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HomeMy WebLinkAbout7. City Charter Amendments for May 2020 Election 2020Potential City Charter Amendments May 2020 Mary Kayser, City Secretary Sarah J. Fullenwider, City Attorney 2016 Charter Election Process •The City Council appointed a Charter Review Task Force Committee in July, 2015 •The Task Force made preliminary findings to the City Council and held public meetings •After receiving final recommendations from the Task Force, the City Council held a series of public meetings •The City conducted outreach between February and April, 2016 to educate voters about proposed Charter amendments 2 Summary of 2016 Task Force Recommendations 4 ISSUE CURRENT CHARTER PROVISIONS RECOMMENDATION Number of Council Members 8+1 10+1 (following 2020 census and adoption of new redistricting map) Terms of office Two -year terms Three-year terms Concurrent or staggered terms Concurrent terms Concurrent terms Compensation $25,000 for Council Members $29,000 for Mayor $45,000 for Council Members $60,000 for Mayor Technical and other amendments Inconsistencies with state law, archaic language, unused provisions, staff recommended changes Approve all 23 Eleven Proposed Charter Amendments Placed on the May 7, 2016 Ballot 1.Increasing the number of Council members: Passed 2.Increasing the term of office from 2 to 3 years: Failed 3.Increasing Compensation $45,000.00 per year for Council Members and $60,000.00 for Mayor: Failed 4.Vacancies in the City Council: Passed, but moot because the increase in terms of office failed 5.Swearing in of City Council members at same time of canvassing: Passed 6.180 day residence requirements for persons seeking election to the City Council: Passed 7.Appointment and removal of municipal judges for cause: Passed 8.Adoption of budget in accordance with State law: Passed 9.Dual propositions -clarifying which proposition prevails: Passed 10.Alternative means to meet publication requirements : Passed 11.Revising language to comply with state law: Passed 5 Possible Amendments for May, 2020 (Recommended by 2016 Task Force) •Amend Section 3 of Chapter III to increase the compensation of council members from the sum of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000.00) per year to forty-five thousand dollars ($45,000.00) per year and the compensation of the mayor from twenty-nine thousand dollars ($29,000.00) per year to sixty thousand dollars ($60,000.00) per year •Amend Section 3 of Chapter V to delete the right of department directors to request a public hearing by the City Council before his/her removal by the city manager is final •Amend Section 1 of Chapter V, Section 4, of Chapter VI and Section 3 of Chapter XXVII to delete the right of the city manager, the city attorney and the internal auditor to request a public hearing by the City Council if removed after serving six (6) months •Delete Chapter XV in its entirety since the functions of a city health department are performed by Tarrant County •Amend Section 5 of Chapter XXI to reduce the number of newspaper publications for the sale of property valued at more than $125,000 from once-a-week for four weeks to one time with a requirement that notice also be placed on the city’s webpage for four consecutive weeks •Amend the title of Section 6 of Chapter XXII to specify that the city manager signs improvement contracts 6 Council Member Suggested Amendments for Consideration and Discussion •Create a new Chapter, XXVIV, to establish a department of Civilian Police Oversight under the direction and control of the Police Monitor who shall be appointed by the City Council •Amend Chapter XXVII to create a new section to create an independent Citizen Review Board whose members are appointed by the City Council to review individual cases of police officer conduct •Amend Section 8 of Chapter III to allow a member of the Council that becomes a candidate for nomination to a public office, other than that of councilperson, to keep his place on the council (not resign) 7 Proposed Schedule 2020 Council Initiated Charter Election 8 December 3 Council Direction on Potential Charter Amendments December 10 and/or December 17 Proposed Charter amendment Recommendations presented to City Council. January 14 and 28 City Council holds public hearings on recommendations during two regular Council meetings. February 4 (NLT 2/14/20) City Council adopts ordinance calling election on proposed Charter amendments. February through April City conducts outreach to educate voters about proposed Charter amendments. May 2,2020 City conducts Charter election. Questions and Direction 10 Deletion of Metes and Bounds Requirement Shall Section 3,“Councilpersons to be elected from districts”of Chapter IV, “Method of nominating and electing member of the city council”of the Fort Worth City Charter be revised to clarify that a metes and bounds description is not necessary when the city council district boundaries are revised due to population changes based on recent census data? Assessment and Collection of Taxes Shall Section 1 of Chapter IX of the Fort Worth City Charter be amended to remove the assessment and collection as a duty of the department of finance to reflect the current practice of assessing and collecting all taxes,including special assessments, is performed by the county? Remainder of 2016 Propositions 11 Independent Audit Shall Section 11 of Chapter X of the Fort Worth City Charter be amended to state the duties of the outside auditor as it relates to the city’s budget? Recall of Councilperson,Procedure;Election of Successors. Shall Section 1 of Chapter XIX of the Fort Worth City Charter be amended to increase the time from ten (10)days to twenty-five (25)days for the city secretary to review a petition submitted by the voters to recall any councilmember? The Initiative Shall Section 3 of Chapter XX of the Fort Worth City Charter be amended to increase the time from ten (10)days to twenty -five (25)days for the city secretary to review a petition submitted by the voters to propose ordinances? 12 Clarify who can pay for the cost of construction of sidewalks Shall Section 4 of Chapter XXII of the Fort Worth City Charter be amended to state that the city may pay,in whole or in part,for the cost of construction of sidewalks and curbs? Reporting by the Tax Assessor Shall Section 1 of Chapter XXIV of the Fort Worth City Charter be amended to allow the tax assessor-collector to provide a list of assessments of real and personal property owned in the City to the City Council by a deadline as established under state law? Annual Reporting by Public Service Corporations Shall Section 6 of Chapter XXVI of the Fort Worth City Charter which requires all public service corporations operating within the city to file an annual report of the receipts of their business operation be deleted in its entirety? 13 Annual Reporting by Public Service Corporations Shall Section 6 of Chapter XXVI of the Fort Worth City Charter which requires all public service corporations operating within the city to file an annual report of the receipts of their business operation be deleted in its entirety? Contracts for Official Advertising Shall Section 17 of Chapter XXVII of the Fort Worth City Charter be amended to allow the city’s contract with a newspaper for official advertising of the city to have a term of more than one year? Annexation,Method and Procedure Shall Section 3 of Chapter 1 of the Fort Worth City Charter be amended to clarify that the city may contract with the appropriate county to hold an election for annexation and change the words “strike out”to “marking”the ballot to conform to current practice?