAY MY, MY ADVICE I THINK WAS, UH, I TRIED TO ARTICULATE IT EARLIER.
DO AS MUCH AS YOU CAN BY UNANIMITY.
'CAUSE YOU'RE GONNA NEED THAT SENSE OF TOGETHERNESS AND COMEDY COME T UM, WHEN, WHEN YOU GET BIG POLICY ISSUES AT THE END.
AND WHEN IT CAME TO COUNCIL PAY, I, I GOTTA TELL YOU, YOU KNOW, THERE WERE SOME FORMER COUNCIL MEMBERS
[00:30:01]
WHO WERE LIKE, WELL, I WAS HERE WHEN THERE WAS NO PAY.YOU KNOW? AND, AND, AND, AND, AND BY GOSH, YOU KNOW, YOU SHOULD BE DOING THIS FOR YOUR, YOUR, YOU KNOW, CIVIC INVOLVEMENT AND LOVE OF THE CITY AND, AND ALL THESE THINGS.
THERE WAS, THERE WAS THAT SEN THAT SENTIMENT WAS BROADLY REPRESENTED.
UM, THERE WERE, THERE WERE, AND THEN THERE WERE, UM, THERE WERE FOLKS, UH, WHO WERE, YOU KNOW, FORMER CITY MANAGERS, CITY ATTORNEYS, UH, WHO HAD A PERCEPTION THAT, YOU KNOW, OFTENTIMES THE THINGS THAT, UH, WE WERE DISCUSSING WAS GONNA CAUSE ENCROACHMENT FROM THE, UH, ELECTED OFFICIALS ONTO, ONTO CITY STAFF.
AND, AND, AND, AND THEY WERE, THEY JEALOUSLY GUARDED THAT AUTONOMY, YOU KNOW, AND, AND, AND THEIR REPORTING STRUCTURE INTO THE CITY MANAGER.
AND THAT WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO THEM.
AND SO YOU WILL HAVE THOSE DISAGREEMENTS AND, AND, AND DIFFERENCES IN POINT OF DEPARTURE ON MANY ISSUES.
AND TO THE EXTENT WE COULD AVOID IT, I REALLY TRIED TO, I SAID, YOU KNOW, THERE, THERE WERE TIMES WE COULD HAVE DONE A, WHAT WOULD, IT WOULD'VE BEEN LIKE A NINE, SEVEN OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, AND CRAMMED SOMETHING DOWN.
AND THAT MAY HAVE BEEN A FAILING ON MY PART, BUT I KNOW WE HAD A LOT OF WOOD TO CHOP AND, UM, TO, UNLESS WE COULD DEVELOP SOME SORT OF, UH, UH, AT, AT LEAST CONSENSUS.
AND WE HAD SOME THAT WERE, YOU KNOW, 15 ONE, WE, WE HAD SOME THAT MAYBE WERE 14 TWO, BUT NOT MANY.
UH, I, I WOULD SAY CONSENSUS IS THE DAY NOW, YOU KNOW, GEORGE BERNARD SHAW WILL TELL YOU THAT IT'S THE UNREASONABLE MAN WHO CHANGES, YOU KNOW, THE WORLD.
IT'S THE REASONABLE MAN THAT DOES NOT.
BUT I, I, I MAY HAVE HAD THAT LEADERSHIP FAILURE.
UM, SO WE, WE, WE, IT'S POSSIBLE THAT WE WOULD'VE HAD A MORE AMBITIOUS AGENDA.
BUT I, YOU KNOW, I WANTED TO JUST FOCUS ON A COUPLE THINGS.
EVERYBODY GET THEIR WORK DONE, AND, UM, AND, AND HAVE US ALL DEFEND IT LATER BEFORE COUNCIL, RIGHT? WE HAD, AT SOME POINT, WE HAD TO HAVE A UNITED FRONT BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE WERE GONNA STAND UP THERE FOR, FOR TWO, THREE HOURS AND DEFEND THIS WORK PRODUCT TO COUNCIL.
AND IF YOU HAVE PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT BOUGHT IN, UH, THAT'S GONNA BE A, THAT'S GONNA BE A, A A YOU.
ALL OF YOUR WORK MAY, MAY GO FOR NAUGH IF YOU HAVE, UH, A DIVIDED HOUSE.
AND I GUESS THE CONTINUED REQUEST IS JUST STAY CLOSE TO US AND STAY AVAILABLE.
UH, YOU BROUGHT UP THE, EXCUSE ME, YOU BROUGHT UP THE COUNCIL PAY AMENDMENT, UH, WHICH AS WE ALL KNOW, PASSED BY ABOUT ONE PERCENTAGE POINT, UH, AMONG VOTERS.
UM, IT'S AN AMENDMENT THAT TO PEOPLE HAVE BROUGHT UP TO CHANGE, TO INCREASE COUNCIL PAY.
UM, BECAUSE I THINK THIS IS ONE OF THOSE ISSUES THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS COMMISSION IS KIND OF STANDING ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS.
SO WHAT Y'ALL DID, WHAT A COMMISSION THAT, UH, COMMISSIONER LEMASTER SERVED ON PREVIOUSLY.
WE KEEP MOVING THE BALL FORWARD ON COUNCIL PAY TO GET IT TO A BETTER PLACE.
HOW DID YOU END UP ON THE $60,000 NUMBER? 'CAUSE IT, IT WAS ALMOST LIKE A GOLDILOCKS NUMBER.
LIKE YOU PICKED THE PERFECT NUMBER TO GET IT PASSED.
UM, HOW MUCH OF IT WAS POLITICAL? HOW MUCH OF IT WAS, YOU KNOW, GOOD GOVERNMENTS PRACTICAL? AND DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR US AS WE CONSIDER HOW TO INCREASE COUNCIL COMPENSATION IN A WAY THAT VOTERS WILL APPROVE? YEAH.
ALL, ULTIMATELY, THERE WAS NO MAGIC TO IT.
THERE WERE ALL KINDS OF PROPOSALS.
UH, AND THERE WERE, THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH SUPPORT FOR A NUMBER NORTH OF 60.
LET ME, I'LL JUST SAY THAT WITHOUT POURING OUT ANY OF MY, MY COLLEAGUES.
THE WAY WE LANDED ON 60 WAS, UM, WE TOOK THE AVERAGE, UH, SALARY OF OUR POLICE AND FIRE CORPS.
AND AT THE TIME IT WAS LIKE 59, 8, SOME, YOU KNOW, I'M MAKING UP A NUMBER, BUT IT WAS A JUST ROUNDED UP BY LIKE A THOUSAND OR $2,000.
AND WE SAID, HEY, PEOPLE PUT THEIR LIVES ON THE LINE FOR THE CITY COUNCIL.
PEOPLE PUT THEIR, OFTENTIMES PUT THEIR LIVES ON HOLD, RIGHT? THEIR MARRIAGES, THEIR DIME WITH THEIR KIDS, UH, FOR THE CITY.
AND WE SAID, THIS SEEMS LIKE A NUMBER THAT WE CAN, THIS AVERAGE NUMBER SEEMS LIKE A NUMBER THAT WE CAN JUSTIFY.
I WOULD SAY THE SECOND PIECE, 'CAUSE IF WE WOULD'VE PUT THAT ON THE BALLOT BY ITSELF, UH, I DON'T KNOW THAT IT WOULD'VE PASSED, BUT THIS WHAT WE FELT LIKE WE WERE ABLE TO GO TO THE VOTERS, AND I, AND I MENTIONED EARLIER, COUNCILMAN MAGOO, UM, THAT, THAT WE HAD TO SELL IT TO THE, TO THE COUNCIL, BUT WE ALSO HAD TO SELL IT TO THE VOTERS, RIGHT? WE HAD TO SELL IT TO THE VOTERS.
AND SO WE THOUGHT THAT THE, THAT COUPLING IN A WAY,
[00:35:01]
UH, AN INCREASE IN PAY WITH INCREASED TRANSPARENCY AND AUTONOMY FOR THE INDI FOR THE CITIZENS REDISTRICTING COMMISSION WAS A GOOD TRADE.AND WHEN THE DALLAS MORNING, WHEN WE DID THE EDITORIAL BOARD AT THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS, WE REALLY PUT THOSE THINGS TOGETHER BECAUSE THERE WERE COUNCIL PEOPLE WHO LOVED HAVING THEIR PROXY ON, ON THE INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING COMMISSION, LOVED COMMUNICATING WITH THEM IN REAL TIME, AND TELLING 'EM EXACTLY WHAT THEY WANTED THEM TO DO.
AND THERE WAS PUSHBACK ON, ON SOME OF THOSE, ON MOST OF THE, THE RELEVANT REFORMS. AND WE, WE DID HAVE TO DRAW A LINE AT THAT POINT AND SAY, HEY, I, I, IF, IF YOU'RE NOT GONNA ADOPT THE REDISTRICTING REFORM, WE CANNOT ADVOCATE FOR THE PAY.
SO IT, IT, IT, WE HAD TO, WE, WE ESSENTIALLY COUPLED THE TWO AND, AND, AND WE, WE PITCHED IT TO THE EDITORIAL BOARD, TO THE COMMUNITY IN THAT WAY.
AND I DO THINK, YOU KNOW, I I REALLY FUNDAMENTALLY BELIEVE THAT COUNCIL PEOPLE SHOULD BE PAID.
AND I, I BELIEVE THEY SHOULD BE PAID A COMPETITIVE WAGE.
AND FROM THE PEOPLE, UH, AROUND THIS HORSESHOE WERE FORMER CITY COUNCIL PEOPLE, UH, I THINK THE PROOF'S IN THE PUDDING, RIGHT? I MEAN, I, I THINK WE, WE GOT BETTER CITY COUNCIL PEOPLE WHEN WE HELPED COMPENSATE THEM FOR THOSE SACRIFICES THAT THEY WERE MAKING FOR THE CITY.
AND I, I, I REALLY DO BELIEVE THAT, AND IT'S NOT SELF-SERVING.
I, I, I BELIEVE THAT THE QUALITY OF THE CANDIDATES IMPROVED THE QUALITY OF THE, OF THE REPRESENTATIVES, IMPROVED MEMBERS, UH, MS. LAMA.
UH, JUST TO CARRY THAT ONE STEP FURTHER, AND THIS MAY BE SOMETHING FOR, FOR OUR NEXT SPEAKER TO ADDRESS, IT'S BEEN RECOMMENDED THAT TO US, THAT PERHAPS TO TAKE THAT SALARY ISSUE OFF OUT OF THE HANDS OF THE VOTERS, UH, BECAUSE IT, I KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO PASS THAT, BUT, UH,
UH, AND I'M WONDERING WHAT YOUR REACTION TO THAT IS.
I MEAN, I THINK THE VOTERS, A LOT OF VOTERS ARE GOING TO VOTE NO, UH, TO GO ABOVE 60 TO GO.
I MEAN, THEY'RE, THEY'RE ALWAYS GONNA VOTE NO.
SO, SO, UH, THAT WE HEARD THAT NARRATIVE AS WELL.
OKAY? I MEAN, THE SAME NARRATIVE.
THEY'RE NEVER GONNA APPROVE ANYTHING OVER 37.5 LIKE, IT'S, IT'S OVER IT'S BALL GAME.
UM, AND THERE WERE MEMBERS, UH, THIS IS A LITTLE BIT OF INSIDE BASEBALL, BUT, YOU KNOW, UH, I'LL NOT USE NAMES TO PROTECT THE, THE INNOCENT, BUT THERE WERE MEMBERS, UM, WHO DID NOT WANT TO VOTE ON IT.
THEY WERE LIKE, NOPE, DO NOT EVEN BRING IT UP.
AND THIS IS THE ONE PLACE WHERE, WHERE, WHERE THERE WAS A LITTLE BIT OF FRICTION AND, AND MAYBE I, YOU KNOW, PUT MY FOOT ON THE, ON MY THUMB ON THE SCALE.
I SAID, NO, WE'RE GONNA PUT, WE'RE GONNA MAKE, I'M MAKING THE MOTION TO VOTE ON THIS, BECAUSE I WANTED TO, IN SOME WAYS, SMOKE PEOPLE OUT, RIGHT? LET'S SEE WHO'S GONNA, WHO'S GONNA BE AGAINST IT.
UM, AND IN THE END, A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO SAID THERE WERE NO IN HELL NO ON THAT ISSUE AROUND THE HORSESHOE, YOU KNOW, WITH, WITH, UH, UH, PEOPLE WATCHING ULTIMATELY VOTED FOR IT.
AND I THINK IT PASSED FAIRLY OVERWHELMINGLY.
I, I DON'T, I DON'T, IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN LIKE A 14 TWO, I, I, I'M NOT SURE EXACTLY WHICH, BUT MY ADVICE THERE IS AT, AT SOME POINT, YOU KNOW, YOU MAY JUST HAVE TO VOTE ON IT.
YOU MAY JUST HAVE TO VOTE ON, JUST PUT IT TO A VOTE.
UM, GET SOMETHING FOR IT, RIGHT? HAVE IT BE PART OF SOMETHING BIGGER, RIGHT? OTHER, OTHER REFORMS THAT, YOU KNOW, ARE VERY POPULAR THAT PEOPLE ARE ASKING FOR FROM COMMUNITY.
AND I THINK THAT THE PACKAGE OF THINGS WOULD MAKE SENSE.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DID NOT DO, AND I SORT OF REGRET IT, IS THAT WE DIDN'T PUT LIKE A, A SELF-LEVELING MECHANISM IN PLACE LIKE A CPI.
RIGHT? I DIDN'T, COULDN'T GET THAT PASSED.
UM, SO IT WAS IMPERFECT, BUT HAVING SOME SORT OF MECHANISM TO WHERE IT DID NOT HAVE TO COME BACK TO THE VOTERS.
ANNA HOLMES WILL KNOW THIS, BUT I DON'T RECALL THE LEGALITY OF THAT, OR WHETHER WE COULD DO IT OR NOT.
BUT I REMEMBER IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE DISCUSSED, BUT ULTIMATELY DID NOT, DID NOT GET PUT IN PLACE.
MR. STEIN, IS THAT MINE? OKAY.
