There are eight propositions on the Nov. 3 ballot that would amend the city of Austin’s charter.
The city charter is like its constitution. It defines the structure, responsibilities and powers of the local government, limiting what it can and cannot do.
While you will find proposals from A through J toward the bottom of your ballot, Proposition I has gotten the most attention.
How Prop I will appear on the ballot
Shall the City Charter be amended to require an Independent Affordability and Efficiency Initiative on a regular basis and before any tax rate increase election and requiring the independent contractor to identify annual and multi- year savings that exceed the cost of the contractor’s service?
What does that mean?
The push to put Prop I before voters was led by Save Austin Now, a political action committee co-founded by Matt Mackowiak, the former Travis County Republican Party chair. More than 21,000 registered voters in Austin signed a petition to put the measure on the ballot.
The prop would require the city to have an independent audit every five years. The company chosen to complete the audit must find cost-saving measures that exceed the price of the contract.
The city of Austin, through an ordinance, already has an outside company called Public Works that audits the city’s departments to find cost-saving measures.
If passed, the language in Prop I would be locked into the city charter. Any changes would have to go before voters again.
That’s a higher standard than a city ordinance, which can be adjusted more easily by City Council members. An ordinance can also be removed entirely by future councils.
If Prop I passes, Bill Aleshire, an Austin lawyer and former Travis County judge who authored the proposition, said it would replace the audit already being done by the city. The proposal language does not automatically force the current audit to be repealed.
Mackowiak called into question the reputation of the company currently auditing the city.
“How impressive is an accounting firm that loses the ability to lawfully conduct business in Texas, the second largest state in the country?” he said during an Oct. 7 press conference.
Jenny LaCoste-Caputo, the city of Austin’s deputy chief communications director, said Public Works previously let its registration in Texas expire because, at the time, the company was not doing business in the state. LaCoste-Caputo said the company reinstated its license before starting work with the city.
Opponents of the proposal argue that the auditor will cost too much money and hack away at social programs to meet its contractual obligations.
City Council Member Vanessa Fuentes spoke out during an Oct. 7 press conference against the proposal. She said it would be an expensive move for the city.
“They know that this service will be locked in the city charter,” Fuentes said. “The city will have no choice but to hire them, and then they get to set the price, not the city. … Prop I dictates that consultants must identify enough cuts to pay their own fees. That’s an inherent conflict of interest.”
City Council Members Mike Siegel, Zo Qadri, Ryan Alter, José Velásquez and Chito Vela, as well as U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, D-Austin, were also at the news conference. Mayor Kirk Watson was not at the event but has previously called the proposal a political attack.
“When you hire corporate for-profit consultants who have no idea what’s going on in our city to try to make cuts,” Casar said at the news conference, “and they make more profit off of the more cuts that they offer, then what winds up happening is it costs us more to fix the stuff that they broke.”
Here are some of the other propositions you’ll find on the ballot.
Proposition A and Proposition B
Prop A and Prop B are not proposals to change the city’s charter, but they’ll show up first on the list of propositions on your ballot. Voters will decide on a $295 million bond package to improve parks and libraries across the city.
On your ballot, you’ll find Prop A, which is made up of a $260 million parks bond, and Prop B, which would set aside $35 million for libraries.
You can read more about Prop A and Prop B from KUT City Hall reporter Luz Moreno-Lozano.
Proposition C
How Prop C will appear on the ballot
Shall the City Charter be amended to clarify that the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (ICRC) is independent of City Council control, allow the ICRC to review City districts after changes to the City’s boundary lines, create voter registration and residency duration exceptions for student members, provide an effective date for the redistricting plan adopted by the ICRC, increase the number of individuals in the pool of potential appointees to the ICRC, clarify the method and timing of filling vacancies on the ICRC, and allow City staff to communicate with the ICRC outside of a meeting as long as such communication is in compliance with the Texas Open Meetings Act?
What does that mean?
The city’s Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission handles the redistricting and mapping of each district for City Council seats.
Prop C emphasizes the commission’s independence from City Council control and changes some of the commission’s procedures.
The proposal would allow the commission to review the City Council district boundaries when the city’s boundary changes and set guidelines on when district maps take effect. It would also expand who can apply to be on the commission and determine the selection and vacancy filling process.
Finally, it would also allow city staff to talk to commissioners outside of a meeting, as long as it does not conflict with the Texas Open Meetings Act.
Proposition D
How the proposal will appear on the ballot
Shall the City Charter be amended to delete language providing that the City Council shall meet at least once each week?
What does that mean?
Currently, the City Council meets once a week. Prop D would remove that requirement. Council members can still meet weekly if they choose, but it would no longer be required and would give more flexibility to the council to decide its meeting schedule.
Proposition E
How the proposal will appear on the ballot
Shall the City Charter be amended to delete language requiring the City Council to determine its rules and order of business by ordinance?
What does that mean?
The city currently adopts rules and orders of business by ordinance, which establishes meeting procedures. By removing the requirement, the city can “determine its own rules and order of business.”
It gives the city more flexibility in changing things like public comment time and the meeting agenda.
Proposition F
How the proposal will appear on the ballot
Shall the City Charter be amended to clarify the meaning of the term “election” and to provide that the campaign contribution and expenditure limits shall be modified each year by January 1st instead of with the adoption of the budget?
What does that mean?
This proposal would let the city set the campaign contribution and spending limits on Jan. 1, instead of when the city adopts its budget, which is usually in August. The proposal would also clarify what type of election the contribution and spending limits apply to.
Proposition G
How the proposal will appear on the ballot
Shall the City Charter be amended to provide that initiative elections and petitioned charter amendment elections must be held on the next available November election date that occurs in an even- numbered year and that allows sufficient time to comply with other requirements of law?
What does that mean?
Currently, citizen-led proposals are voted on every November election. Prop G would require these proposals to be voted on during even-numbered years, which would coincide with midterm and presidential elections. Elections in odd-numbered years can have lower voter turnout.
If Prop G passes, it would mean that some proposals would need to wait longer before voters can decide whether to accept it or not.
Proposition H
How the proposal will appear on the ballot
Shall the City Charter be amended to provide that the City Council appoints and removes the City Attorney?
What does that mean?
This proposal would allow the City Council to appoint or fire the city attorney. Currently, that power belongs to the city manager, who is responsible for the city’s day-to-day operations. Council Member Fuentes proposed the amendment in a 2024 council meeting.
“So this really is ensuring that we’re aligning our structure alongside other big cities in Texas, as well as ensuring that we have that more accountability in place for our community,” Fuentes said.
In 2012, a similar proposition failed by a 51% to 49% margin.
Proposition J
How the proposal will appear on the ballot
Shall the City Charter be amended to make non- substantive corrections of typographical errors, punctuation, and sentence structure, and to change or remove language that is moot or unenforceable because it has been superseded by state law or by a final court order?
What does that mean?
Prop J is a cleanup of the city’s charter. It would remove grammar issues and typos, as well as ordinances that were superseded by state law or court orders.