The big picture
The proposed changes to the city’s charter are the result of findings from the Charter Review Commission that was established in November. The changes include term limit and compensation changes for the mayor and council members; whether city employees can participate in political activity with protections from retribution or job loss; and other proposals.
The city had until a state deadline of Aug. 19 to add a special election to the Nov. 5 ballot, which already has elections for president, Congressional and legislative seats, and some Bexar County positions.
The proposed amendments would make the following changes to the city’s charter:
- A) Adds a definition of “conflicts of interest” and was revised to now keep term limits for Ethics Review Board members. The same amendment requires sufficient funding for the ERB so it can properly perform. Additionally, ERB would be authorized to accept or decline complaints that have been resolved by an entity other than the ERB.
- B) Revises charter language to address outdated and superseded provisions.
- C) Authorizes City Council to set the full terms of the city manager’s employment, including tenure and compensation.
- D) Allows city employees to participate in local political activity consistent with state and federal law while protecting employees against political retribution. Additionally, employees are prohibited from taking part in local political activities for city leaders.
- E) Sets annual compensation for council members and the mayor at $70,200 and $87,800, respectively, with future yearly adjustments correlated to what the U.S. Housing and Urban Development reports the current four-member household average median income for San Antonio to be. The proposed council member pay is at 80% of the 2023 AMI and the proposed mayoral pay lands at 100% of the 2023 AMI, according to city documents. This would also authorize a council member or the mayor to accept or decline any or all of the established compensation on an annual basis, according to a revision added during the Aug. 8 meeting.
- F) Extends the terms of all elected City Council members, including the mayor, from two to four years, and changes term limits from four full terms to two full terms. City officials said this item would preserve the potential of incumbent council members serving at least eight straight years.
City Council voted on adding propositions E and F separately from the rest of the propositions. Proposition E passed with council members Melissa Cabello Havrda, Manny Peláez and Marc Whyte voting against. Proposition F passed with Marina Alderete Gavito, Peláez and Whyte voting against.
Council voted in favor of propositions A through D unanimously.
In their own words
Each council member spoke on the proposed amendments, and Whyte, as council member for District 10, motioned to vote on propositions E and F separately; each member also commented on those separately.
District 9 council member John Courage spoke in favor of retaining City Council’s ability to hire and set the terms of the city manager’s employment—should voters approve Proposition C—as a way for the city to remain competitive and attract top talent.
“I think when this commission decided to recommend that the council retain its ultimate authority to hire or fire or pay the CEO for the city, that that was a good move for us,” Courage said. “I think that should be a priority. We're a [more than $3.5 million] enterprise with over 13,000 employees. It's only going to continue to grow because the city grows every year.”
Guillermo Vazquez, a field director for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, spoke during public comment in favor of Proposition D.
“It's a big deal considering this will allow employees to fully participate in the political process,” Vazquez said. “After all, having a voice is something all of us desire.”
Mayor Ron Nirenberg commented on the importance of the changes to council salaries.
“Let me tell you exactly what's happening with this amendment. We are forevermore taking the power of setting wages for City Council members away from City Council members. We are indexing it to the average median income for the HUD level of San Antonio families,” Nirenberg said. “So in essence for the representatives that serve our San Antonio families, the only way that their economic status will improve is that this body, in this community, was able to improve the status of San Antonio families. I think that's a good thing.”
