Thirteen proposed amendments to the city charter are headed to the November ballot, clearing the City Council in a decision that could reshape the future of local governance. Among the proposals greenlit are measures that could make it harder to recall council members and restructure when citizen-led initiatives hit the ballot.
During a council meeting on Thursday, fifteen amendments were up for debate, but only thirteen were cut. The ones that passed muster include Prop C, aimed at bolstering the independence of the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission, and Prop G, which sets to align citizen initiative elections with large even-numbered November election dates, as reported by The Austin Monitor. Conversely, a contentious proposal to ramp up signature requirements for referendums failed as it didn't even reach the motion stage.
Other key amendments that will appear on the ballot include Prop H, bumping up the signature threshold required for recalling council members from 10 percent to 15 percent, and Prop I, granting the council powers to appoint and remove the city attorney. According to The Austin Monitor, Council Member Vanessa Fuentes, who worked on the revised language for the appointment of the city attorney, expressed optimism for the measure, saying "This is an opportunity for us to have a more robust conversation with our community."
The rejection of the ballot referendum change grabbed significant attention, with opponents like activist Chris Harris arguing that maintaining the existing signature requirement would drive citizens toward charter amendments instead, potentially leading to inappropriate legislation. "It’s gonna push people to do citizen-initiated measures through the charter process. It’s gonna push even more inappropriate legislation that citizens bring into the charter process if that (the 3.5 percent signature requirement) is maintained and put on the ballot," Harris told The Austin Monitor.
