Dallas City Wire

DALLAS – The City of Dallas Charter Review Commission is spending the first three months of 2024 reviewing proposed changes to the Charter, Dallas’ foundational governing document, with proposals ranging from technical revisions to matters involving the powers, functions and framework city government. 

Following three months of soliciting amendments from residents, stakeholders, and City staff, the Commission received 123 proposed amendments by the Jan. 19 submission deadline. For a full list of amendments, Dallas.gov. 

“We are making good progress,” said Chair Allen Vaught. “These first two meetings have allowed us to dispense of some amendments that were not appropriate for a document like the Charter so that we can focus on the weighty amendment discussions in the weeks ahead. I expect robust conversation as we go forward and look at important changes to make local government in Dallas fairer and more efficient.” 

The Commission began reviewing technical amendments on Jan. 11. They advanced nine technical amendments intended to ensure alignment with current legal standards. On Jan. 23, the Commission voted to exclude 24 amendments from further consideration after they were deemed inapplicable. They also advanced two amendments for further consideration, excluding three after debate and held three more until a later meeting date. An updated list of Commission decisions can be found at Dallas.gov.  

All remaining amendments will be heard over the course of the next two months. The Commission has already indicated that several headline items, such as council term lengths and limits, council salary, and election date will be among the main focuses. 

Additionally, an upcoming series of town hall meetings hosted by Commission members and City Council members will help the public provide feedback on the amendments directly to the Commission. Upcoming dates for public meetings will be available on the City’s calendar of events at Dallas.gov/calendar once they are finalized.  

More information regarding the Dallas City Charter and the review process can be found at DallasCityHall.com/departments/government-affairs/Charter-Review.  

Original source can be found here.