On July 2, 2021, City Secretary Pat Jefferson-Daniel submitted a report to Mayor Sylvester Turner and Members of City Council, which verified a citizen petition seeking an election to amend the City Charter to enable three or more Council Members, by written request, to place an item on the agenda of a regular City Council meeting. Texas Local Government Code Section 9.004 provides that City Council must order a charter amendment election on the “first authorized uniform election date prescribed by the Election Code or on the earlier of the date of the next municipal general election or presidential general election,” if the proposed charter amendment is supported by a valid petition signed by at least 20,000 qualified voters of the City of Houston. In her report, the City Secretary determined that a sufficient number of valid signatures were submitted in the petition.
The proposed ordinance calls an election to be held on the next municipal general election date, November 7, 2023, jointly with other governmental entities, for the purpose of placing before the qualified voters of the City a proposed charter amendment to enable three or more Council Members, by written request, to place an item on the agenda for a regular City Council meeting. The ordinance also indicates City Council’s intention to have November 7, 2023 as the date on which it will order an election for subsequent charter amendment petitions that are validated in time to order the election on such date.
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Pat J. Daniel
City Secretary