Incumbents lead in early voting

Incumbents Diane Hervol and Shane Arabie led in early voting in the election for Kyle City Council and all but one of the proposed charter changes — the one involving how the city’s finance director can be replaced — appear heading for approval by comfortable margins.

Hervol, seeking her third term on the council, led local businessman Travis Mitchell with 53 percent of the early  vote (383-337). Arabie held a slightly more comfortable lead over bartender Randall Lloyd, capturing 58 percent of the early votes cast (390-281).

The only proposed charter change in any trouble of being rejected was one that would have eliminated the requirement that the council must confirm any action taken by a city manager to dismiss the city’s finance director. It’s close, however, with 50.8 percent of the absentee voters casting ballots against that change. Somewhat surprisingly, the proposed change to make this election that last municipal one to be held in May is passing easily with almost 73 percent of the absentee voters favoring that change. If that passes, as it looks like it will, future municipal elections will be in November.

A breakdown of the early voting on all the charter amendments looks like this:

Prop. 1:Shall Sections 4.03 (g) (o) (p), 5.11 of the City Charter be amended to require submission to the qualified voters of the City to eliminate provisions which have become inoperative because they have been superseded by state law; replace obsolete references; update terminology to current legal usage, and to eliminate obsolete transitional provisions? For: 579 (83%); Against 122 (17%)

Prop 2: Shall Section 3.05 of the City Charter be amended to require submission to the qualified voters of the City to add causes to remove any elected officer to also include habitual substance abuse and conviction of a misdemeanor involving a crime of moral turpitude which are crimes involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, misrepresentation, deliberate violence, or that reflect adversely on an elected official’s honesty, trustworthiness? For: 623 (87%); Against 92 (17%)

Prop 3: Shall Sections 4.01 and 4.03 of the City Charter be amended to authorize the City Council to recommend and approve appointments to all City Boards and Commissions? For: 456 (65%); Against: 244 (35%).

Prop 4: Shall Section 4.03 (a) of the City Charter be amended to eliminate the requirement of Council confirmation on the dismissal of the Director of Finance? For: 334 (49%); Against: 345 (51%).

Prop.5: Shall Section 4.05 of the City Charter be amended to clarify that neither the Mayor nor Council shall instruct the City Manager or any city employee to hire or terminate any city employee and require the Mayor and Council to go through the City Manager for administrative and management functions of the City? For: 546 (79%); Against: 147 (21%)

Prop. 6: Shall Section 5.02 of the City Charter be amended to move the City’s general election date for the Mayor and Councilmembers from May to November and approve a transitional provision extending terms of those elected in May 2016 and those expiring in May 2017 and May 2018 to November 2017, November 2018 and November 2019? For: 506 (74%); Against 181 (26%).

Prop. 7: Shall Section 7.10 of the City Charter be amended to clarify that the City Attorney shall report to the City Manager but remain appointed by the Mayor and City Council? For: 520 (76%); Against 165 (24%).

Prop. 8: Shall Section 8.09 of the City Charter be amended to require two authorized signatures, one must be either the City Manager or Finance Director, for checks, vouchers, warrants or withdrawal of funds from city depositories? For: 614 (89%); Against 78 (11%).

Prop. 9: Shall Section 8.11 (e) of the City Charter be added so that any issuance of debt not have a repayment period greater than the life of the asset(s) being funded? For: 606 (88%); Against: 87 (12%).

Prop 10: Shall Section 8.11 (f) of the City Charter be added so that any issuance of debt or instrument of obligation exceeding 5% of the annual assessed valuation of the city shall only be issued with a binding referendum being placed on the ballot and such expenditure approved by the voters? For: 576 (84%); Against: 106 (16%).

Prop 11: Shall Section 13.10 of the City Charter be added so that all meetings, hearings and workshops of the Council, any Board, Commission or Committee of the City shall comply with the Texas Open Meetings Act and shall provide a time for public comment? For: 656 (93%); Against: 51 (7%).