Wylie council narrows proposed charter amendments, flags legal risks over candidate ineligibility clause

Wylie, Texas — The Wylie City Council on Jan. 14 narrowed a package of proposed charter amendments and gave staff and the city attorney direction on drafting ballot language to present to voters.

During a work session, city staff said they had reduced an initial list of roughly 51 potential amendments to about 25 items the council will consider placing on a future ballot. The council asked staff to prioritize clarity and to group related changes where possible, and instructed the city attorney to draft language consistent with state law for measures that could be combined.

City Attorney Ryan Pittman told council members that one proposed change—language that would render an individual ineligible to run for office or continue serving if they were delinquent in payments owed to the city—“specifically would render as, someone ineligible to run for office and also potentially, cause a person to be, ineligible to continue serving office if he or she were in arrears.” He warned that similar provisions have prompted litigation in other Texas jurisdictions and that courts have often ruled against cities on equal-protection grounds. “That type of provision has been the subject of litigation in…