Voters in Dallas may not have been paying attention to the 17 proposed charter amendments lurking at the end of the November ballot, even though many of these amendments would have an impact — some positive and others not so good — on our daily lives as residents. Some voters may not even be aware these propositions are on the ballot.
In the last several weeks, the discourse on amendments has ramped up, particularly as it relates to Propositions R, S, T and U. These are all proposed amendments that were added to the ballot using state law procedure to obtain 20,000 signatures for charter measures, rather than the Charter Commission and City Council review process. In response, a “Vote No Dallas” campaign directed at certain amendments has emerged, and, as a result, you may find yourself confused when you reach the end of your ballot.
It’s refreshing to see the charter review amendments — which are frustratingly at the end of a lengthy ballot following federal, state, and county partisan races — getting much-needed attention after languishing in obscurity for many months. This allows us to have conversations about each individually proposed amendment, instead of solely focusing on partisan races.
The first 13 amendments on the ballot went through a rigorous review process starting with a Charter Review Commission and then the City Council. The Charter Review Commission received extensive public comment and input before ultimately determining what amendments to recommend to the City Council. The City Council then made the final call on what proposed amendments to place on the ballot. While this process didn’t result in a perfect slate of amendments, it has allowed all of us to make informed decisions about which amendments we would like to see implemented.
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After getting through the federal, state and county partisan elections, you might be tempted to reflexively vote for or against all proposed amendments or possibly leave these items blank. But each amendment is worthy of careful review and an up or down vote, and we have the chance to impact meaningfully and positively by passing some things. And if we pass one of the proposed amendments, by state law the City Charter can’t be amended for two more years.
For example, Proposition D would allow the city of Dallas to begin the process of moving municipal elections from May of odd-numbered years to November of odd-numbered years. This is expected to increase our voter turnout and save the city over $400,000 and has received overwhelmingly positive support from both civic organizations and individual residents during the Charter Review Commission and City Council review.
If Proposition D fails, the very earliest we’d be able to implement this meaningful and positive change would be in 2029, and that assumes something like Proposition D even makes it onto a future ballot. This is our best chance to start the process of increasing dismal voter turnout by procedural means.
Another positive amendment is Proposition L, which creates an independent office of the inspector general at City Hall. If enacted, this would maximize the inspector general’s independence and help create a true deterrent for misconduct and ethical violations.
These are just two of several carefully considered amendments that we should approve to help save costs and maximize efficiency at City Hall. There are others that are certainly worthy of debate, as evidenced by the robust discussion our Chamber board leadership had on some of these before finalizing our recommendations. Simply rejecting all amendments, however, would cause us to miss out on enacting some much-needed charter modifications. Worse, it would entirely dismiss the extensive work of the volunteer Charter Review Commission, plus the many members of the public who participated in this process.
While there may be amendments that voters should reject — and no doubt you’ve by now seen a profusion of mailers on some of the amendments — let’s also make sure to pass some good amendments like Proposition D and Proposition L.
Jeff Kitner is chief operating officer at the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce.
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