Commission makes recommendations on petition requirements, conflicting ballot initiatives

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- After Austin City Council created a Charter Review Commission, the group has its first round of recommendations for city council members which could eventually change how difficult it for citizens to get something on a ballot.

The commission, made up of community members appointed by city council, is looking at City Charter, including possible changes to petition requirements.

The recommendations include changing the number of signatures required for a citizen-initiated petition to end up on your ballot. Think the police oversight proposition you voted on last year, or the camping ban you approved a few back.

Right now, the magic number of signatures required to get a petition on your ballot is 20,000 or 5% of registered voters, whichever is less. Because Austin's population has grown so rapidly, 20,000 has consistently been less.

The Charter Review Commission is recommending that change to a flat 3.5% of registered voters.

Another change the commission is recommending, tackling what happens when conflicting initiatives end up on your ballot. That happened last year, when two police oversight measures with the same name, but competing language, both ended up for a vote.

Only one passed, but what would have happened should they both have, is still very unclear.

The commission is recommending that the proposition that gets the most votes be the one implemented.

The group is also recommending bumping the number of signatures required to get a city council member recall on the ballot from 10% of registered voters in a council member's district to 15%.

Austin City Council is expected to hear the recommendation next month. No changes can be made to City Charter without being put before voters.

Here are all of the Charter Review Recommendations, as written to city council:

• Alphabetic rotation for proposition lettering: "This recommendation requires ballot propositions to be labeled sequentially through the alphabet until its completion."
• 3.5% signature threshold for petitions: "This recommendation sets a durable signature threshold for the approval of citizen initiative and referendum petitions at 3.5% of qualified Austin voters."
• Signature, Form, and Notice of Intent for Petitions: "This recommendation addresses signature validity and requires a notice of intent with a 90-day deadline."
• Citizen-Initiated Petitions on Municipal General Election Dates: "This recommendation requires council to select the earliest municipal general election date when it orders an election for Charter changes or citizen-initiated initiatives."
• Conflicting Ballot Initiatives: "This recommendation requires the implementation of the provisions of the proposition receiving the highest number of votes."
• Disclosure & Contribution Limits for Recall Petitions: "This recommendation requires public disclosure and campaign finance reporting for contributions and expenditures made related to recall petitions."
• Recall Signature Thresholds: "This recommendation requires the recall of a city council member with a petition containing valid signatures of at least 15% of qualified voters within the respective council district instead of the current 10% of qualified voters."
• Ratification of City Attorney Appointment: "The CRC recommends that the city manager appoint or remove the city attorney with the confirmation of council."
• Designated Assistant City Attorney: "This recommendation designates an attorney within the city attorney’s office to serve as a liaison to the council."