City of San Antonio charter amendments also on November ballot

With most of the focus on the presidential and U.S. Senate races, residents living within the San Antonio city limits may not be aware of the six City Charter amendments they will see on their November 5 ballot. Voting on these propositions empowers San Antonians to directly influence the rules and policies that govern their city, like how much Council members will be paid, and whether they will face re-election every 2 years or every 4 years. Voters are also being asked to weigh in on the City Manager's salary and tenure. Below is a brief review of the propositions. We encourage you to seek more information and have provided several links to help.

Just a friendly nudge! When you have a plan to vote, you’re more likely to go vote. So here are some important dates to help you plan:

• Early voting: October 21, 2024 through November 1, 2024
• Deadline for elections office to receive your application to request a ballot-by-mail: October 25, 2024
• Election Day: November 5, 2024

PROPOSED CITY OF SAN ANTONIO CHARTER AMENDMENTS (on November 5, 2024 ballot)

Proposition A. Ethics Review Board

• Ballot language: Shall Article XIII, entitled Ethics Review Board, of the City Charter be amended to add a definition of "conflicts of interest"; require sufficient funding to the Ethics Review Board so it may perform all its assigned duties, and authorize the Ethics Review Board to accept or decline complaints that have been resolved by an entity other than the Ethics Review Board?
• Proposition summary: Proposition A focuses on the Ethics Review Board, aiming to enhance the city’s ethics processes. It proposes adding a definition for "conflicts of interest," mandates adequate funding for the board to carry out its duties, and allows it to review complaints already addressed by other agencies.

Proposition B. Language Modernization

• Ballot language: Shall the following sections of the City Charter be amended to revise or eliminate provisions which have been superseded by state law and to update archaic language to current usage: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 43, 45, 46, 47, 49, 51, 52, 53, 53a, 54, 55, 56, 58, 67, 68, Article V.A., 69, 70, 71, 72, 75, 76, 77, 78, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 87, 89, 91, 93, 95, 96, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, Article VIII, 112, 117, 119, 121, 122, 123, 123A, 124, 125, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, and 136?
• Proposition summary: Proposition B mainly updates the charter's language to align with current state laws and replaces outdated terms. This is considered a routine measure to ensure the charter reflects legal standards.

Proposition C. City Manager Tenure and Compensation

• Ballot language: Shall the Charter of the City of San Antonio be amended to grant to City Council the authority to set the full terms of the City Manager’s employment including tenure and compensation?
• Proposition summary: Proposition C seeks to remove the limits set in 2018 on the city manager's salary and tenure. Currently, the city manager's salary is capped at ten times the lowest-paid city employee's pay, with a term limit of eight years. This amendment would authorize the City Council to set the city manager's compensation and length of employment without such caps.

Proposition D. City Employee Political Activity

• Ballot language: Shall the Charter of the City of San Antonio be amended to allow City employees to participate in local political activity consistent with State and Federal law while protecting employees against political retribution and maintaining a general prohibition on participation in local political activity for the city leadership team?
• Proposition summary: Proposition D removes some political activity restrictions for city employees. It would allow city employees to engage in local political activities as long as they don’t use city resources or do so during work hours. Senior city leaders would still face stricter limitations.

Proposition E. City Council Compensation

• Ballot language: Shall the Charter of the City of San Antonio be amended to set and limit the compensation for City Council members and the Mayor at $70,200 and $87,800 annually with annual future adjustments to correlate to the United States Housing and Urban Development 4-member household median income for San Antonio, and authorize a Council member or the Mayor to decline any or all of the established compensation?
• Proposition summary: Proposition E involves raising City Council and mayoral salaries. Council members currently earn about $45,722 per year, and the mayor earns $61,725. If passed, the amendment would set salaries at a level more comparable to those in other large cities, aiming to attract a broader range of candidates.

Proposition F. City Council Terms

Ballot language: Shall the Charter of the City of San Antonio be amended to extend the terms of all elected members of City Council, including the Mayor, from two (2) years to four (4) years and changing the term limits from four (4) full terms to two (2) full terms while keeping the terms concurrent?
Proposition summary: Proposition F would change City Council and mayoral terms from two years to four years while maintaining the overall eight-year term limit. This amendment aims to provide elected officials with more time to implement policies, though it has faced some opposition due to concerns over reduced accountability.

For more information on the proposed City of San Antonio Charter Amendments, visit:

• City of San Antonio City Charter Amendments page: https://www.sa.gov/Directory/Departments/CAO/City-Charter
• Community Impact online new article – Breaking down the 6 San Antonio city charter proposals on the Nov. 5 ballot
  https://communityimpact.com/san-antonio/north-san-antonio/government/2024/10/07/breaking-down-the-6-san-antonio-city-charter-proposals-on-the-nov-5-ballot/
• Texas Public Radio article “San Antonio charter amendment voter guide: Council pay, term lengths, ethics revisions, and more”
  https://www.tpr.org/government-politics/2024-10-04/san-antonio-charter-amendment-voter-guide-council-pay-term-lengths-ethics-revisions-and-more
• San Antonio Report article: Election 2024: A guide to the San Antonio City Charter amendments on the ballot
  https://sanantonioreport.org/san-antonio-city-charter-guide-2024-vote-election/