During yesterday’s Special Meeting, our City Council considered a list of recommended amendments to our City Charter. You can view the discussion here.
MAYORAL VETO AND TIE-BREAKING AUTHORITY PRESERVED
Amendment #8 would have eliminated the mayoral veto and tie-breaking authority, diminishing the liberty of every El Pasoan. Thankfully, the representatives voted 4-4, with the Mayor breaking the tie, to delete the amendment.
The amendment originated in the Ad Hoc Charter Advisory Committee, which is stacked with Oligarchy surrogates who hoped to deprive Mayor Oscar Leeser of power. (see below) It is no surprise that it was backed by the three remaining members of the Oligarchy Caucus on City Council, but thanks to the election results in December that established a new political order, the amendment was killed.
AMENDMENT TO PETITION PROCESS STILL UNDER CONSIDERATION
Moreover, the City Council decided to postpone a final vote on Amendment #4. The Charter states that in order for the citizens to place an item on the ballot over the objections of City Council, they must seek the signatures of 5% of the voters who voted in the previous general election, not once, but twice. If the proposed amendment passes in May, only one petition will be necessary and the number of signatures required will be capped at 10,000.
But there is a catch, which is that “no ordinance may be initiated through this process regarding appropriation and allocation of City funds, zoning or rezoning, levy of taxes, setting utility rates, purchase or sale of an interest in real property, or granting a franchise.”
As City Clerk Laura Prine emphasized at a previous meeting, these restrictions go far beyond any imposed by State law, especially the part about “appropriation and allocation of City funds.” In other words, El Pasoans will not be able to challenge any City policy through the petition process if City money is involved! I may be mistaken, but that seems to be the plain meaning of the text.
An anti-democratic proposal to permit citizen propositions on the ballot only once every four years is still under discussion.
CLIMATE MEASURES TO GO ON BALLOT AS A SINGLE PROPOSITION
There had been a proposal to place eight propositions on the ballot supporting the creation of a new climate department but City Council voted to combine the eight measures into a single proposition.
I totally disagree with the creation of a Climate Director and Climate Department, as if our City government were not large and expensive enough. If the City wants to create solar power mandates or discourage the use of fossil fuels, they can deliberate and propose ordinances without recourse to an entirely new and unnecessary department. The taxpayers cannot bear another expansion of municipal government!
There are some crazy proposals incorporated in the climate proposition that are entirely impractical and I have no doubt that the proposition, in its current forum, will fail at the ballot box.
Enjoy your day,
Max