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Council reviews 30-plus proposed charter amendments; staff will adjust language for city manager absence and compensation wording
Summary
City staff walked council through proposed charter amendments (propositions B–II) covering annexation, disannexation, conflicts of interest, appointment timelines, petitions, and more. Council and staff agreed to revise the city manager absence language and to add "per year" to compensation figures for mayor and council.
City staff on Monday presented more than 30 proposed amendments to the City of Palestine charter and discussed clarifying edits before the propositions go to voters in a special election.
City Manager Therese told the council they had two printouts: explanations of the proposed amendments and the proposed ballot language. She said the propositions begin at Proposition B because Proposition A will be a separate sales and use tax reauthorization on the same special-election ballot.
Therese read multiple proposed changes. For example, she said, “shall section 1.4B of the charter be amended to conform with state law by removing reference to the city's power to annex territory without the consent of inhabitants,” and later read that another proposition would require compliance with “Texas Local Government Code chapter 176, as it relates to conflicts of interest.”
The packet groups corrections and substantive changes: clarifying annexation and disannexation language; consolidating and renumbering sections; updating terminology (including gender-neutral language); extending timeframes to appoint council vacancies (from 10 to 30 days) and to call special elections (from 10 to 14 days); aligning election-ballot printing and tie-breaking rules with state law; raising the petition-sufficiency threshold from 20% to 25% of qualified registered voters for certain petition thresholds; increasing time allowances for staff to verify petitions; and adding a three‑month wait for a subsequent recall petition following an election.
Council members raised several substantive questions during the review. On a proposed change to section 6.3 (city manager attendance at council meetings), council members said the existing draft might read to citizens as if the city manager “doesn't have to be there.” Staff proposed alternative wording and then read a revised proposition: “Shall section 6.3 of the charter be amended to allow permissible absences of the city manager and appointment of a qualified designate.” Council members expressed support for that revision and staff said it would be included in the ballot language.
Council members also asked staff to clarify compensation language. Staff said it would add “per year” to Proposition W, which raises mayoral pay from $1,200 to $2,400 and council pay from $800 to $1,600, to avoid misinterpretation that the amounts were monthly.
Other notable items in the packet included: a proposition to apply conflict-of-interest disclosure rules more broadly to appointed boards and commissions; a provision tying charter language on petitions and referendum timelines to state law; and a catchall proposition to correct typographical errors and remove redundant or state-law-conflicting sections and renumber the charter.
No formal votes on charter propositions were taken at the work session; staff said the edits and final wording would be brought back on the regular agenda for formal action and to prepare legally sufficient ballot translations and explanatory language for voters.