[00:40:01]
I JUST ASKING FOR SOME CLARIFICATION.AND FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
BUT YOU MADE MENTION OF, UH, I GUESS IT WAS REDISTRICTING WHEN YOU TRIED TO SEPARATE THE APPOINTEE FROM THE COUNCIL PERSON, THE KIND OF STOP INFLUENCE.
IS IT REAL? HOW DOES THAT WORK? HOW DO SOMEBODY APPOINT YOU TO A POSITION THEN YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO EVEN COMMUNICATE WITH THAT PERSON? YOU CAN, BUT NO, I, I THINK THAT'S A REALLY GOOD QUESTION.
AND MAYBE I, I EXPLAINED IT IN ARTFULLY.
SO LET'S SAY YOU WERE THE COUNSEL PERSON, YOU APPOINTED ME, RIGHT? IT IS LIKELY THAT DURING THAT APPOINTMENT PROCESS, RIGHT, I, I WOULD'VE APPLIED TO THE CITY SECRETARY.
YOU SELECT MY NAME FROM THAT POOL, WE PROBABLY HAVE, UH, YOU KNOW, AN INTRODUCTORY MEETING.
YOU TALK TO ME ABOUT YOUR CONCEPTS, YOUR DISTRICT, THE DISTRICT YOU REPRESENT, RATHER.
AND THEN IF YOU AND I ARE GONNA COMMUNICATE IN THE FUTURE, YOU WILL COMMUNICATE WITH ME AS A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC AT LARGE IN OPEN SESSION, RIGHT? AND SO WE, THAT WAS THE, A GREAT LEVELING MECHANISM.
SO THAT SELF-INTERESTED COUNCIL MEMBERS, PEOPLE WHO GET ELECTED, UH, OR UNELECTED BASED ON HOW LINES ARE DRAWN, UH, COULD NOT SELECT THEIR CONSTITUENTS IN THE REDISTRICTING PROCESS.
IT WOULD BE DONE INDEPENDENTLY USING PUBLIC INPUT.
I COULD COMMUNICATE WITH YOU, BUT IT WOULD BE IN A FORUM JUST LIKE THIS ON THE RECORD, WHERE I WOULD SAY, HEY, HEY, THANK YOU, UH, MR. SEN, YOUR, OR, OR, UM, I GUESS, UM, I'D BE COMMUNICATING.
YOU WOULD COME TO, IF YOU WERE THE COUNCIL PERSON, YOU WOULD COME AND SAY, HEY, THANK YOU RAFAEL, FOR, FOR, FOR DOING THIS WORK.
I, I'VE SEEN THE, THE FIRST DRAFT ITERATION PLAN ONE.
UM, I THINK IT WOULD BE GREAT IF THE LINE WENT DOWN HAMPTON ROAD AS OPPOSED TO SYLVAN AVENUE, AND YOU WOULD SAY IT AN OPEN, AN OPEN SESSION WITH EVERY, WITH EVERYBODY WITH THE PUBLIC, ABLE TO REACT TO THAT.
AND WE THOUGHT THAT WAS A BETTER PROCESS THAN DOING THINGS BEHIND CLOSED DOORS.
WELL, MY THING WAS THAT MOST OF THE TIME WHEN SOMEBODY APPOINT YOU, YOU ALREADY BEEN EDUCATED, BRIEFED ON EXACTLY WHAT THAT PERSON WANTS.
SO IS THAT KIND OF LIKE, YOU KNOW, IN VAIN, IF, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE I THINK MOST PEOPLE ON THIS BOARD HAD SOME AGENDA THAT WHOEVER APPOINTED THEM APPOINTED THEM BASED ON THAT AGENDA.
SO I, I THINK THIS KIND OF, I, I FIND THAT KIND OF ODD.
THAT'S ALL I CAN SAY, YOU KNOW? THANK YOU.
UH, THANK, THANK YOU, MR. CHRISTINE.
IT IS, UH, IT, WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU LOOK AT, UH, WHEN, WHEN WE TALKED TO THE EXPERTS IN REDISTRICTING, THE OVERWHELMING, UH, FEEDBACK THAT WE RECEIVED IS THAT INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING COMMISSIONS ARE MORE RESPONSIVE TO THE PUBLIC AT LARGE, UH, PRODUCES BETTER OUTCOMES, PRODUCES LESS LITIGATION, OR OFTENTIMES MORE REPRESENTATIVE, UH, THAN WHEN THE POLITICIANS DRAW THE MAPS EITHER DIRECTLY AND THROUGH PROXY.
THE OTHER THING WE TRIED TO DO IS GIVE VOICE TO THE PROVISIONS OF THE CITY CHARTER, GIVE CONTEXT TO THE PROVISIONS OF THE CITY CHARTER, WHICH SAID THAT MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL SHALL NOT, UM, BE MEMBERS OF THE REDISTRICTING COMMISSION.
AND IN ORDER FOR THAT TO BE REAL, TO HAVE TEETH, WE WANTED TO PUT THOSE SAFEGUARDS IN PLACE.
MR. FRANKLIN, THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR.
UH, FIRST AND FOREMOST, UH, THANK YOU FOR SPENDING YOUR EVENING WITH US.
UH, I, I DO HAVE, UH, A CO WELL, THAT'S ONE QUESTION, REALLY.
UH, AS WE'VE GONE THROUGH THIS PROCESS, THERE HAVE BEEN A THEME AMONG THE PROPOSED AMENDMENTS, AND A COUPLE OF THOSE THEMES HAVE BEEN AROUND, UH, COUNCIL PERSONS TERMS, UH, THE LIMITS AND ALSO THE TIMING OF ELECTIONS.
AND SO MY QUESTION TO YOU IS, WERE THOSE DISCUSSIONS HELD DURING YOUR SERVICE ON THE CHARTER REVIEW COMMITTEE? AND, UH, JUST TO GIVE ME, GIVE US SOME OF YOUR IDEAS AND, AND THOUGHTS OF HOW THOSE DISCUSSIONS WENT AND WHY YOU ALL ULTIMATELY, ULTIMATELY, UM, DECIDED TO KEEP THINGS, UH, CONSISTENT TO PRIOR YEARS? SO, I, I WOULD APPLY TWO FILTERS.
UH, THE, THE FIRST FILTER WOULD BE THINGS THAT, UM, YOU CAN ACHIEVE IN A FORUM OTHER THAN THIS FORUM, RIGHT? AND, AND ULTIMATELY,
[00:45:01]
UNIFORM ELECTION DATES ARE, UH, THE JURISDICTION OF THE STATE LEGISLATURE, RIGHT? AND THE, THE, I THINK THE CURRENT RULE, AND I WAS TALKING TO KERRY ABOUT THIS, KERRY, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, IS THAT, UH, UM, MUNICIPALITIES NEEDED TO MAKE AN ELECTION BY 2016 IN ORDER TO MOVE THEIR UNIFORM ELECTION DATE FROM MAY TO NOVEMBER.I, AND, AND AS A LEGISLATOR ON THE, ON, YOU KNOW, PUTTING MY OTHER HAT ON, UM, I BELIEVE THAT MUNICIPALITY SHOULD HAVE THE FLEXIBILITY TO DO THAT.
AND IT'S PROBABLY SOMETHING THAT MUNICIPALITY SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO BY COUNCIL RESOLUTION, RIGHT? UM, BUT CURRENTLY, STATE LAW DOES NOT PERMIT, IF I'M, IF I'M READING THE STATUTES CORRECTLY, UH, DOES NOT PERMIT A MOVEMENT FROM MAY TO NOVEMBER UNLESS THERE IS A CHANGE AND AN EXTENSION OF THAT 2016 DEADLINE TO A MORE CONTEMPORARY DATE.
I BELIEVE THAT IS A LIMITATION THAT THIS BODY HAS.
NOW, THE DISCUSSIONS WE HAD WOULD TURN OUT INCREASE, YOU KNOW, I'M PRETTY SURE WE LOOKED AT HOUSTON, 'CAUSE HOUSTON HAS NOVEMBER ELECTIONS, YOU KNOW, UH, DOES TURN OUT INCREASE? DO YOU GET MORE PEOPLE TO PARTICIPATE? DOES IT BECOME MORE PARTISAN? RIGHT.
IF IT'S, IF IT'S, UH, CONTEMPORANEOUS WITH PARTISAN ELECTIONS.
DO, DO YOU ADD THAT ELEMENT? WE DID HAVE THOSE DISCUSSIONS.
ULTIMATELY, WE DID NOT ACT ON THAT ISSUE BECAUSE I CAN'T REMEMBER, BUT I THINK WE MIGHT HAVE MADE A RECOMMENDATION TO THE COUNCIL, AND IF WE DIDN'T, AT LEAST WE DID SO INFORMALLY TO ADD THAT TO THEIR LEGISLATIVE AGENDA DOWN IN AUSTIN SO THAT, UM, IF A CITY LIKE DALLAS WANTED TO CHANGE ITS UNIFORM ELECTION DATE, THEY COULD.
SORRY, I HAVE A FOLLOW UP ON THAT ACTUALLY.
UM, SO WE DID OUR CHARTER AMENDMENT, THE CITY OF DALLAS IN 2014.
EL PASO DID THEIRS LEADING UP TO A 2013 CHARTER AMENDMENT ELECTION IN MAY, 2013, WHEN THEY DID THEIR CHARTER AMENDMENT ELECTION IN 2013.
THE STATE LAW WAS ACTUALLY, YOU CAN'T DO IT AFTER DECEMBER 31ST, 2012.
AND OBVIOUSLY MAY OF 2013 IS AFTER DECEMBER, 2012.
THE STATE ALLEGED TOOK THAT UP IN THE 2015 LEGISLATIVE SESSION, AND Y'ALL PASSED IT OUT, UH, IN THE STATE HOUSE.
I THINK IT WAS 1 38 TO TWO STATE SENATE.
UM, AND THE EXTENSION, UH, AND NOT TO CUT YOU OFF.
YEAH, DAVID, I'M SORRY, BUT THE EXTENSION WAS THE 2016.
DO I HAVE THAT RIGHT? CORRECT.
SO, I MEAN, 'CAUSE YOU, YOU WOULD POSSIBLY KNOW THIS 'CAUSE YOU WERE IN THAT 2015 LEGISLATIVE SESSION.
SO IT, IT APPEARS THAT THE STATE ALLEGED CAN CHANGE THE LAW AFTER THE CITY WERE TO TAKE ACTION AND THE CITY WOULD BE IN COMPLIANCE WITH STATE LAW, CORRECT? YEAH.
I I I WONDER IF THERE WAS, IF THAT ACTION RATIFIED, MAYBE THE ELECTION THAT WAS YEAH, I, I'VE TAKEN A COUPLE OF VOTES SINCE THEN.
SO, SO, AND I'VE SLEPT, SO I, I DON'T WANT TO, I DON'T WANNA SPECULATE THAT I, I I'M SURE OUR, OUR NEXT SPEAKER FROM THE CIVIC LEAGUE OR OUR, YOUR, YOUR, UM, CITY COUNCIL, SORRY, YOUR CITY LAW ATTORNEY'S OFFICE WOULD PROBABLY GET YOU THAT.
IF IT, IF IT ACTED TO RATIFY THE ELECTION THAT WAS HELD AFTER THE INITIAL EXPIRY EXPIRATION DATE.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? MEMBERS? REPRESENTATIVE MACIA, THANK YOU AGAIN SO MUCH FOR TAKING YOUR TIME, UH, TO BE HERE WITH US TONIGHT, SHARE THIS INFORMATION.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR YEARS OF SERVICE TO OUR CITY AND OUR STATE.
WE REALLY APPRECIATE, I MISS YOU IN THE LEGISLATURE, MY FRIEND
IT WAS ONE OF THE, THE, UM, GREAT DELIGHTS OF MY PUBLIC SERVICE TO BE ABLE TO SPEND TIME WITH YOU ON THE HOUSE FLOOR.
OKAY, MEMBERS, UH, OUR NEXT ITEM FOR DISCUSSION WILL BE, UM, PRESENTATION BY THE NATIONAL CIVIC LEAGUE.
UH, THAT'S THE ORGANIZATION, ORGANIZATION AGAIN, WHO WROTE THE MODEL CITY CHARTER AND THE GUIDE FOR CHARTER COMMISSIONS, BOTH OF WHICH, UH, YOU WERE PROVIDED, UH, LAST MONTH WITH US TONIGHT, WE HAVE, UH, TWO INDIVIDUALS.
WE HAVE MR. DOUG LINKARD, THE NCL PRESIDENT, AND WE ALSO HAVE DR. KIMBERLY NELSON, A PROFESSOR OF GOVERNMENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL.
UH, DOUG BRINGS OVER 40 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN THE PUBLIC POLICY ARENA, INCLUDING 18 YEARS AS AN ELECTED OFFICIAL, INCLUDING EIGHT AS A CITY OF DENVER COUNCILMAN IN 10 YEARS AS A COLORADO STATE
[00:50:01]
REPRESENTATIVE.AND SENATOR, WAS IT, WERE YOU, DID I GET THAT RIGHT? WERE YOU BOTH A SENATOR AND A REPRESENTATIVE IN THAT TIME, OR, UH, THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN.
UH, TWO YEARS AS THE STATE REP AND, UH, EIGHT YEARS AS THE SENATOR.
UH, AND LOOKING AT HIS BACKGROUND, UH, I CAN SAFELY SAY HE'S A PUBLIC POLICY EXPERT WHO HAS WORKED ON EVERY SIDE OF, UH, CIVIC ENGAGEMENT.
LIKE WE ARE ENGAGED IN NOW HELPING, UH, COMMISSIONS LIKE OURS, UH, FORGE A WAY FORWARD.
SO, UH, WE'LL HEAR FROM HIM FIRST, AND THEN AFTER THAT, WE'LL HEAR FROM DR. NELSON.
THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN AND COMMISSIONERS, IT'S GOOD TO BE WITH YOU.
THE, UM, NATIONAL CIVIC LEAGUE WAS FOUNDED IN 1894, AND, UM, OUR MISSION BACK THEN WAS TO CLEAN UP POLITICS AT THE LOCAL LEVEL.
