Council Approves Charter Amendment Election, Drops Geographic Districts Proposal

Amarillo City Council discusses charter amendments/Photo by Noah Dawson

Amarillo voters will have five propositions on their November ballots, including four charter amendments approved by Amarillo City Council.

Proposition A is the only item which will not be a charter amendment. Instead it will be reserved for the petitioned-for Sanctuary City for the Unborn Ordinance. While the council still has some work to do on finalizing the ballot language, it will be at the top of the ballot.

Proposition B is the first of the proposed charter amendments. If passed, it would add two new seats to the council, designated Place 5 and Place 6.

Proposition C is essentially identical to the city’s failed 2020 Proposition B. If passed, it would move the council to four-year staggered terms. Though the proposition does not spell out exactly how staggering will be set, the council will pass a separate ordinance laying out the specifics, though all seats will be up in the upcoming May 2025 election.

Proposition D would make several changes reducing the requirements to recall a member of the council. The number of signatures required would be reduced and the time to collect signatures would be doubled. The most controversial part of the current recall provision, which requires that one-fifth of those who sign a recall petition certify they voted for the person they hope to recall, would be eliminated.

Proposition E mostly contains language that would adopt state law provisions which would automatically go into effect if Proposition C passes. Under state law, a person who announces a bid for another elected office must resign if more than 12 months and 30 days are left in their term. Additionally, state law says that a vacancy on the council if the council has four-year terms must be filled by a special election, not by appointment. Both of these would be adopted by Proposition E, though it does allow for filling a vacancy by appointment if there are 12 months or less in the term, a provision allowed by state law if adopted by charter. (In other words, if voters approve Proposition C and reject Proposition E, any vacancy on the council would need to be filled by a special election. If both pass, a special election will only be needed if there is more than 12 months left in the term.)

Another proposition which was ultimately rejected by the council would have created three geographic residency areas where candidates running for certain seats on the council would be required to live in the geographic area assigned to that district. The proposition differed from single-member districts in that all voters would be able to vote for all seats on the council.

Amarillo City Council finalized the charter ballot propositions during a special meeting on Friday morning. A second and final vote will be required, with that set for the council’s upcoming August 13th regular meeting.

The ballot language for the charter amendments is as follows:

Proposition B:

To Amend Article V, Section I and Article V, Section 5 (a) of the Amarillo CityCharter to specify that the elective officers of the City shall consist of a Mayor plus six (6) Councilmembers (the Councilmembers shall be designated as Councilmember Place One, Councilmember Place Two, Councilmember Place Three, Councilmember Place Four, Councilmember Place Five, and Councilmember Place Six), and the Mayor and each Councilmember shall be elected by a majority of the registered voters within the city.

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Proposition C: 

To Amend Article V, Section 2 of the Amarillo City Charter to change the length of the term of office of the Mayor and each Councilmember from two (2) year terms to four (4) year terms effective with the next regularly scheduled municipal election to be held in May 2025, with the terms staggered as established by ordinance.

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Proposition D: 

To Amend Article II, Section 24 of the Amarillo City Charter to change the recall procedures to reduce the minimum number of signatures required to qualify the election of an elective officer from an amount equal to at least thirty percent of the registered voters within the city with at least one-fifth (1/5) of same certifying that each signor voted for the officer in the last election to an amount to at least thirty (30) percent of the number of votes cast in the last election at which the officer was elected; to increase the time limit to submit recall petitions to the City Secretary from thirty (30) days to sixty (60) days from the filing of the required affidavit; to allow a period of twenty-one (21) calendar days in which the City Secretary shall verify the required number of valid signatures are contained on each petition; to require the City Secretary, within five (5) calendar days after the date on which the verification of signatures is completed, shall present such petition to the governing authorIty of the City and shall notify the officer or officers sought to be recalled of such action; to allow five (5) calendar days after such notice is given for the officer sought to bc recalled to resign and if the officer does not resign the governing authority of the City shall thereupon order and fix a day for holding a recall election in accordance with applicable law as amended; to provide that after the recall election date is established, the officer vacates their position, the recall election shall be cancelled, and the vacancy shall be filled in accordance with the charter and applicable state law; and to change the requirements that no recall affidavit or petition shall be filed against any officer of the City within six (6) months after they assume office or within six (6) months of the end of the officer's term, nor within six (6) months after an election for such officer's recall..

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Proposition E:

To amend Article V, Section 3 — Vacancies, of the Amarillo City Charter repealing the existing section, and substitute provisions applying new law allowing for a fewer than 12 months remaining in office vacancy to be appointed by the City Council for all City Councilmembers and the City Council would appoint a Councilmember to the ofT1ce of Mayor in the event of a vacancy in the Mayor's office. Finally, the amendment adopts a "resign to run" provision creating vacancies in office should an elected city official elects to announce an intent to run for another office, while serving as an elected city official.

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