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.

Public comment and transparency questions Multiple residents used the public-comment period to challenge the process and request clearer materials. Jessica Shepherd, a reporter with the Bay City Sentinel, said, “If you've been meeting about the charter, that's closed doors, that violates Texas Open Meetings Act.” Shepherd also asked whether the city will publish the charter propositions in Spanish, noting that the 2020 census showed Bay City’s population is 48.72% Hispanic and warning that translation could roughly double outreach costs as compared with English-only posting.

Resident Jerry Evans urged the council to restore material he said voters were promised in earlier revisions, asking, “You gave your word to the citizens. Are you going to honor your word?” Another commenter, Jessica Duhan, told the council she rewatched the workshop and said, “I didn't hear a single law was cited,” describing a lack of specific statutory references to support claims that parts of the charter conflict with state law.

Council debate and legal vetting Several council members said they want legal clarity before finalizing some items. Councilmember Mayfield said he had requested an opinion from District Attorney Steve Reese and added, “I would like to wait for that opinion to be rendered,” citing concern that moving forward without it could invite legal challenges. Other council members said the measures respond to timing and transition problems that began with earlier charter review cycles (2018–2019) and that placing clear options on the ballot will let voters decide.

Ballot language, translation and publication Council staff said the ballot and translations will be submitted to the ballot printer after candidate filing and the routine drawing process, and they committed to expediting online publication of the draft ballot language and translations as soon as feasible. Councilmembers and residents pressed staff to post background materials and, specifically, to ensure the preamble and any referenced ordinances (including a past ordinance identified by a commenter as "Ordinance 1468") are available online.

Other business The council approved the consent agenda, including board appointments and accounts payable and utility refunds for recent months. Council members also heard announcements about local events and public-works items; no executive session was held.

Votes at a glance - Measure A (stagger council terms): Motion to place on May 3 ballot — approved (motion carries). - Measure B (meeting-frequency language): Option 1 chosen to go on the ballot — approved (motion carries after reconsideration). - Measures C and D: Tabled for further discussion — motion to table approved. - Measure E (residency for city manager / radius options): Option 2 (20-mile-radius alternative) chosen to go on the ballot — approved (motion carries). - Ordinance ordering special election (05/03/2025) and authorizing Matagorda County election services: Approved (motion carries). - Consent agenda items (minutes, appointments, payables): Approved (motion carries).

What the council did not decide Council members deferred final action on measures C and D and agreed to gather additional legal and background material before returning them to the agenda. Several members also requested staff follow up on posting and translation logistics so voters can review the full texts and supporting documents before the election.

Next steps The city manager’s office said staff will expedite publication of draft ballot language and translations and will submit finalized materials to the ballot printer after candidate filing and any necessary ballot drawing. The council set the ballot questions and the city will publish the measures and associated explanatory materials as soon as staff can complete the translations and print-ready forms.

Ending note Council members thanked residents for attending and urged continued public engagement as the city prepares materials for the May 3 special election.