UH, THERE WAS A LOT OF CORRUPTION, A LOT OF PARTISANSHIP, UM, PATRONAGE.
AND, UH, SO WE CAME UP WITH MODEL CITY CHARTER, UM, IN 1900, AND WE HAVE REVISED THAT MULTIPLE TIMES SINCE THEN.
THIS IS THE NINTH EDITION THAT WAS REVISED TWO YEARS AGO.
THERE HAVE BEEN HUNDREDS, MAYBE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE OVER THE YEARS INVOLVED IN THE CREATION OF THE MODEL CITY CHARTER.
UH, THE INITIAL GOAL OF THE MODEL, AND IT REMAINS TODAY THAT CITY CHARTERS SET FORTH THE PRINCIPLES AND THE STRUCTURE OF CITY GOVERNMENT AND THAT IT BE A FRAMEWORK DOCUMENT, UH, NOT OF DETAILED DOCUMENT THAT WE RECOMMENDED THAT, UM, CITIES BE MANAGED BY CITY MANAGERS AND BE RUN BY PROFESSIONALS, AS OPPOSED TO WHAT WAS HAPPENING THEN, WHICH WAS SORT OF PARTISAN PATRONAGE AND, UM, NON-PARTISAN ELECTED OFFICIALS.
AND I THINK BECAUSE OF THAT, CITIES ARE WIDELY TRUSTED MORE THAN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, MORE THAN STATES.
UH, YOU HEAR OFTEN ABOUT THE, THE LACK OF TRUST IN GOVERNMENT, AND THAT'S REALLY THE FEDERAL LEVEL.
CITIES ENJOY ABOUT A 72% APPROVAL RATE AROUND THE COUNTRY, UH, AS A WHOLE.
SO THERE IS TRUST, AND IT'S BECAUSE OF CITIES LIKE DALLAS THAT REALLY EPITOMIZES WHAT WE FORESAW AS A GOVERNMENT THAT COULD BE EFFECTIVE, THAT IS NONPARTISAN, THAT IS PROFESSIONALLY RUN AND RESEARCH THAT, UM, DR. NELSON CAN TALK IN DEPTH ABOUT IF YOU'D LIKE, HAS SHOWN THAT THAT KIND OF SYSTEM HAS LED TO BETTER EFFECTIVENESS AND LESS CORRUPTION.
I WANT TO SPEND MOST OF MY TIME TAKING QUESTIONS, BUT I DO WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT CHARTERS ARE MEANT TO BE SIMPLE, ARE MEANT TO BE A FRAMEWORK.
UH, YOU CAN CONVENE EVERY 10 YEARS, SO THERE ISN'T A LOT OF LEEWAY THERE IF SOMETHING CHANGES DURING THAT 10 YEARS.
SO IT SHOULD BE A DOCUMENT THAT EMBODIES THE PRINCIPLES OF THE, OF THE CITY.
AND I WOULD SUGGEST THAT PERHAPS A LITMUS TEST FOR AMENDMENTS THAT YOU'RE CONSIDERING MIGHT BE IN YOUR MIND, IS THIS A QUESTION THAT CAN BE HANDLED BY A REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT OF 15 ELECTED OFFICIALS, OR DO WE NEED TO ASK 1.3 MILLION PEOPLE THEIR OPINIONS? AND I WOULD PUT FORWARD THAT, UH, MANY OF THE AMENDMENTS THAT YOU'RE CONSIDERING, MANY THAT YOU'LL HEAR ABOUT, UM, MAY NOT BE THE KINDS OF ISSUES THAT 1.3 MILLION PEOPLE NEED TO WEIGH IN ON, OR HOWEVER MANY VOTERS ARE WITHIN THAT, THAT 1.3.
WE, UM, IN THIS LATEST CHARTER ENCOURAGE CITIES TO INCLUDE EQUITY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AS PRINCIPALS.
AND THERE ARE A VARIETY OF WAYS OF DOING THAT, SOME OF WHICH ARE LISTED HERE.
AND I THINK YOU HAVE THIS IN WRITING, SO I WILL NOT GO THROUGH THOSE.
UH, IT STARTS WITH A PREAMBLE.
IT STARTS WITH, UH, THE ELECTED BODY.
HAVING DISTRICTS, FOR EXAMPLE, IS MORE EQUITABLE THAN HAVING ALL ELECTED AT LARGE.
AND MANY CITIES STILL HAVE MOST OF THEIR COUNCIL MEMBERS ELECTED AT LARGE.
UM, IF NOT ALL, UM, ELECTIONS, WE SUGGEST BE HELD EVERY FOUR YEARS ON A STAGGERED BASIS.
AND THAT GIVES YOU EXPERIENCE, THAT GIVES YOU, UM,
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PEOPLE WHO ARE KNOWLEDGEABLE.UH, TWO YEARS MEANS YOU HAVE TO RUN ALL THE TIME.
AND, UH, YOU'RE RAISING MONEY ALL THE TIME.
FOUR YEARS, UH, GIVES YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE TENURE IN OFFICE SO THAT YOU CAN UNDERSTAND GOVERNMENT BETTER AS FAR AS SALARIES GO.
IF YOU CAN AVOID SPECIFYING THAT IN THE CHARTER, I WOULD, IF YOU CAN LIST A, UH, CONSUMER PRICE INDEX OR A COST OF LIVING OR A SALARY SURVEY, MANY CITIES USE A SALARY SURVEY.
WHAT DO OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS MAKE IN SIMILAR SIZE CITIES? AND THAT CAN BE OVERSEEN BY A COMMISSION IF THAT'S ALLOWED BY THE STATE.
UM, IF YOU DO SPECIFY IT IN CHARTER, AS I THINK YOU'VE HEARD AND ALREADY DISCUSSED, IT MAY TAKE MOST OF YOUR TIME, UM, AS A COMMISSION TO TALK ABOUT THAT ISSUE AND SET A PARTICULAR AMOUNT.
AND IT MAY ATTRACT MOST OF THE VOTERS' INTEREST, WHICH I THINK DEVIATES, UM, PEOPLE FROM THE REAL GOAL OF A CHARTER, WHICH IS TO SET FORTH THOSE PRINCIPLES AND STRUCTURE.
I APPLAUD YOU FOR DOING TOWN HALLS.
UM, I THINK AS MUCH AS YOU CAN MAKE THOSE IN PARTICULAR AREAS OF THE CITY IN UM, PARTICULAR NEIGHBORHOODS AT DIFFERENT TIMES AS THE REPRESENTATIVE SUGGESTED, AND IT IS HARD TO GET A LOT OF ATTENDANCE, COMMISSIONER HUNT, UH, TO SOMETHING AS, UH, SORT OF INSIDE BASEBALL AS A CHARTER.
BUT I THINK IF YOU EMPHASIZE TO FOLKS THAT THIS IS EVERY 10 YEARS AND THIS IS THEIR OPPORTUNITY, AND THIS IS ABOUT THE POWER OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CITY GOVERNMENT, MAYBE YOU'LL GET A FEW MORE.
UM, BUT YEAH, IT'S, IT'S HARD TO GET A LOT OF, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, REGULAR FOLKS.
BUT IF YOU CAN GET COMMUNITY LEADERS, THAT'S IMPORTANT.
YOU KNOW, IF YOU CAN AT LEAST GET SOME OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD LEADERS AND THE CIVIC LEADERS AND CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND MAYBE EVEN, YOU KNOW, DO SPECIAL OUTREACH TO THEM TO, UM, MAKE SURE THAT THEY KNOW ABOUT THE PROCESS, UH, THAT CAN BE HELPFUL.
SO WHAT I WOULD SUGGEST, UM, MR. CHAIRMAN, IS THAT, UM, DR. NELSON GIVE A FEW REMARKS AS WELL, AND THEN MAYBE WE CAN ANSWER QUESTIONS TOGETHER.
UH, DR. NELSON IS SOMEONE THAT WE'VE WORKED WITH OVER THE YEARS, UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA.
SHE HAS A VAST AMOUNT OF INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS AROUND THE COUNTRY ON A REGULAR BASIS WITH CHARTERS.
THERE ARE NOT TOO MANY CITY CHARTER EXPERTS OUT THERE, BUT DR. NELSON IS OUR, OUR BEST THAT WE COULD BRING.
SO WE APPRECIATE HER COMING IN FROM NORTH CAROLINA OVER ZOOM.
SO, UM, LET ME READ SOMETHING ABOUT DR. NELSON FIRST AND THEN WE'LL LET HER.
NELSON'S AN EXPERT ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT MANAGEMENT FORM AND STRUCTURE AND CORRUPTION.
HER RESEARCH ON FORM OF GOVERNMENT CORRUPTION AND INNOVATION HAS BEEN PUBLISHED IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REVIEW, THE AMERICAN REVIEW OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT REVIEW AND OTHER JOURNALS.
AS A MEMBER OF THE CENTER OF PUBLIC LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE, SHE CONDUCTS TRAINING AND PROVIDES ADVICE ON LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT TOPICS.
THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR, AND I HOPE EVERYONE CAN HEAR ME.
UM, SO DR. NELSON, CAN YOU SPEAK UP JUST A LITTLE BIT? OKAY.
LET ME SEE IF I CAN, AND I'LL TELL OUR AV FOLKS TO MAKE SURE WE'RE CRANKED UP.
IS THIS ANY BETTER? A LITTLE BIT, UM, YEAH, MAYBE GET CLOSER TO THE MIC AND REALLY PRACTICE THAT PROJECTION.
I HAVE A HEADSET ON SO I CAN'T GET ANY CLOSER, BUT, UM, I'M TRYING TO SEE IF I CAN, UH, OUTPUT, TURN IT UP A LITTLE BIT.
IS THIS ANY BETTER? IS THAT A LITTLE BETTER? HOW, HOW IS THAT? OKAY.
I'LL CHECK AV ON OUR END IF YOU WANNA GO AHEAD AND START AND JUST, UM, PROJECT AS BEST YOU CAN.
UM, ALRIGHT, SO, UH, I I'M GONNA PRESENT TO YOU A LITTLE BIT ON, UH, DATA AND ON CURRENT TRENDS THAT I'VE SEEN AROUND THE COUNTRY WITH, UH, RECENT CHARTER COMMISSIONS AND CHARTER CHANGES.
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IT'S JUST GONNA BE A VERY SHORT PRESENTATION.AND THEN, UM, YOU CAN ASK ME QUESTIONS AND, AND SO HOPEFULLY I'LL HIT SOME OF THE TOPICS THAT YOU'RE INTERESTED IN.
UH, THE DATA I'M DRAWING FROM ARE MY OWN DATA.
I MAINTAIN A COMPREHENSIVE DATA SET, UH, OF ALL CITIES IN THE UNITED STATES FOR POPULATIONS OF AT LEAST 10,000.
AND I TRACK FORM OF GOVERNMENT AND DIFFERENT ELEMENTS OF GOVERNMENT STRUCTURE, LIKE COUNCIL SIZE.
AND SO THIS DATA IS DRAWN FROM MY OWN DATASET, UH, FOR, FOR WHAT I'M GONNA BE TALKING ABOUT TONIGHT.
I'M GONNA BE FOCUSING ON LARGER CITIES, UH, THAT ARE MORE COMPARABLE TO DIALYSIS SIZE RATHER THAN THE OVERALL, UM, DATASET.
BUT HAPPY TO SHARE MORE DATA WITH YOU IF THAT'S WHAT YOU WOULD LIKE.
UH, COULD YOU MOVE TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE? SO, FOR CITIES A HALF MILLION AND ABOVE, UH, YOU CAN SEE THAT, UM, THE SIZE OF THE COUNCIL, UM, FOR ALL THE, THE AVERAGE IS, UH, 14.
UM, AND THE, UH, COUNCIL MANAGER TENDS TO BE A LITTLE BIT SMALLER THAN MAYOR COUNCIL.
AND THIS IS BECAUSE THE, UH, COUNCIL MANAGER FORM WAS REALLY, UM, CREATED BY A MAN NAMED RICHARD CHILDS IN THE EARLY 19 HUNDREDS.
AND HE ALSO WAS A BIG PROPONENT OF WHAT WAS CALLED THE SHORT BALLOT AT THE TIME.
AND SO THAT'S REALLY JUST A LEGACY OF, UH, THE, THE FORMATION, THE COUNCIL MANAGER FORM, UM, BACK THEN.
SO, AS FAR AS RECENT CHANGES TO COUNCIL SIZE IN LARGER CITIES, UM, OF COURSE FORT WORTH CHANGED IN 2016, UH, BUT IT DIDN'T TAKE EFFECT UNTIL 2020.
UH, SAN DIEGO ALSO CHANGED IN 2016, BUT ONLY WENT UP BY ONE MEMBER.
UM, AND THESE WEREN'T NECESSARILY DUE TO CHARTER CHANGES.
SOME CITIES HAVE AN AUTOMATIC POPULATION SHIFT, UM, BUILT INTO THEIR CHARTER.
AND THEN, UH, AUSTIN 2012, OF COURSE CHANGED FROM SIX, UH, BY PLACE TO 10 BY DISTRICT.
AND THEN WE HAVE ACTIVE DISCUSSIONS RIGHT NOW IN LOS ANGELES, UH, AND OMAHA, AND OF COURSE, UM, OMAHA'S QUITE A BIT SMALLER THAN DALLAS'S.
AND SO, AS FAR AS RECENT, OTHER RECENT CHARTER CHANGES THAT WE'VE SEEN, OVERALL BIG CHARTER COMMISSIONS, PORTLAND, OREGON, OF COURSE, LAST YEAR VOTERS VOTED TO CHANGE FROM WHAT'S CALLED THE COMMISSION FORM OF GOVERNMENT, WHICH IS THE LAST LARGE CITY THAT HAD THAT.
AND THEY'RE MOVING TO SOMETHING THAT IS SORT OF A HYBRID OF SEVERAL FORMS OF GOVERNMENT, AND THEY'RE STILL WORKING THAT THROUGH, UH, IT WON'T BE IMPLEMENTED UNTIL 2025.
DETROIT, MICHIGAN MADE SOME PRETTY SIGNIFICANT CHARTER CHANGES, UH, RECENTLY.
