In a closely watched election on Tuesday, Amarillo voters rejected four of five propositions that would have made significant changes to the City of Amarillo's charter. Among the most debated was Proposition A, which would have enacted a controversial “Sanctuary City” ordinance. However, Proposition E, which proposes changes to how vacancies on the city council are handled, passed with a slim majority, receiving 55.05% of the vote.
Proposition E: A New Path for Filling Vacancies
Proposition E's approval signals a shift in how the city will fill vacant elected positions. Under the new law, if a mayor or councilmember leaves office with fewer than 12 months remaining in their term, the city council will have the authority to appoint a replacement. In the case of a mayoral vacancy, the council would appoint a sitting councilmember to the position.
Additionally, Proposition E introduces a “resign-to-run” provision, which mandates that any elected city official who announces their intention to run for a different office must first resign from their current position, creating a vacancy.
Initially, Proposition E was seen as contingent on the passage of Proposition C, but recent statements from City Secretary Stephanie Coggins clarified that Proposition E will proceed independently of the other propositions. According to Coggins, the passage of Proposition E means that changes to the city charter will move forward, with a special City Council meeting scheduled for November 15 to canvass the official results.
Charter Changes and a Two-Year Moratorium
Following the approval of Proposition E, the Amarillo City Council will hold a special meeting to canvas the results of the election on Friday, November 15. The city will then adopt the changes to the city charter in a two-reading ordinance at a subsequent council meeting. Coggins expects this process to be completed by early February 2025, with the charter amendments becoming official sometime between late January and early February.
Coggins also noted that due to a two-year moratorium, no further amendments to the city charter can be proposed during this period.
In addition to Proposition A, several proposed amendments to the city charter also failed to gain approval:
Proposition B: This measure proposed adding two seats to the city council to expand representation but narrowly failed with 47.57% voting in favor and 52.43% against.
Proposition C: An amendment to stagger the terms of the mayor and city council members also failed, with 39.46% in favor and 60.54% opposed.
Proposition D: This measure proposed changes to recall election procedures but was defeated with 49.26% voting in favor and 50.74% against.
Proposition A and Citizen-Led Initiatives
While Proposition A, the controversial “Sanctuary City” measure, was overwhelmingly rejected by voters, City Secretary Coggins emphasized that citizen-led initiatives could bring the issue back before the city council. However, any future efforts to put a similar ordinance on the ballot cannot be revisited for three years, in accordance with city charter rules.
The failure of Proposition A leaves the contentious debate over sanctuary policies unresolved for the time being, but advocates of the measure may find alternative pathways to bring the issue back to the forefront in future years.
What's Next for Amarillo?
With the passage of Proposition E, the city will soon embark on the process of updating its charter to reflect the new rules for filling vacancies and handling resignations. While the future of some other charter changes remains uncertain due to the two-year moratorium, Proposition E's approval represents a significant step in reshaping the city's governance.
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