The City Council decided today to ask voters to consider four possible changes to the city charter — three of which were recommended by the Charter Review Commission — as part of the November General Election. The changes involve annexation policy, polling places, police/community collaboration and voter initiatives.
The council will be presented with the proposed ballot language during its regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday and take the first of possibly two votes at that time on whether to actually put the proposed changes on the ballot.
The voter initiative suggestion is arguably the most interesting item suggested if, for no other reason, it is one that was not recommended by the Charter Review Commission. As proposed by Mayor Travis Mitchell it would allow the council to call elections so that voters can decide on certain issues, in either a binding or a non-binding referendum. As outlined, five council members would have to approve an item before it could be placed before voters.
The annexation and polling place changes are largely procedural and serve mainly to bring the city charter in compliance with state law. The final change would mandate, according to the recommendation of the commission, that the “City of Kyle Police Department shall collaborate with community members to develop policies, strategies, data sharing and deploy resources that aim to reduce crime by improving relationships, increase community engagement, and promote cooperation.” Three council members — Dex Ellison, Alex Villalobos and Michael Tobias — thought that language was too ambiguous and agreed to collaborate on more precise wording they wanted to present to the voters.
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