Charter Revision Committee hosts public forum, inches toward potential Feb. 2 vote

Bickerstaff said he has witnessed single-member districts defeated by Austin voters in the past, but he believes including an independent commission option would better the plan's change at passage. He said people are skeptical when governing bodies seeking reelection draw district boundaries, and would prefer the choice to be made by citizens.

Several committee members asked for an explanation on how the commission members would be chosen.

Bickerstaff pointed to the City of San Diego as an example for Austin to follow. He said applicants are chosen by the city auditor based on qualifications and placed into a pool. Eight members are then randomly selected, while six more are chosen from the pool to ensure diversity in gender, ethnicity and political party.

There would also be requirements for applicants, including voting in a certain number of previous elections and not currently holding public office. They would also not be able to seek public office for five years to ensure decisions are not made based on self-interest.

Committee member Ted Siff said he was skeptical at first, but may now be in favor of an independent citizens commission, and noted discussion indicated other members supported the idea as well.

Representatives from Austinites for Geographic Representation, the League of Women Voters, and the University of Texas student government spoke in support of an independent citizens commission.

Stefanie Collins of AGR, a group who favors the 10-1 plan, said they believe an independent commission is the most fair and efficient way to determine district boundaries.

John Lawler, representing UT's student government, said geographic representation is a big issue on campus and that they unanimously endorse the 10-1 plan as well as an independent commission. He said they believe a student should be a member on such a commission due to Austin's large population of driven, young people, which he said is often a product of the area's colleges and universities.

"It would not only valuable, but needed for the future of Austin to move forward," Lawler said.

It was noted that qualifications to be on the commission would be different for students.

The committee also heard public testimony on geographic representation from several members of the Asian-American community who agreed that a hybrid system would better serve the Asian-American population, which is spread out across Austin.

The committee also discussed campaign finance reform, voting in favor of more disclosure of bundled campaign contributions received by officeholders and the city, and providing that information to the public in an easily accessible central location.

Limits on bundled campaign contributions by registered lobbyists were also approved including a maximum of $1,750 per city candidate for individual bundlers and a maximum of $3,500 per candidate per election for firms that bundle.

If approved by voters in November, the charter amendments will be implemented in 2013 with the first election under the new system for representation held in November 2013.

The committee plans to vote on the final recommendations to submit to City Council at its Feb. 2 meeting at City Hall. The committee was commissioned until the end of March, but if members finish their business, this could be their last meeting.

Public input will not be heard at the next meeting. Committee Chair Gonzalo Barrientos recommended contacting members within the next two weeks should they have questions or comments.