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Dallas committee discusses updating decades-old campaign contribution limits
Summary
City attorneys briefed the committee on Chapter 15A's campaign contribution limits, last substantively amended in the 1980s'1991; council members asked staff for follow-up on so-called officeholder accounts and asked for comparative data and legal guidance from the Texas Ethics Commission.
City Attorney's Office attorneys told the ad hoc Administrative Affairs Committee on Jan. 20 that Dallas' campaign contribution limits are codified in Chapter 15A, section 15A-2 of the city code and have not been substantially updated since the early 1990s.
Deputy Chief Laura Morrison summarized the ordinance history: contribution rules were first set by ordinance in 1977, adjusted for PAC contributions in 1979 and 1980 and changed further in 1984. After the city eliminated at-large council seats, an ordinance in 1991 removed references to those seats; the city code continues to contain the contribution limits now under discussion.
Several council members pressed for next steps. Chair Middleton said he would be open to increasing individual and PAC limits only if the committee simultaneously addressed the city's campaign officeholder account rules, which some members said may allow large transfers of funds for officeholder expenses. Members requested a staff memo that explains how officeholder accounts work, what reporting is collected, and whether transfers between campaign accounts and officeholder accounts are permitted. City Secretary Billy Ray Johnson told the committee his office records whether a contribution or expenditure is for a campaign account or an officeholder account in the city's filing system but does not compile a separate balance for officeholder accounts for public display; some statutory questions, he said, should be directed to the Texas Ethics Commission.
Council members requested comparative information on other Texas cities' limits. City Secretary staff said only a small number of large Texas cities have local limits (the office cited Austin, Houston and San Antonio as examples with different thresholds).
What's next: City Attorney staff will attempt to provide more detail on state-code limits and whether the Texas Ethics Commission should be invited to brief the committee. The committee also indicated it may schedule follow-up discussion and potential ordinance work if members decide to pursue changes.
Quotes
"This section is in the city code, not the city charter," Deputy Chief Laura Morrison said, noting that council may amend limits by ordinance.
"I'm not interested in raising the campaign amounts until we've also addressed the campaign officeholder account," Chair Middleton said.
Ending
City attorney staff will prepare follow-up material on officeholder-account reporting and state-code limits; the committee did not place an ordinance on today's agenda but signaled it may return with more information for a policy decision.