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, UM, ADDED A CAO, CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER TO THE MAYOR COUNCIL FORM NEW ORLEANS, UH, IS ACTUALLY CONVENING A CHARTER COMMISSION RIGHT NOW, BUT THEY WERE ABLE TO DO A SINGLE CHARTER CHANGE A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO THAT ALLOWED THE COUNCIL TO APPROVE ALL OF THE MAYOR'S APPOINTMENTS FOR DEPARTMENT HEADS, UH, AS, AS WELL AS ACTUALLY HAVE A VOTE ON REMOVAL.
AND SO THAT WAS A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT CHANGE THERE.
AS FAR AS CITIES THAT ARE CONVENING RIGHT NOW, UM, CHARTER COMMISSIONS THAT ARE LARGER CITIES, WE HAVE, UH, RICHMOND, WHICH CHANGED FROM MAYOR, UH, CHANGED FROM COUNCIL MANAGER, MAYOR, COUNCIL FORM, UH, A NUMBER OF YEARS AGO, AND NOW IS CONSIDERING CHANGING BACK TO COUNCIL MANAGER FORM, UH, SAN ANTONIO.
YOU PROBABLY ARE AWARE, UH, THE MAYOR IS JUST NOW, UH, APPOINTING PEOPLE TO A CHARTER COMMISSION.
NEW ORLEANS, LIKE I SAID, THEY HAVE A CHARTER COMMISSION THAT'S BEING CONVENED CURRENTLY, UH, AS WELL AS ST.
AND SO THAT'S JUST A QUICK SUMMARY.
UH, HAPPY FOR DOUG AND I TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE.
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UM, EARLIER YOU HAD MENTIONED THAT ONE OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS YOU WOULD HAVE IS CHANGING TERM LENGTHS TO FOUR YEAR STAGGERED.UH, DALLAS IS A CITY WHERE AS OF RIGHT NOW WE HAVE A 14 ONE SYSTEM, 14 SINGLE MEMBER DISTRICTS, ONE MAYOR.
SO FOUR YEAR STAGGERED, THEREFORE WOULD BE IN CYCLE A.
YOU'D HAVE SEVEN COUN SINGLE MEMBER COUNCIL DISTRICTS PLUS THE MAYOR, COUNCIL B SEVEN DISTRICTS WITHOUT THE MAYOR.
UM, HOW MANY CITIES THAT DO FOUR YEAR STAGGERED HAVE A SYSTEM WHERE MOST OF THE COUNCIL, IF NOT BASICALLY ALL IS ELECTED BY A SINGLE MEMBER DISTRICT VERSUS AT LARGE? UM, IS THIS QUESTION FOR ME OR DOUG? DO YOU KNOW THE ANSWER TO THIS, KIM? I THINK YOU MAY KNOW MORE ABOUT THIS THAN I DO.
SO I AM NOT CURRENTLY TRACKING STAGGERED TERMS IN MY DATASET.
UM, I, I'VE JUST STARTED ADDING, UM, TERM LIMITS AND, UM, AND COUNCIL TERMS. I HAVE THE MAYOR'S TERMS, UM, BUT I DON'T, I DO NOT TRACK WHETHER THEY'RE STAGGERED OR, UM, DONE AT THE SAME TIME.
AND, UH, BUT THAT IS SOMETHING I I I WILL CONSIDER ADDING MY DATA SET HAS OVER 3000 CITIES.
SO ANY ADDITION OF A VARIABLE IS, IS QUITE A LOT OF WORK AS YOU CAN IMAGINE.
THEN WHERE DID THAT RECOMMENDATION COME FROM THEN? WELL, AND, AND CERTAINLY, UM, AND AS I MENTIONED, WE'VE HAD, UM, A LOT OF PEOPLE INVOLVED IN YEP.
IN THIS DOCUMENT EACH TIME WE, WE REVISE IT WITH, UH, ATTORNEYS, UM, UH, ELECTED OFFICIALS, MANAGERS.
AND SO THEY REALLY TRY TO LOOK FOR BEST PRACTICES.
AND I THINK THAT THE CONCEPT OF COURSE OF STAGGERED WOULD BE THAT SOME MAINTAIN, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE SOME CONTINUITY, UM, THAT YOU DON'T HAVE WHOLESALE TURNOVER OF EVERYONE AT ONCE.
AND OF COURSE, THAT ONLY WORKS IF YOU'VE GOT, YOU KNOW, LENGTHIER TERMS LIKE FOUR YEARS.
UM, AND THEN AS I MENTIONED, THE FOUR YEAR TERM GIVES, GIVES FOLKS A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME TO ACCUMULATE EXPERTISE.
UM, I YOU WERE ASKING ABOUT SINGLE MEMBER DISTRICTS VERSUS YEAH.
IS THE RECOMMENDATION MORE COMMON AND PLACES WITH AT LARGE DISTRICTS? BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT, HERE IN DALLAS, WE'RE SINGLE MEMBER DISTRICTS, YOU WOULD ESSENTIALLY HAVE A SITUATION WHERE HALF OF THE CITY IS VOTING EVERY TWO YEARS AND HALF OF THE CITY IS VOTING EVERY FOUR YEARS.
AND I, I THINK YOU'RE PROBABLY RIGHT THAT THE STAGGERED MIGHT BE A LITTLE BIT MORE COMMON WITH TWO MEMBER DISTRICTS.
UM, THERE ARE CITIES WHERE YOU'VE GOT, UM, TWO PEOPLE PER DISTRICT.
AND I, I THINK PORTLAND, OREGON IS LIKE THAT.
UH, AND, UH, ONE IS RUNNING AND THE OTHER STAYS IN PLACE, FOR EXAMPLE.
SO YOU'RE ONLY ELECTING, YOU KNOW, HALF CINCINNATI, I BELIEVE.
UM, UH, DR. NELSON AND I WORKED IN CINCINNATI FOR A BIT, AND I, I THINK THAT'S HOW THEY DO IT, BECAUSE YOU DO HAVE THAT A BIT OF AN AWKWARDNESS OF HAVING HALF OF THE CITY, YOU KNOW, EVERY OTHER DISTRICT OR YEAH.
SOME PEOPLE VOTING AND SOME PEOPLE NOT.
AND THAT MIGHT BE CONFUSING TO VOTERS.
SO I CAN SEE WHERE THE STAGGERED COULD BE DIFFICULT IF IT'S 14 SINGLE MEMBER DISTRICTS.
SO THE STAGGERED RECOMMENDATION MIGHT BE A MORE APPLICABLE IF WE DECIDE TO SWITCH TO EITHER MULTI-MEMBER DISTRICTS LIKE YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT, OR MAYBE EVEN ADDING MORE AT LARGE SEATS.
BUT IF WE KEEP A PRIMARILY SINGLE MEMBER DISTRICT APPROACH, YEAH.
IT, IT MIGHT NOT BE AS APPLICABLE THEN.
DOES THAT SOUND RIGHT? YES, I AGREE.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? COMMISSIONER LIMA? I THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR.
I AM MOST INTERESTED TO LEARN THAT WE DON'T HAVE A PREAMBLE TO OUR CONSTITUTION.
AND I'M WONDERING, UH, IF YOU HAVE ANY GUIDANCE ON THAT BESIDES JUST LIFTING SEATTLE'S AND TAKE SAYING IT'S OURS, BUT, UH, AND, AND WHAT YOU WOULD DO TO, AND THIS EXAMPLE, PREAMBLE TO, UH, BE MORE INCLUSIVE AND FAIR IN THE WORDING.
WE'VE HAD A LOT OF DISCUSSION ABOUT THAT, HOW TO MAKE SURE ALL THE VOICES ARE HEARD.
BUT SO IT'S TWO-PRONGED QUESTION A, HELP US, LIKE DEVELOP THE PREAMBLE.
I STILL REMEMBER WE, THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES IN ORDER TO FORM A PERFECT UNION.
ANYWAY, HELP US WITH THAT AND HOW TO GET TO AN AGREEMENT ON THAT.
AND THEN ALSO HOW TO INFUSE A PREAMBLE WITH THE, UM, INCLUSIVENESS.
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THE PREAMBLE GIVES YOU THAT OPPORTUNITY, WHICH IS, UM, I THINK WHY A LOT OF COMMUNITIES USE THAT.AND YOU'RE ABLE TO EXPRESS SOME OF THE VALUES OF THE CITY, UM, FROM A STANDPOINT OF, UM, EQUITY OR TRANSPARENCY OR ENGAGEMENT.
UM, I, I MEANT TO SAY EARLIER THAT OTHER AREAS, AND I THINK THIS IS ON THE LIST OF EQUITY ITEMS, ARE ISSUES LIKE, YOU KNOW, CAN A RESIDENT SERVE ON A BOARD OR COMMISSION IF THEY'RE NOT A CITIZEN, UM, CAN THEY RUN FOR OFFICE IF THEY'RE NOT A CITIZEN? I THINK THAT MAY BE IN STATE LAW.
UM, BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, CERTAINLY IN A PREAMBLE YOU COULD, YOU COULD TALK ABOUT RESIDENTS VERSUS CITIZENS, AND THAT COULD BE DONE THROUGHOUT THE DOCUMENT.
UM, I ACTUALLY PREFER COMMUNITY MEMBERS MYSELF BECAUSE, UH, I THINK THERE, PEOPLE WHO COMMUTE INTO DALLAS FROM SURROUNDING AREAS ALSO MATTER, UH, WHETHER THEY'RE A BUSINESS OWNER OR A WORKER OR, UH, AND THEN QUESTION BECOMES, CAN THEY SERVE, UM, ON A BOARD OR COMMISSION.
UM, I NOTICED THAT ONE OF THE AMENDMENTS SUGGESTS THAT ANYONE FROM THE STATE MIGHT BE QUALIFIED TO RUN FOR OFFICE, WHICH I WOULD FIND A DEAD ODD MYSELF, UM, RATHER THAN SOMEONE AT LEAST BEING FROM THE CITY
UM, BUT CERTAINLY THE PREAMBLE GIVES YOU THAT OPPORTUNITY, I THINK, TO EXPRESS THOSE VALUES.
AND, UM, I THINK THE VISION STATEMENT THAT, UM, STRAND ANDERSON PUT TOGETHER EXPRESSES SOME OF THOSE VALUES, UM, AS A, AS A CHARTER COMMISSION THAT COULD BE INCLUDED IN A PREAMBLE.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR NO QUESTIONS? ALL RIGHT.
AND BEST WISHES, AND I MEANT TO SAY AT THE OUTSET THAT, UH, UH, THE OTHER THING WE LOVE ABOUT DALLAS IS THAT YOU'RE AN ALL AMERICA CITY, AND YOU MAY NOT KNOW THAT, BUT, UH, WE, UH, WE HAVE A, UH, CONTEST EVERY YEAR FOR THE PAST 74 YEARS WHERE WE DESIGNATE 10 CITIES PER YEAR AS ALL AMERICA CITIES AND DALLAS ONE THIS YEAR.
SO WE'RE VERY EXCITED THAT YOU, UH, SHOWED THE, UM, THE HIGH PRINCIPLES OF WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY TO SOLVE PROBLEMS. CHAIRMAN, THIS NEXT BRIEFING, UH, UH, WILL BE PRESENTED BY JAKE ANDERSON, OUR GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS MANAGER.
AND WHAT IS IT, IT IS INTENDED TO DO, IS TO, UM, GET THE COMMISSION MEMBERS TO BE THINKING ABOUT THE VISION STATEMENT THAT WE HAD TALKED ABOUT IN THE LAST COUPLE OF MEETINGS, SORT OF THAT GUIDING PRINCIPLE FOR WHAT KIND OF CHARTER YOU AS A COMMISSION WOULD LIKE TO SEE.
AND SO JAKE'S GONNA RUN THROUGH THAT QUICKLY.
AND THERE ARE A COUPLE OF, YOU KNOW, KIND OF LOOSE EXAMPLES IN THERE.
UM, BUT THE EXPECTATION IS THAT YOU WOULD TAKE ACTION AT YOUR NEXT MEETING.
SO THAT WE HAVE THAT GOING INTO THE MEETINGS IN JANUARY.
HELLO? UH, GOOD EVENING, MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION.
I DON'T THINK WE HAVE QUORUM AT THE MOMENT, SO GIVE US ONE SECOND.
IT ACTUALLY GIVES ME A CHANCE TO GET IT SET UP 'CAUSE I GOT ALL THESE SCREENS AND THINGS GOING ON.
UH,
DO WE NEED NINE? IS THAT WHAT WE NEED? EIGHT.
GOOD EVENING, MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION.
UH, GLAD TO BE HERE WITH YOU GUYS TONIGHT.
UM, WE'RE GONNA GO REAL QUICKLY THROUGH THE, JUST A CONSIDERATION OF, UH, THE CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION VISION STATEMENT.
UM, AT THE NOVEMBER 14TH MEETING, YOU MAY REMEMBER THAT, UH, YOU DIRECTED STAFF TO BRING FORWARD A POSSIBLE
[01:15:01]
VISION OR MISSION, MISSION STATEMENT, UM, FOR THE COMMITTEE TO ADOPT.SO TONIGHT WE'RE GONNA TAKE A, A QUICK LOOK AT THE WAYS THAT THAT MIGHT BE DONE, AS WELL AS SUGGESTED VISION STATEMENT FOR YOUR REVIEW, UM, OR TWO SUGGESTED VISION STATEMENTS FOR YOUR REVIEW.
UM, FROM THERE, YOU'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO GIVE FEEDBACK, UM, AND THEN WE'LL PLACE IT ON AN AGENDA FOR A VOTE NEXT WEEK TO ADOPT, UM, PRIOR TO, UM, THIS, THE SPRING WHEN YOU'LL BE CONSIDERING AMENDMENTS.
SO, YOU KNOW, WHY A VISION OR MISSION STATEMENT, UM, IN TALKING, UH, TONIGHT, BUT ESPECIALLY WITH ICMA ON NOVEMBER 14TH, THERE WAS A DISCUSSION OF HAVING A CLEAR DIRECTION FOR THE COMMISSION BASED ON THE CONVERSATION, UH, THAT YOU ALL HAD.
