Bay City council approves charter-review measures for May 3 special election after public objections on transparency and language access

The Bay City Council voted Tuesday to place multiple proposed amendments to the city’s home-rule charter before voters in a special election set for May 3, 2025, and approved the ordinance to order that election.

Why it matters: The votes follow extended public comment and council debate over whether the charter-review process has been sufficiently transparent, whether legal citations were provided for proposed deletions, and whether election materials will be published in Spanish. The decisions set final options voters will see on the ballot and move a months-long charter review toward a public referendum.

Council action and ballot measures Council members approved bringing measure A to the voters, a change to stagger council terms so two seats come up in each election cycle rather than three in a single year. After discussion the council also voted to place option 1 of measure B — language that preserves more specific meeting-frequency requirements while giving some scheduling flexibility — on the ballot. Measures C and D were tabled for further work. For measure E, the council voted to submit option 2 (a residency/residence-radius alternative) for voter consideration. The council also passed an ordinance authorizing a contract with Matagorda County to administer the May 3, 2025 special election.

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