City of Bastrop Voters: Stop ‘Council Majority’ Private Meetings
Vote YES on Proposition K – Keep Government Meetings Open to the Public!
Proposition K is about transparency. Right now, three out of five voting council members – the majority — can meet privately to discuss city business, out of the public eye. That’s not right.
Prop K fixes this by ensuring these meetings follow the Texas Open Meetings Act. It amends the City Charter to require a quorum for public business, meaning no more secret discussions.
This is a straightforward, common-sense measure supported by a super majority of the City’s volunteer Charter Revision Commission.
Your vote for Prop K is a vote for more open, honest government.
Let’s hold our elected officials accountable – vote YES on Prop K!
Need a reminder to share with your neighbors and friends? Print this flyer.
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Related post: https://bastropbog.com/uphold-the-win/
SPECIAL City Council Meeting
MONDAY • August 19 • 5PM
Deadline for Charter changes to be voted on if they’re to be on the November 5 ballot. See discussion below.
The agenda for Tuesday’s City Council meeting is online. You can read just the agenda or the entire packet (agenda with complete documentation).
Item 14D, Charter Changes, is critical to open government.
What are the recommendations that will affect open government? We discuss them below, but you can read through them all and determine if others are important to you.
You can comment on them via the City Council comments form. It’s best to fill it out online, indicate that you wish to speak, and also include your comments in case you don’t make it to the meeting, can’t get in, or change your mind about speaking. (See our previous post on this topic.)
PLEASE NOTE: The City Council can ignore the recommendations of their appointed Charter Commission. (See our previous post on this topic.)
QUORUM: By a vote of 11-2, this modified amendment was APPROVED by the Commission.
Prop. 5: Shall Section 3.13 of the Charter be amended to specify that 3 members of the Council shall constitute a quorum?
THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT CHARTER CHANGE! Under the current Charter, a voting majority of three Council members can meet in private. This amendment would stop that, making a quorum four members for all City Council meetings, but three members at all other times. A voting majority could no longer meet in private, outside of a public meeting.
TWO READINGS: By a 12-0 vote this amendment was REJECTED by the Commission.
Prop. C: Shall Section 3.15(b) of the Charter be amended to authorize the city council to waive by an affirmative vote of four (4) or more Council Members the requirement that an ordinance be read in two separate meetings?
The point of two readings is so that the public has an opportunity to know what the City Council is considering and come to a future meeting to be heard on the subject. The City Council appointed Charter Commission REJECTED this proposal.
P&Z MEMBERSHIP: This amendment was REJECTED by the Commission.
Prop. I: Shall Section 12.01 of the Charter be amended to provide that the number of Planning and Zoning commissioners shall be established by ordinance?
[NOTE: In the Commission’s second meeting, a motion was made to leave the number of Planning and Zoning Commissioners as stated in the Charter. It was approved on a vote of 12-0.]
In the Commission’s second meeting, a motion was made to leave the number of Planning and Zoning Commissioners as stated in the current Charter. This motion was approved on a vote of 12-0. The City Council appointed Charter Commission wants the P&Z membership left as is.
BOARD APPOINTMENTS: By a vote of 11-1, this amendment was APPROVED by the Commission.
Prop. 1: Shall Section 3.01 of the Charter be amended to clarify that the Mayor appoints candidates to serve on boards (committees, commissions, task forces, etc.) and the Council confirms the appointment?
This will provide clarity given imprecise language in Sections 3.01(5) and 3.08. The City Council appointed Charter Commission APPROVED this proposal. An alternative to allow 2 City Council members to appoint was REJECTED.
CHARTER REVIEW: By a vote of 10-1, this modified amendment was APPROVED by the Commission.
Prop. 4: Shall Section 3.09 of the Charter be amended to mandate that the City Council must appoint a Charter Review Commission every six years?
This mandates that a citizens Charter Review Commission be appointed to conduct the assessment. The City Council appointed Charter Commission APPROVED this proposal.
Tuesday, August 13, brings another Bastrop City Council meeting. While the focus of the news often is squarely on national politics, the decisions of your local city council directly affect your day to day life.
So, how to keep up? First is to download and read the agenda. Agendas must be online 72 hours prior to the start of a City Council meeting. They typically are up on Friday afternoon before a Tuesday regular meeting.
Go to CityofBastrop.org. Click “Government”, then “City Council”.
From the left menu on the City Council page, select “2024 Agenda & Minutes” to review the agenda. Under “2024 Bastrop City Council Meetings”, select “Click here for Agenda and Packet“.
Amendments to the City Charter will be on the August 13 agenda, so if you want to read through the current City Charter, select “City Charter (pdf)”.
To register your wish to speak, or register your opinion on an agenda item, select “Council Request to Speak Form“. It’s fillable and can be submitted online.
DID YOU KNOW? If you right click a link on your desktop browser, you can choose to open it in a new tab.
There are two ways to speak at a City Council meeting.
For issues not on the agenda, you can choose to speak for up to 3 minutes on the topic of your choice under “Citizens’ Comments”.
For issues on the agenda, indicate the agenda item number in the box and whether you will speak in favor of or in opposition to that item.
You can also choose not to speak but to register your support or opposition to an agenda item.
You can download the agenda as a PDF, print it, and make notations on your copy. Bring it with you. Some copies will be available at the meeting, but not the full agenda packet for the public (only the agenda itself). The full packet includes all the reports provided to Council members ahead of the meeting so you can review what they have reviewed. The agenda includes links to the specific backup information for each item so you don’t have to wade your way through several hundred pages to find details on an issue.
Hopefully this post provides you with lots of information on how to be an informed citizen.
The Council-created City of Bastrop Charter Commission met yesterday (July 29). The City Council, when creating this Commission, required a super-majority (10 out of 13) to vote in favor of any proposed changes to the Charter. The Commission is not empowered to place changes on the ballot for voter approval. The Commission is only empowered to recommend changes to the City Council. Even in the face of super-majority recommendations, the City Council can nix any recommendation it doesn’t like.
Will the City Council vote to support the super-majority recommendations of their own duly created Charter Commission, or will they vote against restoring transparency and integrity to City business?
The current charter sets a quorum at 4 for all business, allowing a voting majority of 3 City Council members to meet in private.
The Charter Commission voted 11 – 2 to set the City Council quorum at four for meetings, and three for all other city business. The two no votes came from lawyer Joe Grady Tuck and his law partner Chris Kirby.
The proposed change would prevent a voting majority from meeting outside the eyes of the public. It would prevent them from meeting in advance and determining how they were going to vote prior to a meeting, prior to even hearing from the public on an issue. It would force transparency and go a long way to restoring integrity to City business.
The Council’s next meeting is August 13. They must vote at that meeting, or call a special meeting to place any Charter Commission recommended changes on the November ballot for voter approval. The Council must act by August 19 at the latest.
Of course, they can vote no, refusing to follow the recommendations of their own appointees. Email the City Council members now supporting this Charter recommendation to restore transparency and integrity to City business.