SO THIS SORT OF STATEMENT WOULD BE A FRAMEWORK THROUGH WHICH YOU COULD EVALUATE SUGGESTED AMENDMENTS AND WOULD CREATE A WAY FOR US TO DEFINE SUCCESS AND MEASURE PROGRESS TOWARDS IT.
UM, SO AS AN EXAMPLE, IF YOU EVALUATE AN AMENDMENT REGARDING COUNCIL TERM LENGTHS OR AND LIMITS, UM, YOU COULD EVALUATE THE OUTCOME OF A CHANGE AGAINST THE MISSION THAT YOU ALL ADOPT.
UM, IF YOU SAY YOU WANT THE CHARTER TO BE MOST EFFICIENT, THEN YOU CAN DETERMINE WHICH LENGTH OF TERM LEADS TO THE BEST EFFICIENCY FOR THE CITY.
UM, IF YOU TALK ABOUT EQUITY IN YOUR MISSION STATEMENT, YOU COULD INSTEAD ASK WHICH LENGTH OF TERM IS MOST EQUITABLE.
SO THAT'S JUST KIND OF AN EXAMPLE OF, OF WHY THIS VISION STATEMENT MIGHT BE SOMETHING THAT YOU, YOU WANT TO ADOPT.
UM, IF YOU LOOK AT HOW OTHER CITIES APPROACH, UM, UH, CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSIONS, AND, YOU KNOW, AFTER LISTENING TO, UM, CONVERSATION WITH ICMA AND, AND, YOU KNOW, HEARING, UH, REPRESENTATIVE AN TALK, UM, IN THE NATIONAL CIVIC LEAGUE, YOU'VE ALL TALKED KIND OF ABOUT WHAT OVERARCHING VISIONS MIGHT LOOK LIKE, UM, AND WHAT IT WOULD MEAN TO BE SUCCESSFUL AS A COMMISSION.
UM, SOMETIMES THIS IS MANDATED BY THE MAYOR CITY COUNCIL, UM, REPRESENTATIVE, AN CHIA TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE, THE MAYOR'S MANDATE IN 2014, FOCUSING ON REDISTRICTING, UM, SAN ANTONIO.
UM, IN THEIR MOST RECENT, UH, CHARTER REVIEW, THE, THE MAYOR GAVE A PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD MANDATE AS FAR AS WHAT THE CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION SHOULD AND SHOULD NOT BE WORKING ON.
UM, BUT YOU KNOW, IN THIS CASE, THIS IS THE FIRST COMMISSION IN DALLAS SINCE THE LAST TENURE REVIEW, UM, WHERE, UH, YOU KNOW, THE TENURE REVIEW IS ADDED TO THE CHARTER.
SO THERE IS NO SPECIAL GOAL OR MANDATE THAT, UH, THAT YOU HAVE RECEIVED.
UM, YOU HAVE THE FREEDOM HERE TO REVIEW AND MAKE SUGGESTIONS BASED ON WHAT YOU SEE, UM, WHICH IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY, BUT IT CAN ALSO BE DIFFICULT THEN TO KNOW WHERE TO GO.
NELSON'S RESEARCH, ONE, ONE EXAMPLE THAT SHE TALKED ABOUT BRIEFLY WAS PORTLAND.
UM, AND THEIR COMMISSION ADOPTED MULTIPLE DIFFERENT STATEMENTS AND, AND, UM, DOCUMENTS INCLUDING VALUE STATEMENTS, UM, WORKING AGREEMENTS ON HOW THEY WOULD ALL INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER AND THEN DESIRED OUTCOMES FOR THE COMMISSION.
UM, SO THE, YOU KNOW, THEY'VE DONE SOMETHING SIMILAR, BUT, UH, WE ARE, UH, WHAT WE'RE RECOMMENDING TONIGHT DOESN'T HAVE AN EXACT COMPARISON.
THERE'S NOT, THERE'S NOT ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF A VISION STATEMENT ADOPTED BY A CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION THAT WE ARE AWARE OF THAT WE FOUND, UM, IN TALKING WITH, UH, THE NATIONAL CIVIC LEAGUE AS WELL.
UM, BUT YOU KNOW, THIS, THIS MISSION STATEMENT, OR A MISSION STATEMENT IS SIMILAR TO THOSE ADOPTED BY ORGANIZATIONS, UM, ACROSS THE COUNTRY THAT GUIDE THE WORK THAT THEY DO.
UM, AND SO I WANTED TO PUT THESE IN FRONT OF YOU.
THESE ARE THE CITY OF DALLAS'S FIVE CORE PRINCIPLES, UM, BY WHICH ALL ITS DEPARTMENTS AND ALL EMPLOYEES ARE EXPECTED TO OPERATE.
UH, THOSE FIVE E'S, UH, AS YOU CAN SEE ARE EMPATHY, ETHICS, EXCELLENCE, ENGAGEMENT AND EQUITY.
UM, ULTIMATELY, OF COURSE, YOU ARE THE COMMISSION AND YOU CAN DICTATE WHAT YOU WANT THIS MISSION TO BE.
UM, HOWEVER, ONE OF THESE TWO PROPOSALS THAT YOU'LL SEE TONIGHT, UM, IS BASED ON THESE VALUES BECAUSE I THINK THEY OFFER A GREAT STARTING POINT.
UM, WHAT I'VE HEARD FROM YOU ALL, UM, IN THIS CHARTER REVIEW PROCESS SO FAR ALIGNS WITH THESE VALUES.
UM, MOST NOTE, MOST NOTABLY I'VE HEARD ABOUT INCREASING EQUITY IN THE GOVERNANCE OF DALLAS, UH, IMPROVING EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF THE CITY OF DALLAS, WHICH I WOULD ARGUE FOLLOWS UNDER EXCELLENCE, UM, AND REMAINING COMMITTED, UM, TO STRENGTHENING THE ETHICS OF CITY OPERATION.
UM, SO, AND THEN OF COURSE, ADDITIONALLY, WE'VE HAD A LOT OF TALK ABOUT THE ENGAGEMENT ASPECT OF THE REVIEW.
SO I THINK THAT DRAWING FROM THESE VALUES IN STATING COMMISSION'S MISSION, UH, COULD BE A GREAT SPOT TO BEGIN IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT, THAT YOU'RE INTERESTED IN.
UM, SO ON THE NEXT SLIDE, UM, THIS IS, THIS IS THE SUGGESTION BASED ON THOSE, IT WOULD BE TO ADOPT A STATEMENT THAT SAYS, YOUR MISSION IS TO EVALUATE AND AMEND THE CITY CHARTER IN WAYS THAT INCREASE EXCELLENCE WITHIN MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT CENTER EQUITY AND STRENGTHEN DALLAS'S COMMITMENT TO ETHICS.
UM, IF YOU WANTED TO COVER ALL FIVE, YOU COULD ADD, UM, THE SECOND PART, WHICH TALKS ABOUT, UM, USING STRONG ENGAGEMENT WITH PUBLIC AND AN EMPATHETIC LENS THROUGH WHICH, UH, YOU WILL EVALUATE AMENDMENTS.
UM, BUT THAT IS JUST ONE SUGGESTION.
UH, THE OTHER SUGGESTION THAT WE HAVE, UM, AND THAT YOU, YOU MAY WANT TO ADOPT IS SOMETHING THAT'S MORE STRAIGHTFORWARD.
AND IT SAYS TO EVALUATE AND AMEND THE CITY CHARTER TO PROPERLY ADDRESS ORGANIZATION POWERS, FUNCTION, AND ESSENTIAL PROCEDURES OF THE CITY GOVERNMENT THAT BEST SERVE THE CITY OF DALLAS TODAY AND INTO THE FUTURE.
UM, WE'VE PUT THESE BEFORE YOU, BOTH OF THEM FOR YOUR FEEDBACK, UM, AND YOUR INPUT AS A COMMISSION AS OF WHOLE TO SEEK, UM, AS, AS YOU ARE SEEKING THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION THAT THE CHAIR POSED LAST MONTH, WHICH IS WHAT DOES GOOD GOVERNANCE LOOK LIKE IN DALLAS? UM, THIS SECOND ONE GETS A
[01:20:01]
LITTLE BIT MORE INTO THE EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS, UM, OF, COMPARED TO THE FIRST ONE, WHICH FOCUSES ON THOSE, THOSE VALUES THAT THE CITY OF DALLAS HAS ADOPTED.UM, BUT THIS CAN GO ANY, ANY DIRECTION THAT THE, THE COMMISSION CHOOSES.
SO, UM, WITH THAT WE'D LIKE TO HAVE SOME DISCUSSION AND FEEDBACK TONIGHT, UM, AND RECEIVE A DIRECTIVE SO THAT WE CAN PUT BEFORE YOU A VISION STATEMENT ON DECEMBER 12TH FOR YOU TO VOTE ON.
JAKE, CAN YOU MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE SHARING YOUR SCREEN, UM, THAT IT'S NOT, UM, JUST SHOWING THE HORSESHOE FOR THE PUBLIC VIEWING ONLINE? YES.
IF THAT'S ME CONTROLLING THAT, I KNOW.
SO WITH THAT CHAIR, SO DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? I HAVE ONE.
UH, IT, AS THIS LOOKS FAMILIAR, IS AREN'T THESE, ARE THESE THE, AREN'T THESE THE CORE VALUES AS DEFINED BY THE MANAGER? I'M SORRY, WOULD YOU REPEAT THAT? THE, THE CITY OF DALLAS CORE VALUES THAT YOU USE TO DO THE VISIONS, THEY AREN'T THESE THE SAME EXACT, UH, VALUES THAT OUTLINED BY THE CITY MANAGER? YES, CORRECT.
LET ME START BY SAYING I'M NOT A HUGE FAN OF VISION STATEMENTS, BUT UNDER THE ASSUMPTION WE'RE GOING TO HAVE ONE, UH, THE ONE THING THAT I SEE MISSING FROM THIS IS PUBLIC EMPOWERMENT AND ENGAGEMENT, NOT ONLY IN THE CHARTER REVIEW PROCESS, BUT IN THE ONGOING OPERATION OF CITY GOVERNMENT.
CITIES ARE THE LEVEL OF GOVERNMENT CLOSEST TO THE PEOPLE, AND, UH, I THINK IT'S AN IMPORTANT CORE VALUE FOR OUR CITY, UH, THAT EVERYTHING IS DONE IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST AND, UH, WITH FULL TRANSPARENCY AND COMMUNICATION AND ACTUAL PARTICIPATION BY THE CITIZENS, UH, IN GOVERNMENT, EXACTLY WHAT FORM OF WORDS THAT TAKES.
MAYBE YOU CAN FIND A WAY TO MAKE THAT BEGIN WITH E UH, IF SO, GREAT
THANK YOU, MR. YOUNG, UH, NOTED.
AND A AGAIN, THIS CAN GO ANYWHERE THAT THE COMMISSION WANTS.
IF THE COMMISSION AGREES AND DOES NOT WANT TO HAVE A VISION STATEMENT, BY NO MEANS DO YOU HAVE TO ADOPT ONE.
MR. CHAIRMAN, I JUST HAVE ONE CLARIFICATION COMMENT.
IN READING THE PROPOSED, UM, VISION STATEMENT CENTER, EQUITY TO ME IS A CONFUSING PHRASE.
UM, AND I DON'T HAVE THE WORD I WOULD PUT IN THERE FOR IT, BUT I WOULDN'T USE THE WORD CENTER IN THAT.
I DON'T THINK IT WOULD TELL THE AVERAGE PERSON WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO SAY.
AND YET, OH, COMMISSIONER HUT.
UH, AND THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UM, I'M SKEPTICAL OF THE BENEFIT OF MISSION STATEMENTS.
GENERALLY, UH, MY PROPOSAL WOULD BE FOR, SINCE WE HAVE SUCH LIMITED TIME THAT WE'RE TOGETHER FOR US TO FOCUS OUR DEBATES AND DISCUSSIONS MORE ON THE SUBSTANCE OF THE CHARTER.
SO I WOULD, I, I, I THINK ECHO THE LAST COUPLE COMMENTS IN JUST SAYING THAT I, SOME OF THE BENEFIT OF HAVING A MISSION AND VISION AND CORE VALUES IS THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING THOSE TOGETHER.
AND I, YOU KNOW, THIS FEELS A LITTLE KIND OF JUST LIKE, I, I, I LOVE HEARING WORDS AND THINGS FROM EACH ONE OF US.
YOU KNOW, I, I WAS TRYING TO GO THROUGH THE PRESENTATION AND I WAS THINKING, OKAY, WHAT I'M REALLY FOCUSING ON IS GETTING CLARITY FROM THE CHARTER, MAKING SURE WE'RE COLLABORATING TOGETHER AND THERE'S CONSISTENCY IN THE THINGS WE'RE DOING.
SO, THO UM, UM, THOSE ARE THE WORDS THAT COME TO MIND WHEN I THINK OF OUR CHARGE HERE.
I ALSO WAS VERY MUCH FOCUSED ON TRANSPARENCY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IS SOMETHING THAT WE JUST HAVE FOCUSED ON FROM THE BEGINNING OF AT LEAST MY SERVICE AT THE CITY.
AND SO I, I THINK THE PROCESS, IF WE HAD MORE OF A WORKSHOP AND WE WERE GONNA DO ALL THAT, I THINK IT'D BE GREAT.
BUT IN THE ABSENCE OF, OF REALLY BEING ABLE TO FACILITATE THAT NECESSARILY, I, I THINK IT'S, IT'S MORE ALONG THE LINES OF AS WE GROW AND DEVELOP, EVEN HEARING FROM REPRESENTATIVE ACHI OF TRYING TO FIGURE IT KIND OF JUST A, WHAT THIS WHOLE GROUP IS GOING TO BE FOCUSED ON, IT'S HARD TO JUST GET SOME WORDS HANDED TO US AND SAY, OKAY, YES, I WANT TO GO WITH IT.
