(Texas Scorecard) – A planned November electoral referendum on 13 proposed amendments to Austin’s City Charter might have to wait for a future date following a recent court ruling.
As Texas Scorecard has previously reported, the Austin City Council recently voted to place 13 proposed amendments to the city charter on this fall’s General Election ballot. While some of the measures had the potential to be significant, most were relatively minor.
Following a court ruling last week, however, that might not happen. On August 22, a Travis County district court issued a temporary restraining order against the city, claiming that the council violated the Texas Open Meetings Act with their call for the election. A court hearing is scheduled for later this week.
The lawsuit was brought by “Save Our Springs,” an environmental advocacy group. The group claims the council failed to provide sufficient public notice and did not enable public participation.
“Seeking to hide this basic truth, the Mayor and Council majority called this last minute ‘emergency’ election without the public notice and public participation required by state law. They are hoping uninformed voters overwhelmed by a lengthy ballot loaded with other state, federal, and local elections will simply vote ‘yes’ to major City Charter changes hidden behind vague and friendly-sounding ballot language,” SOS Executive Director Bill Bunch said.
“The Austin City Council is becoming lawless, and this lawsuit is another example of their arrogant disdain for transparency. Mayor Watson and the Council majority are undermining democracy with violations of the Texas Open Meetings Act,” said Bill Aleshire, a former Travis County Judge and attorney for the Plaintiffs.
If the lawsuit succeeds, the proposed charter amendments would likely appear on the ballot in 2025.