Cedar Park voters to weigh 15 charter amendment changes in May election From the cover
BY JESSICA MCLAREN
What they’re saying
How it works
The city’s charter review committee met three times in 2025 before recommending 16 initial amendments to the City Council on Dec. 18. Chair Tony Moline said the recommendations primarily focus on state law compliance and removing outdated or conicting provisions. At the Jan. 8 council meeting, City Attorney J.P. LeCompe presented a rened package for consideration. The council ultimately removed one amendment related to mayoral veto power, noting that the provision was confusing and would not result in any func- tional change. Council member Anne Du y characterized many of the amendments as routine house- keeping, while Kevin Harris noted that several proposals had been discussed in prior charter reviews, including the 2018 election, which included 26 amendments.
In most cases, the changes are intended to clean up language and defer to state law rather than create new local policy, LeCompe said. Still, some proposals prompted discus- sion. Several council members expressed a preference for allocating potential compen- sation funds elsewhere, though the measure remained in the nal package presented to voters. The committee also noted that state employees may not be eligible to run for City Council if the compensation measure is approved. Mayor Jim Penniman-Morin told Commu- nity Impact that the citizens committee spent months developing the recommendations and deserved deference. “We appreciate the time put into it,” he said. “We should give it to the voters.”
A home rule charter establishes city government structure, powers and procedures. Unlike ordinances, which City Council can adopt or amend, charter changes require voter approval. Cedar Park’s charter was adopted in 1987 and has been amended ve times, most recently in 2021. Larry Schooler, a University of Texas professor specializing in civic engagement, said charter votes carry weight in a representative democracy. “Sometimes when we think about the public’s role in our democracy, we sort of limit it to electing candidates,” he said. “But we recognize that a change to a signicant document like a charter should give the public the nal say.” Many proposed updates aim to make the charter easier to understand, while a few carry broader implications for how the city operates. For example, voters will decide whether to pay council members for the rst time, how quickly emergency measures can be enacted and how residents can petition their government.
“I don’t know that [compensation] would make a big dierence for me. Certainly, it wouldn’t aect my desire to serve.” JIM PENNIMAN MORIN, MAYOR
“It’s getting us that cleaned-up, compliant version of our charter in line with state law. We aren’t in the
Proposed amendments The 15 proposed amendments vary in scope, from clarifying existing language and aligning the charter with state law to changes aecting city operations and resident engagement.
business of creating language to confuse people. It’s pretty straightforward.” ANNE DUFFY, COUNCIL MEMBER
Proposition D Compensation
Should City Council members receive $1,000 per month and the mayor $1,200 per month, and allow reimbursement for ocial expenses?
Proposition I Emergency ordinances
Should the city charter be amended to remove duplicate language requiring four council votes for an emergency ordinance? Proposition L Form of petitions Should the city charter be amended to remove requirements for verifying signatures, in accordance with state law?
How to vote
Williamson County residents can visit www. wilcotx.gov/elections and Travis County residents can visit www.votetravis.gov. Residents can review full proposition texts at www.cedarparktexas.gov.
Cedar Park residents will vote on the charter amendments May 2. Early voting runs April 20-28. Penniman-Morin encouraged residents to approach the ballot thoughtfully. “I always advise residents to do as much research as they can and approach these questions thoughtfully. Most of these are really clean-up measures to align the charter with state law,” he said. Each of the 15 propositions will appear separately on the ballot. For polling locations,
Proposition O Charter review
For a full voter guide, including a breakdown of all 15 amendments, go to communityimpact.com.
Should the city charter be amended to create a seven-to-15-member citizen Charter Review Committee with reasonable access to city records?
SOURCE: CITY OF CEDAR PARKCOMMUNITY IMPACT
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CEDAR PARK EDITION
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