AND I, I UNDERSTAND THAT WAS THE TASK AND I'M, I'M NOT BEING CRITICAL AT ALL OF JUST SAYING, I, I DON'T KNOW THE BENEFIT OF THIS RIGHT NOW.
[01:25:01]
DISTRACT OR DERAIL WHAT WE'RE DOING IN THE PROCESS.SO JUST MY GENERAL COMMENTS, UH, YOU KNOW, IF, IF THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE KIND OF A, A REAL WORKSHOP ON THIS AND SEE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT EACH, EACH OF US THROUGH THAT PROCESS, I'M ALL IN.
UM, I JUST DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO IT IN THIS FORMAT NECESSARILY.
HAVE TRIED FOR YEARS TO FIGURE THAT OUT AND HADN'T BEEN SUCCESSFUL.
SO THANK YOU, UM, CHAIRMAN AND AND COMMISSION MEMBERS, I WAS GONNA GIVE JUST A LITTLE COLOR TO THE DISCUSSION ON THIS ITEM.
AND I THINK WHERE OUR MINDS WERE, AND JAKE CAN GRADE MY PAPER, BUT I THINK WHERE OUR MINDS WERE AS WE HAD THESE SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS COME IN AND THEY HAD TO IDENTIFY THAT IT WAS HELPFUL TO HAVE SOMETHING LIKE A VISION STATEMENT.
SO WHEN YOU GOT TO A HARD IMPASSE, YOU HAD SOMETHING YOU PIVOTED BACK TO.
WE ALL SAID WE WANTED A CHARTER THAT DID THIS, AND DOES THIS ACHIEVE THAT? THEN WE SHOULD SET IT ASIDE.
SO SOMETHING THAT WE COULD CONTINUE TO PIVOT BACK.
AND I AGREE, I, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW THAT THERE WAS ANTICIPATED ACTION TONIGHT, BUT TO START THINKING THROUGH THAT.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, THE COMMISSION, YOU KNOW, COLLECTIVELY AGREES THAT WE ALL WANT A CHARTER THAT DOES X, Y, AND Z AND, AND THAT, THAT BE YOUR GUIDING PRINCIPLE, UM, AS YOU'RE REVIEWING AMENDMENTS.
SO IF SOMEONE BRINGS FORTH AN AMENDMENT THAT SAYS, WE WANNA DISSOLVE THE CITY OF DALLAS THAT DOES NOT MEET OUR VISION STATEMENT, WE SHALL SET THIS OVER HERE.
UM, BUT I DO HEAR A LITTLE BIT OF A TEMPERATURE OF MAYBE NOT WANTING TO EVEN TAKE THAT UP RIGHT NOW.
AND MAYBE IT'S SOMETHING THAT, UM, IS DESIROUS TO VISIT MAYBE AFTER YOU START LOOKING AT SOME OF THE AMENDMENTS.
AND SO WE'RE HERE FOR YOU ALL.
AND SO JUST LET US KNOW WHATEVER YOUR DIRECTION IS AND WE'RE HAPPY, HAPPY TO PROCEED.
COMMISSIONER TEAM, I'M SOMEWHAT CONFUSED BECAUSE, UH, THE MISSION STATEMENT IS KIND OF LIKE WE GIVING A GUIDELINE.
THE WHAT WE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH.
IS THAT RIGHT? I THINK THAT WOULD BE FAIR TO SAY, YES, SIR.
RIGHT? SO WE DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT WE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH OR WE TRYING TO, UH, SO I SAY, UH, NOT SAY WHAT WE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH.
'CAUSE I THINK WHATEVER WE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH IS SUPPOSED TO BE FOR THE BETTERMENT OF THE COMMUNITY AND FOR THE CITY.
SO I DON'T SEE A PROBLEM WITH PUTTING OUT A STATEMENT.
AND MAYBE WE FEEL LIKE THAT IF WE PUT SOMETHING OUT THERE, WE CAN'T LIVE UP TO IT.
BUT, UH, I THINK WHEN I COME HERE, I ALREADY HAD THE STATEMENT ON WHAT MY ACCOMPANIMENTS WERE, YOU KNOW, TO TRY TO IMPROVE OUR COMMUNITIES, ESPECIALLY SOUTH FOR 30.
SO I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH MAKING A STATEMENT NOW, WHETHER I ACCOMPLISHED THAT OR NOT, BUT THAT IS MY MISSION.
SO I THINK WE DO NEED TO PUT OUT A MISSION STATEMENT AND, YOU KNOW, AT LEAST WE KNOW WHERE EACH OTHER ARE, BECAUSE IF I CAN'T TELL YOU WHAT I'M TRYING TO DO, THEN WHY AM I HERE? THANK YOU.
ANYONE ELSE? COMMISSIONER, YOU HAVE YOUR LIGHT ON.
SO, UH, BEFORE WE MOVE ON CHAIR, I WOULD JUST WANT TO ASK THEN, DOES, DOES THE BODY WANT US TO BRING FORWARD A VISION STATEMENT TO THEN VOTE ON NEXT WEEK WHEN YOU, YOU KNOW, YOU VOTE IT DOWN, IF YOU DECIDE THAT YOU DON'T WANT A VISION STATEMENT OR YOU CAN AMEND IT TO, TO HAVE LANGUAGE THAT YOU, YOU KNOW, IF YOU DO WANT TO HAVE A, A STATEMENT, WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE THAT STILL NEXT WEEK? OR WOULD YOU LIKE TO JUST NOT HAVE THAT ALTOGETHER? CAN WE TAKE A STRAW VOTE? YEAH.
I JUST WANNA MAKE ONE POINT THAT THE CHAIRMAN WAS THE ONE WHO LED THIS MORNING THAT HE THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD IDEA AND, AND HE'S NOT HERE.
SO WHAT I MIGHT ASK IS GIVE STAFF ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO, BASED ON THE FEEDBACK THAT WE HEARD TONIGHT, TO MAYBE BRING FORWARD A COUPLE OF, UM, REFINED OPTIONS FOR YOU.
UM, JUST FOR EXAMPLE, IN HEARING MR. STEIN, HE MIGHT WANT THE VISION STATEMENT TO BE SOMETHING ALONG THE LINES OF A CHARTER THAT SERVES ALL RESIDENTS IN THE CITY OF DALLAS.
IT'S VERY BROAD, BUT, YOU KNOW, PERHAPS IF WE COULD COME BACK AND MAYBE WORDSMITH AND AT THAT TIME, YOU KNOW, YOU COULD VOTE UP OR DOWN AND IT'LL ALSO GIVE US ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT WITH THE CHAIRMAN AND SHARE SOME OF THIS FEEDBACK.
UM, SO IF IT'S AGREEABLE TO, UH, CHAIRMAN MADANO TO AT LEAST LEAVE IT AS A PLACEHOLDER, WE'LL DO SOME WORDSMITHING AND THEN CIRCLE BACK WITH THE COMMISSION AND YOU CAN YAY OR NAY AND WE'LL PROCEED AS YOU, UM, DIRECT US.
[01:30:01]
DID THE 2014 COMMISSION HAVE A VISION STATEMENT? UH, IT, IT DID, IT DID NOT TO MY KNOWLEDGE.
I MEAN, I THINK THERE'S A DIFFERENT, I I FEEL THERE'S DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A VISION STATEMENT AND A MISSION STATEMENT.
SO I DON'T KNOW HOW WHAT HE MEANT, BUT I THINK, I THINK IT IS FAIR TO GO BACK TO THE CHAIRMAN WITH THIS INPUT.
I THINK HE WAS MODELING AFTER THE, THE MODEL CHARTER REVIEW THAT WE HAD RECEIVED, UM, FOR THAT, UH, WAS DEVELOPED WITH ICMA AND THE NATIONAL CIVIC LEAGUE, AND THEY REFERRED TO IT AS A VISION STATEMENT.
UM, I THINK OF IT IN MY MIND AS A GUIDING PRINCIPLE FOR YOU ALL AS YOU TAKE UP EACH AMENDMENT, YOU KNOW, THIS IS WHAT YOU SAID YOU WANTED THE CHARTER TO BE.
DOES THIS AMENDMENT MEET THAT? YES OR NO? BUT IT'S CERTAINLY UP TO THE COMMISSION.
BUT I THINK GIVING US AN OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT WITH THE CHAIRMAN AGAIN, WOULD BE HELPFUL.
YOU'RE DIRECTING STAFF TO BRING IT BACK NEXT WEEK.
STAFF WILL BRING THAT BACK NEXT WEEK.
UM, WHAT DO WE HAVE, OH, NEXT STEPS FOR CHARTER AMENDMENT REVIEW PROCESS.
SO JAKE IS GONNA BRIEF US AGAIN ON NEXT STEPS.
WE'RE FINALLY GETTING TO THE MEAT OF THINGS, UM, AND ANTICIPATING TAKING UP, UH, THE FIRST TRANCHE OF AMENDMENTS IN EARNEST IN JANUARY.
AND I THINK THOSE ARE ANTICIPATED TO BE THE POLICY AMENDMENTS.
UM, BUT JAKE'S GONNA SPEAK TO THE PROCESS OVER, YOU KNOW, THE NEXT 10 DAYS OR SO TO GET US, UM, UM, ON A, A SHARED PATH THAT MEETS Y'ALL'S EXPECTATIONS.
IF WE RECEIVE, I DON'T KNOW, HOWEVER MANY, MANY AMENDMENTS WE'VE RECEIVED, IF THERE ARE AMENDMENTS YOU DON'T WANNA SEE, MOVE FORWARD.
UM, THAT'S PART OF THE PROCESS THAT HE'S GONNA OUTLINE HERE.
UM, SO, YES, SO, UM, WANNA TALK NOW ABOUT THE NEXT STEPS FOR THE, UH, CHARTER AMENDMENT REVIEW PROCESS AS WE WRAP UP THIS KIND OF FIRST, UH, SEGMENT OF THE PROCESS.
UM, AND WE NOW DIVE IN STARTING IN JANUARY TO THE, THE REVIEW OF SUGGESTED AMENDMENTS.
UM, SO WE'LL GO QUICKLY THROUGH THESE, THESE SLIDES AND THEN, UM, I HAVE A CHANCE FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION.
UM, SO WE HAVE ONE MEETING LEFT BEFORE WE BREAK FOR CHRISTMAS.
UM, AND OVER THIS NEXT WEEK AND A HALF, IN ADDITION TO THAT MEETING, WE'RE, WE ALSO HAVE, OF COURSE, THE AMENDMENT, UM, SUBMISSION DEADLINE THAT WE, THAT THE, UH, COMMISSION SET OF DECEMBER 15TH.
UM, NEXT WEEK WE'RE, UH, AS FAR AS THE, UM, THE AGENDA GOES, WE'RE LOOKING AT TALKING A LITTLE BIT FURTHER ABOUT, UH, THE ADOPTION OF A VISION STATEMENT AND WHETHER THAT'S SOMETHING THE COMMISSION WANTS TO DO.
UM, UH, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A CHARTER AMENDMENT PROPOSAL BY ANOTHER COMMISSIONER, COMMISSIONER YOUNG, WHO HAS SUBMITTED, UM, A, A PROPOSAL AND, UH, ALSO HAVE FURTHER DISCUSSION ABOUT HOW THESE AMENDMENTS ARE GOING TO BE CONSIDERED, UM, IN JANUARY.
UM, AGAIN, AS YOU KNOW, UM, AMENDMENTS ARE DUE NEXT FRIDAY.
WE ARE LESS THAN TWO WEEKS AWAY FROM THAT, THAT DEADLINE AFTER TWO MONTHS OF, OF, UM, SOLICITING AMENDMENTS.
UM, PLEASE DON'T WAIT UNTIL THEN.
GET THEM IN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
UM, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO HELP OUT YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS OFFICER OR MANAGER, UM, WE WOULD ALL REALLY APPRECIATE THAT.
UM, BUT AS WE LOOK AHEAD AT THE UPCOMING DATES FOR, UM, SPRING, UH, WE, WE'VE GOT A HIATUS WHERE AT, AT THE END OF THE FIF AT WHEN THE 15TH HITS, YOU WON'T HAVE ANOTHER MEETING FOR ALMOST A MONTH.
UM, THURSDAY, JANUARY 11TH IS OUR FIRST MEETING BACK HERE.
UM, AND, BUT WHILE WE'RE OFF ENJOYING OUR HOLIDAYS, UM, YOU KNOW, STAFF, UM, CITY ATTORNEYS, WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA BE STARTING TO PREPARE THE SCHEDULE FOR EACH MEETING THAT YOU SEE LISTED HERE.
UM, AND WE'D LIKE TO WORK ON, UH, WHICH AMENDMENTS WILL BE CONSIDERED AT EACH, UM, AT EACH MEETING SO THAT YOU WILL RECEIVE A FINAL LIST OF ALL AMENDMENTS BY THE END OF THE CALENDAR YEAR, UM, AND HAVE AMPLE TIME TO BEGIN REVIEWING THEM IN ANTICIPATION OF THOSE MEETINGS WHERE THEY'LL BE CONSIDERED.
UM, SO IT'S A BIG TASK THAT YOU ALL HAVE THIS SPRING.
UM, AND THE GOAL IS TO HAVE THIS COMMISSION FINISH ITS WORK BY TUESDAY, APRIL 2ND.
UM, THE REPORT THEN GOES TO COUNCIL WITH PRESENTATION IN MAY.
UM, AND BY THAT POINT THEN ALL OF YOUR WORK AS A BODY WILL BE DONE.
BUT UNTIL THEN, WE'VE GOT THESE SEVEN MEETINGS FOR DELIBERATION, UM, AND FOR ADOPTION OF A FINAL REPORT.
UM, IN ADDITION, WE'VE ALSO TALKED ABOUT HAVING A SECOND ROUND OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT.
UM, YOU, YOU KNOW, UTILIZING TOWN HALLS TO GET FEEDBACKS FEEDBACK NOW ON THE AMENDMENTS THAT YOU, THAT YOU ARE CONSIDERING, THAT YOU ARE MOVING FORWARD WITH, UM, AND, UH, AND LOOKING AT IN OVER THE COURSE OF THE SPRING.
