San Antonio Makes Big Changes to City Charter
In a lively and exciting scene, residents of San Antonio celebrated some significant updates to their city charter this week! On Tuesday night, all six proposed amendments sailed through with ease, introducing new provisions regarding council member pay raises, extended terms of office, and changes to the city manager’s salary. These changes are stirring up quite the conversation around town!
What’s in the Amendments?
First up, let’s chat about proposition A. This one adds a clear definition for conflicts of interest and gives the Ethics Review Board (ERB) some power to decline complaints if they’ve been addressed elsewhere, like in a Human Resources investigation. Essentially, this just tidies up some of the existing language and aligns it with state laws, making things a bit more straightforward moving forward.
Making Room for Change
Now, the big news for city managers: the cap that previously prevented city managers from earning more than ten times the lowest-paid city worker has been lifted! With this change, our current City Manager, Erik Walsh, who has a salary of $374,400, is no longer bound by the eight-year limit and can serve longer in his role. This is great news for Walsh and could mean some exciting developments for the city ahead!
Keeping it Fair and Accessible
Looking at the workforce, the amendments will now allow most city employees to get involved in local political campaigns, just like police officers and firefighters could already do. It’s a fantastic step forward for civic engagement! Employees can volunteer for any mayoral or council campaign they fancy, but they’ll need to keep their city duties separate from their campaigning. And, in a bid to protect these city workers, there’s also a provision prohibiting retaliation for their political activities – a much-needed safety net for our dedicated public servants.
New Paychecks Ahead!
As for those pay raises for council members and the mayor? Don’t get too excited just yet! They won’t kick in until the next council members are sworn in this June. So, while the current council continues their hard work, the new compensation plan will affect future leaders.
Longer Terms but the Same Limits
Another pivotal change is the doubling of council and mayoral terms from two to four years, starting with the upcoming elections in May 2025. But hold on – don’t get carried away thinking anyone can stick around forever! The eight-year limit still stands. So, if a sitting council member looks set to run over that limit, they will need to step down mid-term, leading to a special election for someone to finish the remaining two years. There’s quite a bit of strategy involved as these political games unfold.
Who Might Be Impacted?
Current council members are taking the news in stride. Councilwoman Adriana Rocha Garcia has already thrown her hat in the ring for mayor, so she seems set for whatever the future holds, while Councilwoman Melissa Cabello Havrda also has plans to run. Less seasoned council members like Sukh Kaur, Mariana Alderete Gavito, and Marc Whyte are, however, still figuring out how this will shake out in future elections.
With a love for keeping things fresh and exciting, San Antonio is embracing these changes head on. Residents are staying tuned as city officials plan to canvass the results on November 19, at which point we’ll have a clearer idea of how these changes will impact daily life in the city. So, mark your calendars, San Antonio! The future looks bright!
