Council advances bond package and charter amendments; debate centers on council pay and city manager powers
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Summary
Council approved bond propositions (including an increased $10M affordable housing line) and moved forward charter amendments to appear on the May ballot, including a proposed council pay increase and changes to city-manager authority, after discussion about transparency and checks and balances.
Fort Worth City Council approved multiple bond propositions and advanced charter amendments to the May ballot after staff clarified state-required ballot language and council members debated pay, oversight and manager authority.
City staff explained a state-mandated all-cap ballot line reading that a bond proposition "is a tax increase," and assured voters the city's bond program was designed to work within the existing tax rate and would not require a change in the tax rate to repay the bonds. During discussion, Council Member Nettles and others highlighted an increase to the affordable-housing allocation, noting council had secured $10 million for housing in the package.
On charter amendments, supporters said indexing council pay and increasing compensation would widen candidate pools and allow working people to serve. Opponents warned that Proposition M — language to align charter text with the city manager's existing administrative authority — risked concentrating power without enough council oversight. City Attorney staff explained the amendment targets cleanup items and would not affect six charter-mandated departments (police, fire, finance, public works, public health and water).
The council voted to place the charter propositions and bond measures on the ballot and carried the bond package that same evening. Council members asked staff to improve voter education about each proposition and to bring additional communications to districts over the coming months.
Why it matters: The bond would fund multiyear capital projects including housing, parks and infrastructure; charter changes would alter governance rules and compensation for elected officials, with implications for accountability and the role of the city manager.
Next steps: City staff will prepare public education materials ahead of the May election and return to answer more detailed legal and implementation questions as directed by council.