[01:35:02]
UM, SO AGAIN, AS YOU KNOW, UM, AMENDMENTS HAVE BEEN CAT CATEGORIZED.WE, WE STRUCTURED IT IN THE WAY OF THE 2014 CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION WITH POLICY, OPERATIONAL AND TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS.
UM, FOLLOWING THIS DECEMBER 15TH DEADLINE, YOU'RE GOING TO RECEIVE A LIST OF EVERY SINGLE AMENDMENT THAT HAS COME THROUGH.
UM, BUT YOU, AS COMMISSIONED THE FIRST JOB IS GOING TO BE PARING THAT DOWN TO WHAT YOU WANT TO CONSIDER FURTHER.
UM, WE ARE SUBMITTING EVERYTHING TO YOU FOR CONSIDERATION.
IF IT CAME IN AND SOMEBODY SAID THAT THIS IS A CHARTER AMENDMENT, WHETHER OR NOT IT TRULY IS A CHARTER AMENDMENT, IT IS ON THAT LIST.
UM, YOU'LL NOTE THAT THERE ARE SEVERAL THAT HAVE A NOTE THAT SAY, HEY, THIS IS ACTUALLY A CODE AMENDMENT.
UM, SOME PEOPLE, PEOPLE MAY HAVE MISREAD OR MISUNDERSTOOD WHERE SOMETHING WAS LOCATED, BUT YOU'RE STILL GETTING THAT AS PART OF YOUR, AS PART OF THE LIST.
UM, WE WANT YOU TO, TO THEN BE ABLE TO DECIDE, UM, WHAT YOU DON'T WANT TO ENGAGE WITH FURTHER.
UM, AND THEN WHAT YOU DO WANT TO ENGAGE WITH FURTHER.
UM, AND IT'S YOUR PREROGATIVE TO, TO DO WHAT YOU WILL WITH THAT LIST.
BUT IN THE INTEREST OF TRANSPARENCY, IN THE INTEREST OF, OF SHOWING THE PUBLIC, UM, EVERYTHING THAT HAS BEEN SUBMITTED, THAT LIST IS, IS UNFILTERED FOR YOU AT THE MOMENT.
UM, NEXT WEEK WE'RE GONNA CON CONFIRM ABOUT HOW YOU WANT TO GO, UH, OR WE'RE GONNA CONFIRM HOW YOU WANNA GO ABOUT CULLING THAT LIST SO THAT IT CAN BE ORGANIZED AND SCHEDULED FOR THE SCREENING.
UM, THIS IS GOING TO INCLUDE SCHEDULING SPEAKERS, UM, AND SUBMITTERS WHO MAY HAVE SUPPLEMENT SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION TO PROVIDE.
SO IF YOU WANT TO HEAR ABOUT, UH, AN AMENDMENT PROPOSAL FROM THE PERSON WHO SUBMITTED THE AMENDMENT, THIS GIVES US TIME TO SCHEDULE THEM TO SAY, HEY, THIS WILL BE TAKEN UP BY THE CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION ON, YOU KNOW, JANUARY 11TH.
PLEASE BE THERE SO THAT YOU CAN GIVE INPUT AND THE COMMISSION CAN ASK QUESTIONS OF YOU.
UM, AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE TRYING TO WORK AHEAD.
SO TONIGHT, I, I'M ASKING, AND I THINK IT'S A GOOD TIME TO TALK THROUGH MAYBE THE POSSIBLE PITFALLS OF, OF WHAT WE'RE THINKING AS FAR AS THE PROCESS REVIEW GOES.
UM, ASK ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE, UM, AND WITH THE END RESULT BEING THAT NEXT WEEK, UM, THERE'S A CLEAR PROCESS THAT I CAN BRING BEFORE YOU FOR FINAL APPROVAL.
UM, AND THEN YOU CAN GET TO THE, THE REAL WORK OF AMENDING THE CHARTER.
UM, SO, UH, WITH THAT, I'D LIKE TO TURN IT BACK OVER TO THE CHAIR FOR DISCUSSION.
UM, TALK A LITTLE BIT FURTHER ABOUT WHAT THIS WILL LOOK LIKE AND, UM, AND LET YOU ASK ANY QUESTIONS AND GIVE ANY SUGGESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.
ALRIGHT, COMMISSIONER, UH, MR. ANDERSON.
UM, MY NEXT QUESTION MAY GIVE YOU HEART PALPITATIONS.
UM, WELL, SEVERAL, UH, DISTRICTS HAVE NOT HAD THEIR TOWN HALLS YET TO DISCUSS THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION AND ALL THAT ENTAILS, AND I CAN SPEAK SPECIFICALLY FOR, FOR DISTRICT EIGHT, WE HAVE SENT OUT COMMUNICATIONS, UH, REGARDING, UH, KNOW, UH, HOW TO MAKE YOUR AMENDMENTS.
BUT WE HAVE NOT HAD THE OPPORTUNITY, UH, TO MEET WITH OUR CONSTITUENTS PERSONALLY.
WE'RE NOT GONNA DO THAT BEFORE DECEMBER 15TH, BECAUSE I MEAN, IT'S THE HOLIDAYS AND WE HAD OTHER THINGS LEADING UP TO THAT.
AND SO WHAT MY QUESTION IS, HOW MUCH LEEWAY DO WE HAVE FOR AN EXTENSION IN ORDER TO ACCOMMODATE AN IN-PERSON TOWN HALL OR VIRTUAL TOWN TOWN HALL TO DISCUSS THOSE ITEMS? YOU ARE THE COMMISSION.
UM, AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, THIS, THIS IS AN ARBITRARY DEADLINE THAT WAS, THAT WAS SET, UM, IN ORDER TO TRY AND GET THE, THE UNIVERSE OF AMENDMENTS BEFORE YOU.
UM, BUT IF YOU HAVE NOT, IF YOU DON'T FEEL LIKE YOU'VE RECEIVED THE FEEDBACK YOU NEED TO MAKE AMENDMENTS, PROPOSALS, UM, IT IS UP TO THE BODY TO, TO ACCEPT MORE AMENDMENTS.
AND SO IF, IF YOU WANT TO HOST THOSE TOWN HALLS, CERTAINLY STAFF WILL SUPPORT THOSE.
STAFF WILL BE THERE, UM, TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS, UH, TO GIVE PRESENTATIONS, UM, AS NEEDED AT ANY TIME THAT, THAT, THAT THE COUNCIL MEMBER OR, UM, COMMISSIONER IS READY TO, TO GIVE THOSE TO THE PUBLIC.
UM, BEYOND THAT, IT, IT IS UP TO YOUR FELLOW COMMISSIONERS AS FAR AS ACCEPTING FURTHER AMENDMENTS AND EVALUATING THEM AND INCLUDING THEM IN, UH, ANY SCHEDULE THAT WE GIVE.
UH, WE, WE WILL OPERATE AS THE COMMISSION DICTATES ON THAT.
AND I WILL ADD, UM, JUST FROM PRIOR EXPERIENCE WHEN WE WENT THROUGH REDISTRICTING LAST YEAR, ANY CHANGE TO A DATE THAT WE'VE COMMITTED TO OR PUBLICIZED, WE WANNA MAKE SURE WE'RE OFFERING THAT UP TO ALL THE COMMISSION MEMBERS.
AND SO IF FOR WHATEVER REASON A PARTICULAR DISTRICT WASN'T ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH DOING A TOWN HALL DURING THE TWO WEEKS THAT WE'RE SET AND WE'RE GRANTING AN EXTENSION, WE'RE GRANTING AN EXTENSION TO ALL DISTRICTS IF THEY SO DESIRE TO HOST ADDITIONAL TOWN HALLS, UM, SO THAT EVERYONE IS HAVING THAT, THAT EQUITABLE OPPORTUNITY.
UM, AND THAT MAKES SENSE TO ME AND OR FORGIVE MY, UH, LACK OF AWARENESS OF THE ROBERT RULES.
BUT, UM, I, I WOULD LIKE TO POSE A QUESTION TO, TO THE COMMISSION.
UH, WOULD YOU ALL BE AMENABLE FOR AN EXTENSION TO, TO ACCOMMODATE ADDITIONAL TOWN HALLS, UH, FOR THE DISTRICTS? I GUESS FOR ALL
[01:40:01]
THE DISTRICTS, BUT PARTICULARLY THE DISTRICTS WHO HAVE NOT HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A TOWN HALLHOW MANY TOWN HALL MEETINGS, EITHER VIRTUAL IN PERSON HAVE WE HAD, AND WHAT HAS THE ATTENDANCE BEEN AT THOSE TOWN HALL MEETINGS? UM, I WILL PASS THIS OVER TO CARRIE, UM, BECAUSE I WAS SICK ALL OF LAST WEEK WHILE TOWN HALLS WERE HAPPENING.
UH, SO WE HAD THREE TOWN HALLS LAST WEEK.
TWO WERE VIRTUAL, ONE WAS IN PERSON, AND THEN I THINK THERE ARE TWO MORE, OR THERE'S A FEW THIS WEEK.
NO ONE OF 'EM WAS, IT WASN'T ONE CANCELED, UH, ANYWAY, OKAY, SO WE HAD FOUR LAST WEEK.
UM, THE THREE THAT I PARTICIPATED IN, ONE, THE FIRST ONE WAS VIRTUAL, NO ONE ATTENDED.
THE SECOND ONE WAS VIRTUAL, AND I THINK THERE WERE, I'M MAKING THIS UP, BUT MAYBE SEVEN RESIDENTS ON THE CALL.
UM, AND THEN THE THIRD ONE WAS IN, IN PERSON AND IT WAS DONE BY, UH, TWO, UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS HELD THEIRS TOGETHER AND THERE WERE SEVEN OR EIGHT IN PERSON.
WELL, WE, WE HAD ONE WHERE THERE WAS, I'D SAY 15 OR SO.
SO I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT DOING TOO IS WE'VE BEEN PUSHING OUT INFORMATION TO COUNCIL MEMBERS SO THEY CAN USE THEIR CHANNELS OF HOW THEY COMMUNICATE WITH RESIDENTS.
UM, BUT WE'VE ALSO, EXCUSE ME, HAVE ALSO TALKED ABOUT, UM, ADDITIONAL PRESS RELEASES AS WE MOVE THROUGH THE PROCESS TO FIND, TO GET TO THOSE ADDITIONAL TOUCH POINTS FOR RESIDENTS BEYOND THE COUNCIL MEMBERS' COMMUNICATION CHANNELS.
I THINK, AND I'LL, I'LL JUST ADD THAT THERE'S TWO MORE TOWN HALLS CURRENTLY SCHEDULED AS WELL AS TWO WE KNOW THAT WANT TO BE SCHEDULED.
UM, DISTRICT SIX AND DISTRICT EIGHT, UM, BOTH HAVE INFORMED US THAT THEY DON'T CURRENTLY HAVE A DATE, BUT THEY'D LIKE TO HAVE TOWN HALLS.
DISTRICTS FIVE AND SEVEN WILL BE HOSTING TOWN HALLS WITHIN THE NEXT WEEK.
UM, I THINK BELIEVE THURSDAY IS DISTRICT FIVE, AND THEN MONDAYS DISTRICT SEVEN COMMISSIONER HUNT.
I, I WOULD CERTAINLY SUPPORT IF ANY COMMISSIONER WOULD LIKE MORE TIME TO VISIT WITH THEIR CONSTITUENTS, NO QUESTION.
BUT I I WILL CERTAINLY SUPPORT, UM, MOVING OUR, OUR, UH, TIMELINE HERE.
I, I WANTED TO ASK A QUESTION THAT'S A LITTLE TANGENTIAL TO THAT, IF I MAY.
'CAUSE IT, IT IMPACTS, UM, WHAT, WHAT YOU'VE PROPOSED AND IT'S THIS, I UNDERSTAND THAT, THAT, YOU KNOW, WE TALKED ABOUT WRAPPING UP, UM, BY DECEMBER.
UM, BUT ONE THING I REALLY WANTED TO, TO, TO DO IS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY, UM, TO HEAR FROM CITY DEPARTMENTS FROM, UM, THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE TO DIGEST THAT OVER THE CHRISTMAS BREAK.
AND I'M NOT SURE IF WE'LL HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY OR NOT.
UM, AND SO I'M WONDERING IF WE WANNA JUST MOVE OUR DEADLINE INSTEAD OF AT THE, YOU KNOW, NEXT FRIDAY, DO WE WANT TO MOVE THAT TO THE 23RD OF JANUARY? UM, I THINK THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION AND THE, THE CITY ATTORNEYS JUST CAME OVER FOR THAT, UM, TO ENSURE THAT WE CLARIFIED WHAT THE EXTENSION WAS FOR, WAS THE EXTENSION FOR HOSTING ADDITIONAL TOWN HALLS OR WAS THE EXTENSION FOR HOSTING ADDITIONAL TOWN HALLS AND ALLOWING FOR MORE TIME FOR AMENDMENTS.
SO YOU'RE, I'M SEEING NODDING SAYING BOTH, UM, AND I HEARD SOMEONE SAY JANUARY 23RD.
UM, AND, AND IF IT IS EXTENDED, LET ME ASK THIS.
DO YOU WANT US TO BEGIN THE PROCESS OF WHAT WE HAD BEEN TALKING ABOUT TAKING UP POLICY AMENDMENTS AT THE JANUARY 11TH MEETING, BUT STILL IN THE BACKGROUND AMENDMENTS ARE COMING IN? UM, I HAVE NO, NO PROBLEM WITH THAT, BUT I WAS GOING TO SUGGEST THAT WE TAKE A PAGE OUT OF REPRESENTATIVE CHE'S BOOK AND SCHEDULE THE, I GUESS FIRST THE AMENDMENTS THAT WE THINK ARE PROBABLY NOT BONAFIDE CHARTER AMENDMENTS AND THEN PROCEED FROM THE TECHNICAL TO THE OPERATIONAL TO THE POLICY UNDER THE THEORY.
UH, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TOWN HALL MEETINGS IN THE SPRING, UH, BUT WE'RE PROBABLY NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO SCHEDULE ALL THOSE AT THE BEGINNING OF, YOU KNOW, OF JANUARY.
