SPECIAL CALLED MEETING OF THE 2024 CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION Thursday, February 8, 2024 at 7:00 P.M. Austin City Hall, Council Chambers 301 W 2nd St AUSTIN, TEXAS Public comment will be allowed in-person or remotely via telephone. Speakers may only register to speak on an item once either in-person or remotely and will be allowed up to three minutes to provide their comments. Registration no later than noon the day before the meeting is required for remote participation by telephone. To register to speak remotely or in person, please register here https://cityofaustin.formstack.com/forms/2024charterreviewcommission_townhall. CURRENT COMMISSIONERS: Jessica Palvino, Chair Ryan Botkin Cynthia Van Maanen Julio Altamirano Randy Ortega Betsy Greenberg Alejandro Garcia, Vice Chair JC Dwyer Brian McGiverin Michael O Cowles Megan Lasch PUBLIC HEARING AGENDA 1. Conduct a public hearing to receive feedback regarding proposed amendments to the City Charter recommended by the 2024 Charter Review Commission. The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the American with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. Meeting locations are planned with wheelchair access. If requiring Sign Language Interpreters or alternative formats, please give notice at least 2 days (48 hours) before the meeting date. Please call Myrna Rios at the Office of the City Clerk, at (512) 974-2210 or myrna.rios@austintexas.gov, for additional information; TTY users route through Relay Texas at 711. For more information on the 2024 Charter Review Commission, please contact Myrna Rios at myrna.rios@austintexas.gov
2024 CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION MINUTES REGULAR MEETING February 8, 2024 The 2024 Charter Review Commission convened in a regular meeting on Thursday, February 8, 2024, Austin City Hall, 301 W. Second Street, Austin, Texas. Chair Palvino called the Special Called Commission Meeting to order at 7:04 p.m. Commission Members in Attendance: Chair Palvino Vice Chair Garcia Commissioner Botkin Commissioner Dwyer Commissioner McGivern Commission Altamirano Commissioner Cowles Commissioner Lasch Commissioner Van Maanen Commissioner Ortega Commissioner Greenberg Staff in Attendance: Myrna Rios, City Clerk’s Office Caroline Webster, Law Department PUBLIC HEARING 1. Conduct a public hearing to receive feedback regarding proposed amendments to the City Charter recommended by the 2024 Charter Review Commission. Conducted The meeting was adjourned without objection at 8:24 p.m. The minutes were approved on February 15, 2024 on Commissioner Lasch’s motion, Commissioner Botkin’s second on a 9-0 vote. Commissioner McGiverin was off the dais. Vice Chair Garcia absent. 1
What is the Austin City Charter? ➢The Austin City Charter is a key document that explains how Austin is managed and governed. ➢It is essentially a constitution for the city. What is the Austin City Charter? ➢ City Government Structure ➢ Community Participation ➢ Legal Framework for City Laws ➢ Managing City Finances ➢ Local Autonomy and Flexibility ➢ Ensuring Transparency and Responsibility What is the Charter Review Commission? The Austin Charter Review Commission is appointed by the Mayor and City Council to recommend updates to the City's governing document to reflect current legal standards, governance practices, and community needs. Who is on the Charter Review Commission? • Betsy Greenberg • Alejandro Garcia Limon • Megan Lasch • Brian McGiverin • Michael Cowles • Randy Ortega • JC Dwyer • Cynthia Van Maanen • • Ryan Botkin • Jessica Palvino Julio Gonzalez Altamirano What Issues is the CRC Considering? ➢ Use of a durable signature threshold for citizen-initiated petitions ➢ Limit on citizen-initiated changes to the City Charter to November elections in even-numbered years ➢ A process for filing petitions that ensures transparency, including an notice of intent and other requirements ➢ Ethical guidelines for petition signatures ➢ Alternative proposition lettering or numbering system ➢ Clarification of the outcome of an election where two similar but different ballot measures on the same subject matter both pass What Issues Are We Discussing Tonight? 1. Signature threshold for citizen-initiated petitions 2. Signature threshold for recall elections 3. Moving ordinance initiatives and charter changes to municipal general elections What if I Want to Talk About a Different Issue? ➢ Upcoming CRC Meetings at City Hall (5pm): • Thursday, February 15, 2024 • Thursday, February 29, 2024 • Thursday, March 7, 2024 ➢ Email: 2024charterreview@austintexas.gov ➢ Additional issues will be discussed at a later Town Hall. Please let us know if you have suggestions on discussion topics! Format for Discussion ➢ 1-2 minute: general topic overview by Moderator (Jessica Palvino) ➢ 3-5 minutes: speaker present “pros” ➢ 3-5 minutes: speaker present “cons” ➢ Community Discussion, facilitated by Moderator Issue #1: Petition Threshold ISSUE #1: Should the signature threshold be increased for initiative petitions? BACKGROUND FACTS: ✓ 4 types of petitions: initiative, referendum, recall and charter ✓ The current signature requirement for initiative petitions is the lower of 20,000 or 5% of voters, whichever is smaller ✓ A 2019 report from the City Auditor found …
