Richardson residents will vote on 50 proposed amendments to the city charter and five bond propositions during the May 2 elections.
The city council made the decision to have the amendments and bond on the same ballot to save approximately $175,000.
The amendment process began last June, when the Charter Review Commission presented the proposed changes to the city council. The charter is reviewed every 10 years.
City Manager Don Magner said the majority of the 50 propositions could be lumped into three categories. “One, it was changes that were made so that we would be in compliance with state law,” Magner said. “Some state laws have changed over the last 10 years — and so we needed to update our references to those state laws. Others were just grammatical changes.”
While many of the amendments are what the city calls “technical adjustments,” others could affect how the council operates – and who can serve.
Here are a few amendments on the ballot.
City charter amendments
Proposition ZZ
The “resign-to-run” amendment would require the mayor or a city council member to automatically resign from their current position if they announce or become a candidate for a different public office.
This amendment did not come from the Charter Review Commission, but from the city council, Magner said.
“Most other cities have that requirement, if not in their own charter, via the state law," he said.
Proposition ZZ drew opposition from some residents who worried it would affect current council member Dan Barrios, who is running for the U.S. House of Representatives to represent the state’s newly redrawn District 32. He won the March 3 Democratic primary and will face Republican Jace Yarbrough in the Nov. 3 general election.
TJ Calloway, who is a precinct chair, told the council at a Feb. 9 meeting the amendment “feels targeted.”
Magner said city council took the public discussion into consideration. If Proposition ZZ passes, it would be “prospective” and only affect those who run for office in the future — and Barrios would be able to remain in office.
“I think after some good discussion and deliberation, which is what we hope happens on issues like this, ultimately the council said, ‘Yes, let's not make this apply to anybody who has already announced, let's only make it applicable ... to council members in the future that may announce that they intend to run for another office,” Magner said.
Proposition D
This proposal would increase city council member pay from $100 to $150 per meeting for a maximum of $7,800 per year through Jan. 2030. After that, pay would increase to $200 per meeting for a maximum of $10,400 a year.
The review commission had originally recommended paying council members $1,200 per month, but there was not enough support from the council.
Propositions J and Z
Proposition J would require council members in Places 1, 2, 3 and 4 to reside in their districts for at least one year before the date of an election and during their term. The mayor and council members in Places 5 and 6 may reside in any district.
Similarly, Proposition Z would increase the six-month residency requirement for board and commission members to one year prior to the date of appointment.
Proposition EE
The proposal would allow city employees the opportunity to apply for internal positions before external candidates.
Proposition SS
This amendment would require the city to adopt a code of ethics for city council members and board and commission members and conduct a review at least once every two years.
Proposition WW
This amendment would prohibit a resigning mayor or council member from voting on the appointment of their own replacement to fill the remainder of their unexpired term.
Propositions for Bond Election
Voters will decide on five propositions individually totaling $223.4 million, with the bulk of the money going to street projects. Magner said the bond program covers two major areas: "One I would say is core infrastructure and the other is public safety."
"A substantial portion of the dollars are going to streets, alleys, sidewalks and drainage," he said. "Those are kind of our core responsibilities as a municipality."
Proposition A would fund $132.2 for streets, including reconstruction, road improvements and new traffic signals and school zone flashers. It would also upgrade signalized intersections to come into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Magner said 80% of Richardson's streets are at least 40 years old.
"So that means 80 percent of our water, 80 percent of our wastewater, 80 percent of storm sewers are also 40 years or older," he said. Magner called the city’s infrastructure “at least a decade beyond its useful life when it was constructed.”
The $36 million Proposition B would support public safety buildings, such as a new fire apparatus storage building, renovations to Fire Station 6 and the design and construction of Fire Station 7.
Proposition C would fund $22.2 million in parks and recreation upgrades, including new spray grounds and pool renovations and the construction of a pedestrian bridge and trail connection at Breckinridge Park.
Proposition D would direct $16.5 million to sidewalk safety, such as closing sidewalk gaps and improving pedestrian access to schools and parks.
Proposition E would fund$16.5 million in drainage work, including flood prevention and erosion control projects. It would also remove several homes from the floodplain, and lower water surface elevations in affected areas.
The city says the bond propositions would not increase the property tax rate.
Early voting runs April 20-28. Election Day is May 2.
Priscilla Rice is KERA’s communities reporter. Got a tip? Email her at price@kera.org.
KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider making a tax-deductible gift today. Thank you.
