Central Austin Edition - March 2021

Explaining the ballot Austin voters have eight decisions in front of them, seven to change the city charter and one proposed amendment to the city code. There are no individual candidates appearing on the ballot. Instead of choosing who runs the government, Austinites will decide May 1 how the government is run. COMPILED BY JACK FLAGLER & CHRISTOPHER NEELY ELECTION

Major decisions go to Austin voters

2 0 2 1 L O C A L V O T E R G U I D E

D A T E S T O K N O W

Austin residents can vote at any open polling location within the city. The list of 18 early voting locations and 98 Election Day polling places are available on the Travis County Clerk’s website. Readers can also visit communityimpact.com for more information. W H E R E T O V O T E

April 19 First day of early voting

April 27 Last day of early voting May 1 Election day May 1 Last day to receive ballot by mail (unless late- arriving deadline applies)

April 20 Last day to apply for ballot by mail (received, not postmarked)

PROPOSITION A FIREFIGHTERS UNION CHARTER AMENDMENT

PROPOSITION B

PROPOSITION C

PROPOSITION D

REINSTATING THE HOMELESS ORDINANCES

APPOINTING THE DIRECTOR OF POLICE OVERSIGHT

CHANGING THE DATE OF MAYORAL ELECTIONS

WHAT A YES VOTE MEANS:

If the Austin Fireghters Association and the city of Austin reach an impasse in collective bargaining negotiations, either side would have the ability to force labor negotiations into binding arbitration.

Certain behaviors that are legal under Austin’s code would become criminal oenses. Those include sitting or lying down, sleeping outdoors or camping in certain public areas of the city.

City Council would create rules for appointing the director of police oversight through an ordinance.

Instead of electing the mayor in gubernatorial election years, the mayor would be elected in presidential election years. If this vote passes, the mayor elected in 2022 would serve a two- year term, followed by mayoral elections in presidential years beginning in 2024.

WHAT A NO VOTE MEANS:

The position would continue to be appointed directly by the city manager. The current director, Farah Muscadin, was appointed by City Manager Spencer Cronk in 2018.

WHAT A NO VOTE MEANS:

The city code would remain the same, which means people who lay down or set up tents in the city that are not blocking a passageway would not be subject to police enforcement.

The charter would remain unchanged. The next time the two sides will come to the negotiating table is spring 2022. The six-year contract between the city and the reghters association expires in October 2022.

WHAT A NO VOTE MEANS:

There would be no changes in mayoral elections, and the mayor elected in 2022 would serve a full four-year term until the next election in 2026.

PROPOSITION G ADDING AN 11TH CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT**

PROPOSITION F

PROPOSITION H

INSTITUTING A STRONGMAYOR FORM OF GOVERNMENT*

PROPOSITION E

WHAT A YES VOTE MEANS:

CREATING AN ALTERNATIVE CAMPAIGN FINANCE SYSTEM

ESTABLISHING RANKEDCHOICE VOTING

Austin’s hand-picked redistricting committee is already redrawing the existing 10 City Council districts based on updated census data. If voters approve Proposition G, the committee would need to add an 11th district.

WHAT A YES VOTE MEANS:

WHAT A NO VOTE MEANS: Austin would continue as a council-manager form of government, with the city manager as top executive. The mayor would remain a voting member of City Council. The mayor would become City Hall’s top executive. The city manager position would be eliminated, and the mayor would be in charge of hiring and ring department heads. The mayor would have to sign o on legislation passed by City Council.

WHAT A YES VOTE MEANS:

Each registered Austin voter, in March and July of local oce election years, will receive a taxpayer-funded $25 Democracy Dollars voucher for each city- elected race the voter could cast a ballot in. The voter can then choose which registered candidate they wish to donate to.

Whether state law allows ranked- choice voting remains uncertain as there is no explicit law against it or precedent for it. If allowed, voters will be able to rank up to ve candidates on their ballots in City Council and mayoral races. When the ballots are counted, the candidate with the least rst- choice votes will be eliminated. Those ballots will then be recounted and redistributed using the second-choice candidate. This process will repeat until one candidate has more than 50% of the votes.

WHAT A NO VOTE MEANS:

Austin would continue with 10 City Council districts as redrawn by the redistricting committee.

AVOIDING GRIDLOCK

WHAT A NO VOTE MEANS:

Austin City Council added this proposal to create a council district in hopes of avoiding a 10-member City Council open to 5-5 vote ties should the mayor’s role change. However, since this is on the ballot at the same time as the strong mayor proposition, it creates a complicated set of outcomes. Voters who want to keep an odd- numbered 11-member council should either vote for Proposition F and Proposition G to create the strong mayor and additional council member, or vote against Proposition F and Proposition G to keep the current makeup of the dais with 10 council members and the mayor.

Campaign nance would remain in the status quo, with individuals able to donate up to $300 per candidate in mayoral and City Council races.

BIG-CITY SYSTEMS

WHAT A NO VOTE MEANS:

Six out of the top 10 largest cities in the country have a strong- mayor form of government, although Houston is the only large city in Texas with a strong mayor. As of 2019, Austin was the 11th-largest city in the nation.

Austin City Council and mayoral races will continue with each ballot casting a vote for a single candidate. Victory requires more than 50% of the popular vote. Races with three or more candidates carry the possibility of no candidate earning 50% in the general election. The top two vote-getters go to a head-to-head runo election a month later.

Onto 2022

SOURCE: CITY OF AUSTINCOMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER **If voters decide to create an extra council district, it would be created along with the 10 redrawn borders for the November 2022 election. *If voters elect to change the city charter to impose a strong-mayor form of government, it would not aect the role of Austin Mayor Steve Adler. The changes would come into play after a new mayor is elected in 2022. Adler, who is serving his second term, is not eligible to run for reelection.

Strong mayor: • New York City • Los Angeles • Chicago • Houston • Philadelphia • San Diego

Council- manager: • Phoenix • San Antonio • Dallas • San Jose • Austin

CENTRAL AUSTIN EDITION • MARCH 2021