SO, AND, AND THE PUBLIC IS GONNA WANT TO WEIGH IN MORE ON THE POLICY AND MEDIUM ON THE OPERATIONAL AND PROBABLY NOT AT ALL ON THE TECHNICAL.
[01:45:01]
THOSE SPRING PUBLIC MEETINGS AND FOLLOW THE, UH, PROCESS THAT REPRESENTATIVE CIA SUGGESTED.AND, AND I HAVE A RELATED QUESTION, WHICH I, I'LL GO AHEAD AND ASK IF IT'S ALRIGHT, MR. CHAIR.
AND THAT IS, WHAT OUTPUT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR FROM THE COMMISSION ON A DATE IN JANUARY OR FEBRUARY OR MARCH? WE TAKE UP AN AMENDMENT AND WE VOTE ON IT IN CONCEPT, UM, IN SPECIFIC ENOUGH LANGUAGE THAT WE KNOW WHAT THE AMENDMENT, WHAT THE SUBSTANCE OF THE AMENDMENT IS GOING TO BE.
IS THAT SUFFICIENT? AND THEN WILL THE ATTORNEY'S OFFICE CONVERT THAT INTO CHARTER LANGUAGE OR ARE YOU LOOKING FOR US TO ADOPT, UM, OTHER THAN AS A FINAL VOTE, UH, SPECIFIC CHARTER LANGUAGE FOR EACH AMENDMENT.
SO MY, MY UNDERSTANDING AND UH, PLEASE CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, UM, AND THEN LAURA, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT IT WOULD BE THE FORMER, UM, YOU WOULD GET A CHANCE TO SAY, THIS IS THE SPIRIT OF WHAT WE'D LIKE TO SEE DONE.
THAT, UH, WE WERE TRYING TO DO X, Y, Z.
UM, AND THAT GIVES A CHANCE FOR THE CITY ATTORNEYS TO WORDSMITH THEN AND TO FIGURE OUT THE RIGHT LANGUAGE.
UM, AND THEN AT YOUR LAST MEETING IT WOULD COME, COME BACK TO YOU ALL AS A PACKAGE AND SAY, YOU KNOW, THIS, THIS IS THE AMENDMENT THAT YOU, THAT YOU WANTED TO SEE APPROVED.
UM, HERE IS THE LANGUAGE THAT WE'RE SUGGESTING FOR FINAL APPROVAL TO THE COMMISSION.
UM, I DON'T KNOW ATTORNEYS, IF THAT'S OKAY, THEY'RE NOT, AND WE WOULD HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY AT THAT POINT TO SAY NO, MAYBE WE DIDN'T EXPRESS OURSELVES QUITE RIGHT.
WE NEED TO TWEAK CORRECT PARAGRAPH 42.
THERE WOULD BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO THEN TWEAK LANGUAGE FURTHER.
UM, I DO HAVE A WORRY ABOUT US VOTING ON THINGS WHILE WE'RE STILL ACCEPTING NEW AMENDMENTS BECAUSE AS WE'VE SEEN, WE'VE ALREADY RECEIVED MULTIPLE AMENDMENTS THAT ARE IN CONFLICT WITH EACH OTHER, UM, ON PAY RAISE, ON COUNCIL TERMS, ON, UH, COUNCIL OFFICER POSITIONS.
AND SO BASED ON THAT I MIGHT OFFER A FRIENDLY SUGGESTION THAT INSTEAD OF JANUARY 23RD, WE MAKE THE NEW DEADLINE JANUARY 19TH, WHICH IS THE FRIDAY PROCEEDING THAT, UM, SO THAT IF WE NEED THAT JANUARY 23RD MEETING TO START VOTING ON SOME OF THE TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS AS COMMISSIONER YOUNG SUGGESTED, WHICH I THINK WAS A GOOD IDEA, UM, WE'RE KIND OF IN THE FREE AND CLEAR ON THAT THEY USE THAT JANUARY 23RD MEETING JUST IN RESPONSE TO THAT.
UH, I WAS THINKING ALMOST IDENTICALLY TO THAT, BUT THERE'S GONNA BE, AS COMMISSIONER YOUNG POINTED OUT, THERE'S GONNA BE A LOT OF AMENDMENTS THAT WE KNOW OUTRIGHT JUST DON'T FALL INTO ANY OF THOSE BASKETS.
AND I DON'T THINK THAT'S GOING TO, I DON'T THINK THAT'S GONNA CONFLICT WITH US MOVING FORWARD ON ANY POLICY OR OPERATIONAL TECHNICAL.
AND SO I DON'T THINK IT'LL HURT THE COMMISSION TO VOTE ON STUFF ON THE 11TH STUFF THAT WE KNOW IS, HAS A SUPER UNLIKELY CHANCE OF PASSING.
AND AGAIN, THEY'RE PROBABLY GONNA NEED ANOTHER ONE FOR THE 23RD.
SO MY RECOMMENDATION WAS GOING TO BE TO HAVE THE DEADLINE BE THE 26TH, SO JUST THE FRIDAY AFTER THE 23RD.
UM, BUT I, I'M NOT OPPOSED TO THE 19TH, BUT I THINK THE 26TH GIVES US TWO MEETINGS IN JANUARY BEFORE THE DEADLINE.
AND YOU HAVE COMMISSIONERS FIRST? YES.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS? ANYBODY AGREE? 19TH, 23RD.
COMMISSIONER STEVE, UM, GIMME SOME CLARITY.
YOU SAYING THE DEADLINE TO TURN THEM IN TO BE THE 19TH? YEAH, SO I, I DON'T WANT TO, UH, MISSPEAK HERE.
SO SOMEBODY, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, BUT I THINK COMMISSIONER FRANKLIN POSED AN EXTENSION.
COMMISSIONER HUNT SUGGESTED THE 23RD, WHICH IS THE SAME DAY AS OUR SECOND JANUARY MEETING.
I AM SUGGESTING THE FR FRIDAY PROCEEDING THAT, AND THEN COMMISSIONER STEWART SUGGESTED THE FRIDAY AFTER THAT.
SO WE KIND OF HAVE A, A FEW DIFFERENT IDEAS PERCOLATING.
WHAT WAS THE 19TH? JANUARY THE 19TH? MY, MY SUGGESTION WAS THE 19TH, WHICH IS THE FRIDAY PROCEEDING.
SO ESSENTIALLY WE HAVE TWO MORE MEETINGS LIKE THIS AND THEN, UH, THE FRIDAY BEFORE THE THIRD MEETING MOVING FORWARD WE DO A CUTOFF.
SO ESSENTIALLY WE'RE GIVING OURSELVES ANOTHER MONTH TO SOLICIT FEEDBACK FROM THE PUBLIC, BUT THAT, YOU KNOW, JANUARY 23RD, TWO MEETINGS IN FEBRUARY, TWO MEETINGS IN MARCH, WE'RE KIND OF GIVING OURSELVES FIVE PUBLIC MEETINGS WHERE WE CAN VOTE ON SOME OF THE MORE COMPLICATED THINGS.
[01:50:01]
COMMISSIONER YOUNG'S IDEA OF USING THAT JANUARY 11TH IDEA TO KIND OF VOTE ON SOME OF THE TECHNICAL THINGS AND THEN KICK OUT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT NOBODY'S REALLY INTERESTED IN.AND THEN I THINK WE SHOULD HAVE FIVE MEETINGS WHERE SUBMISSIONS ARE CUT OFF AND WE'RE VOTING AND HAVING SERIOUS DISCUSSIONS ABOUT SOME OF THE ONES THAT ARE IN CONFLICT WITH EACH OTHER.
SOME OF THE ONES WE'RE SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING, ET CETERA.
I'M REALLY TRYING TO GET AN UNDERSTANDING ON THE JANUARY 19TH CUTOFF.
IS THAT SUBMISSION CUTOFF? IS THAT WHAT YOU SUGGEST? YES.
SO MY QUESTION IS WHY WOULD WE HAVE A TOWN HALL MEETING ON THE 23RD IF WE DONE ALREADY CUT 'EM OFF ON THE 19TH? IT'S NOT A TOWN HALL, IT'S ONE OF THESE MEETINGS.
NO, I'M SAYING THIS IS WHAT HE'S SUGGESTING THAT WE HAVE MORE TOWN HALL MEETINGS UP TO THE 23RD.
I DIDN'T SPECIFICALLY HAVE A DATE OR SHE PUT SOMEBODY PUT A DATE IN THE 23RD.
BUT I JUST DON'T WANT US TO HAVE A TOWN HALL MEETING TEACHING PEOPLE HOW TO SUBMIT AMENDMENTS AND WE ALREADY PASSED THE CUTOFF DATE.
IT MIGHT MAKE SENSE FOR US TO HAVE A CUTOFF DATE FOR THE TOWN HALLS OF JANUARY 19TH AND THEN SUBMISSIONS ON THE 26TH.
CAN I ALSO, UM, A ANOTHER CLARIFYING QUESTION.
UM, THE EXTENSION THAT WE'RE DOING IS FOR EVERYONE, FOR THE COMMISSIONERS, THE COUNCIL MEMBERS, THE PUBLIC STAKEHOLDERS.
THE EXTENSION OF THE DATES TO SUBMIT AMENDMENTS IS FOR EVERYONE.
IS THAT, DID THAT MEAN IT? OKAY.
WELL, WE GOT EX TWO EXTENSIONS WORKING THEN ON, WE GOT EXTENSION FOR TOWNHOUSES AND NOW WE GOT EXTENSION FOR CUTOFF DATE.
SO AIN'T THERE TWO EXTENSIONS? OKAY.
AND, AND MIGHT I JUST ADD, DON'T BE AFRAID TO GET YOUR AMENDMENTS SUBMITTED BEFORE THAT DEADLINE CHAIR.
IS THERE A WAY WE CAN VOTE ON THAT TODAY OR DO WE HAVE TO SCHEDULE THAT FOR THE 11TH? UH, I DON'T THINK WE CAN VOTE ON IT TODAY BECAUSE IT'S, IT'S, IT'S AMENDING THE CALENDAR.
I KNOW THAT'S A POINT OF ORDER.
I'M JUST, I I DON'T WANT TO, I DON'T THINK WE CAN VOTE TODAY, BUT WE CAN, CAN WE VOTE TODAY? I DON'T THINK WE CAN.
SO WE HAVE TO WAIT TILL THE 11TH TO ACTUALLY EXTEND.
WAIT, HOW DOES THAT WORK THEN? BECAUSE BY THE TIME WE GET TO THE 11TH AND THE 15TH DEADLINE WILL HAVE PASSED AND THE PUBLIC WILL THINK THAT THE DEADLINE WAS 15TH.
SO IS THERE A WAY THAT WE CAN I I'M NOT SURE THAT THE, THE, THE, OH, SORRY.
I KEEP ON FORGETTING WE MEET NEXT WEEK.
YEAH, IN THAT CASE, CAN, WILL YOU ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO ADJOURN? SO A CALENDAR AMENDMENT FOR NEXT? I THINK WE'RE DONE.
I, SORRY, I HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION ABOUT THIS PRESENTATION IF POSSIBLE.
IT, IT'S DIFFERENT, BUT I'D LIKE TO ASK IT BEFORE WE ADJOURN.
UM, AND THIS IS SOMETHING WE TALKED ABOUT EARLIER, JAKE, AND YOU ASKED ME TO BRING UP, UM, SO AS YOU MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS AN INDIVIDUAL WHO SUBMITTED SIX TO EIGHT CODE AMENDMENTS.
UM, AND IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'VE ALREADY DONE YOUR DUE DILIGENCE, BUT WE'RE CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF LIKE ASKING HIM TO CONSIDER WITHDRAWING AND GOING THROUGH DIFFERENT AVENUES, CORRECT? YES.
THE, UH, THE RESIDENT WHO SUBMITTED THOSE AMENDMENTS I HAVE REACHED OUT TO VIA EMAIL, UM, AND SUGGESTED REACHING OUT TO THEIR CITY COUNCIL MEMBER, UM, TO, TO PURSUE THOSE THROUGH OTHER AVENUES.
UM, I HADN'T HEARD ANYTHING BACK BUT THE, THE IDEA BEING THAT WE, WE PROPOSED THAT THEY, THEY USED DIFFERENT AVENUES FOR ACHIEVING THOSE GOALS.
AND IF THAT RESIDENT, UM, DECIDES TO WITHDRAW, WHICH I, I BELIEVE HE PROBABLY WILL, WILL YOU TAKE IT OFF OF OUR RUNNING SPREADSHEET? SURE.
IF THAT'S THE WILL OF THE BODY.
DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY DISAGREEMENT WITH THAT? IF, OKAY.
AND THEN, UH, JUST FOR THE RECORD, UM, ANOTHER RESIDENT WHO SUBMITTED A CHARTER AMENDMENT, UH, THE OTHER ONE ON RANK CHOICE VOTING HAS REACHED OUT.
I'VE HAD A COMMUNICATION WITH HIM, HE WOULD ALSO LIKE TO WITHDRAW.
SO I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO REACH OUT TO HIM, UM, TO TRY TO GET THAT ONE OFF THE LIST AS WELL.
I, I CAN REACH OUT TO THEM, UM, AND IF, IF THEY WANT TO SEND SOMETHING CHARTER REVIEW@DALLAS.GOV AS WELL, WITHDRAWING THAT, UH, WE JUST WANNA MAKE SURE IT'S IN WRITING THAT FROM THEM.
AND THEN, SO IT SOUNDS LIKE THEN THE LIST IS GONNA INCLUDE EVERYTHING, WHICH I THINK IS A GREAT BEST PRACTICE.
I LOVE WHAT YOU'RE DOING EXCEPT IN CASES WHERE AN INDIVIDUAL DECIDES TO WITHDRAW IN WRITING AND THEN, THEN WE CAN REMOVE THINGS OFF THE LIST RIGHT NOW.
[01:55:01]
DESCRIBE IT IS IT'LL BE EVERYTHING ACTIVE, EVERY ACTIVE AMENDMENT OR, UM, THAT'S, OR EVERY AMENDMENT THAT'S ON THE TABLE AT THE MOMENT.IT IS 8 29 AND WE ARE ADJOURNED.