Voters in Dallas will decide this fall whether to increase the pay of the city council and mayor and change the date of city elections.
On Wednesday, the Dallas City Council spent nine hours discussing amendments to 15 initial ballot initiatives.
Some of the initial proposals for amendments to the city of Dallas charter did not survive council scrutiny to make it to the ballot, including a proposal to extend the term of city council members to four years from the current two-year terms.
District 1 Councilmember Chad West, representing parts of North Oak Cliff, authored the amendment to eliminate wording in the city charter referencing May as the time to hold city elections.
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"The opportunity for us as a council to change our election date and move it from May to November would, as we’ve seen in other cities across Texas, most likely double voter turnout, making it easier for voters to vote," West said.
The city council also advanced four citizen-led charter amendments, which is required under state law because each proposal obtained the necessary 20,000 valid signatures from Dallas residents.
One deals with the decriminalization of marijuana possession under four ounces.
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The other three from the group Dallas HERO relate to minimum staffing for the Dallas Police Department, compensation for the city manager being tied to the results of a city community survey, and citizens' ability to sue city government members for failing to follow the city charter.
Many councilmembers expressed concerns about the four citizen-led amendments, saying they would not vote for them as individual citizens, but advanced just before 10 p.m. Wednesday for voters to decide.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5. The last day to register to vote in the election is Monday, Oct. 7. Voter registration status can be checked here.
