HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 24-1793 INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 24-1793
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council January 9, 2024
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*a SUBJECT: PROCESS TO MOVE COUNCIL ELECTIONS TO NOVEMBER
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The purpose of this Informal Report is to respond to a question about moving City Council elections from
May to November. As detailed below, making that change would require an amendment to the City
Charter.' The soonest such a measure to amend the Charter could be put before voters would be on or after
the November 2024 uniform election date (November 5, 2024).
Chapter IV of the Fort Worth Charter governs the "Method of Nominating and Electing Members of the
City Council,"providing for all City Council members to be elected in May of odd-numbered years.
Changing the City Council elections to November would require voter approval of an amendment to this
provision of the City Charter. Per the Texas Constitution, a home-rule city charter may not be altered or
amended more frequently than once every two years. Tex. Const. art. XI, § 5(a).
The last election amending the City Charter was held on May 7, 2022; therefore, another election to amend
the City Charter can be held no earlier than May 7, 2024.
The May 2024 uniform election date is May 4, 2024, which is less than two full years after the 2022 charter
amendment election held on May 7, 2022. Accordingly, the next available uniform election date that
complies with the constitutional limitation is November 5, 2024. The last day to order a November 2024
election on a charter amendment is August 19, 2024.
If you have any questions about this information, please contact Assistant City Attorney Denis McElroy at
(817) 392-7600.
David Cooke
City Manager
Texas Election Code § 41.0052, which allowed home-rule cities to move their elections to November by adoption of a
resolution,was only exercisable until"December 31,2016." Absent a legislative change,that mechanism is not available.
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS