Alpine council reviews multiple charter amendments and agrees to seek Secretary of State review

The Alpine City Council met in workshop to review proposed amendments to the City of Alpine charter and gave staff direction to send draft ballot language to the Texas Secretary of State for a preliminary conformity review ahead of the Nov. 3, 2026 uniform general election.

City Secretary presented draft language, current charter text, rationale and suggested ballot language for roughly nine amendments. City staff noted the Secretary of State typically replies within about seven days on whether proposed ballot language conforms to statute, and advised that sending the language early can reduce the need for rushed edits after an election is ordered.

Among the items the council reviewed: Proposition A would allow council to set water charges by resolution rather than ordinance to reduce recurring codification and publication costs; members expressed support for the change as a cost-saving measure. "Anytime we can save the city a little bit of money, why not?" Council Member Patia said.

An amendment labeled Proposition B would correct an internal inconsistency in term‑limit language so it matches what voters approved in 2024 (two consecutive terms totaling six years) and clarifies the one‑year post‑service sit‑out. Council members debated whether the one‑year sit‑out unfairly limits members who might run for mayor, discussed possible exemptions and whether to remove term limits entirely, but by consensus retained the one‑year cooling‑off period. "I do think this is a good conflict‑of‑interest firewall," one council member said in support of keeping the year‑long restriction.

Proposition C—proposed to extend the charter's December meeting exception to November to avoid annual rescheduling when the second meeting falls on Thanksgiving—was discussed at length and ultimately scratched from the package; councilors agreed to address calendar scheduling and transparency separately.

Other amendments the council kept or supported included: removing a statutory wording conflict in section 4.01 so the chief executive officer reference aligns with state law on public‑information responsibilities; Proposition E, which would allow the council to appoint a city manager to either a definite or indefinite term to provide flexibility for employment contracts; and Proposition G, which clarifies that the city secretary reports to the council while preserving the council's ability to obtain city manager input during evaluations.

On election housekeeping, the council supported a change to conform the charter's election date with the city's moved‑November schedule and an amendment aligning charter language with state law that requires majority voting (50% plus one) for offices with terms longer than two years; staff explained that runoffs will be administered if no candidate reaches a majority.

Councilors gave staff direction to submit the draft ballot language to the Texas Secretary of State for preliminary review and to plan to order the election by no later than Aug. 17. Staff reminded the group that candidate filing would open July 18 and close Aug. 17 for the seats associated with the charter election. The council adjourned at 4:40 p.m.