Come Election Day on May 1, besides casting their preferences for representation on the Brownsville City Commission, voters will be faced with consequential decisions in the form of 10 propositions regarding amendments to the city’s home rule charter.
Propositions 1-3 have to do with term limits for city elected officials. Proposition 1 proposes an amendment limiting the time a mayor can hold office to two four-year terms. It includes a provision that, in the case of a mayor who does not complete his or her term, whoever is appointed or elected to finish out the term can only be elected one more time, even if the first term was less than four years.
The same provision applies to city commission seats in Proposition 2, which also limits commissioners to two four-year terms. Proposition 1 allows mayors who have completed two full terms to then run for election to the city commission, while Proposition 2 allows the same for commission members who, after serving two full terms, wish to run for mayor. Proposition 3, if approved, would stretch the term of municipal court judges from two-year to four-year appointments.
Other propositions on the ballot have to do with bringing the city charter into line with state law. Proposition 4 would amend the charter section dealing with procurement in cases of emergency so that it aligns with state law, while Proposition 5 would does the same regarding civil service terms and qualifications. The charter requires five members on the civil service commission, for instance, while state law says three members is allowable.
Proposition 6 would change how the city charter handles ballot nominations. City Secretary Laure Morgan said Brownsville has always required a petition along with an application from those who want to run for office. State law provides for a filing fee in lieu of a petition. Proposition 6, if approved, would make the filing fee an option in Brownsville elections, she said.
“If someone wanted to pay the fee instead of (filing) the petition, they could,” Morgan said.
The amendment would also bring the city charter, which requires a petition to have 100 signatures, in line with the state requirement of “the greater of 25 signatures or one half of 1 percent of the total vote” in the pertinent territory for all candidates for mayor combined in the most recent mayoral general election, she said. Amending the city charter accordingly would help ensure the correct forms are being filed, Morgan said.
Proposition 7 would remove outdated language in the city charter regarding parks and playgrounds and allow park management to be updated via ordinance, while Proposition 8 would incorporate an audit and oversight committee into the charter as opposed to having it set by ordinance, which is how things stand now.
Proposition 9 would amend the charter and require that bodies commissioned by the city — boards, committees etc. — work with the city commission toward “eliminating duplication of the services, creating administrative efficiency, providing for joint service efforts, and ensuring quality of service at the lowest cost in terms of both fees and tax rates,” according to the city ordinance ordering the charter amendment election.
Proposition 10 would seek to bring about the same results, but through collaboration between the city commission and the municipally owned Brownsville Public Utilities Board.
Morgan said the first eight propositions are the result of recommendations made to the city commission by the city charter review committee, whose seven members were appointed in December 2019 and met monthly, sometimes twice a month, to consider ways to improve or update the charter. The last two propositions were added later. Morgan said the city’s last charter election was held in 2016.
She said the charter committee’s recommendations likely stemmed from public feedback to some degree, particularly those regarding term limits. Voters who wish to study the proposed amendments in greater depth can find the relevant ordinance at votebtx.org, where a proposition “summary card” is also available, Morgan said.
For voters who lack good internet access or printer access, the Office of the City Secretary office will be happy to email the relevant documents, including the charter amendment ordinance (No. 2021-1679), or print them out to be picked up, she said.
“We’re willing to go the extra mile to try to help them understand it,” Morgan said.
The city secretary’s office can be reached at (956) 548-6042.
