Proposition A

PASSED

Proposition B

PASSED

Ballot issue “A”

City of Houston Charter Amendment

Ballot issue “B”

Proposition relating to City of Houston’s participation in certain regional organizations

Shall the City Charter of the City of Houston be amended to enable three or more Council Members, by written request, to have item(s) placed on the agenda of a regular City Council meeting and to have such item(s) considered by Council?

Explanation:

This City of Houston Charter Amendment was approved by the Houston City Council in 2021 as a matter for voter determination, specifically designated to appear on this present ballot (November 7, 2023).  The current Charter of the City of Houston names the Mayor as the exclusive agenda-setting authority for each weekly City Council meeting.  This amendment would allow items to be placed on the weekly agenda at the request of at least three city council members.

Proponents of the measure believe that this change would allow the Houston City Council to more comprehensively deliberate important issues. Opponents regard the change as an unnecessary, possibly clumsy, adjustment.



All City of Houston voters may vote on this ballot issue. 

Vote “yes” if you are in favor of amending the City of Houston Charter to allow at least three city council members to place items on the weekly City Council meeting Agenda.   

Vote “no” if you are in favor of keeping the Mayor as the exclusive agenda-setting authority.

Shall the City Charter of the City of Houston be amended: to require that membership by the City of Houston in a Council of Government or Metropolitan Planning Organization shall be contingent on the votes of the governing board for such council or organization being apportioned proportionately on the basis of population, notwithstanding statutory voting members, and that members representing local governments shall have at least 90 percent of the total votes; and to require the City of Houston to withdraw its membership from any non-compliant Council of Government or Metropolitan Planning Organization if the voting system is not corrected within 60 days of the effective date of adoption of the Charter provision.

Explanation:

This proposition will allow the City of Houston to remain in any Council of Governments or Metropolitan Planning Organization only if votes on the agency’s Governing Board are apportioned among the members based on the population of each jurisdiction.  The City of Houston would be required to withdraw from any agency that does not afford population-proportional representation.  Presently, there are no instructions or requirements in place that regulate City of Houston membership in Councils of Government or Metropolitan Planning Organizations.

This measure was sparked by the terms of Houston’s membership in the Houston Galveston Area Council, a policy-making agency that distributes state and federal funds. The Houston Galveston Area Council is governed by a 37-person board that currently includes two Houston representatives.

Proponents of the measure believe that population-proportional voting is democratic and ensures responsive governance.  Opponents believe that strict population-proportional voting would erode the beneficial concept of regional, broad-based planning and governance.

All City of Houston voters may vote on this ballot issue. 

Vote “yes” if you are in favor of instructing the City of Houston to participate only in those Government Councils or Regional Planning Organizations that are managed by population-proportional governance. 

Vote “no” if you are in favor of keeping the present system of allowing the City of Houston to participate in Government Councils or Regional Planning Organizations, no matter the terms of the organization’s governance.