By: Taylor of Galveston S.J.R. No. 54
(Faircloth)
proposing a constitutional amendment authorizing a municipal
charter amendment election to be held on certain election dates.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 5(a), Article XI, Texas Constitution, is
amended to read as follows:
(a) Cities having more than five thousand (5000)
inhabitants may, by a majority vote of the qualified voters of said
city, at an election held for that purpose, adopt or amend their
charters. An election to amend a charter may be held on an election
date prescribed by the Legislature. If the number of inhabitants of
cities that have adopted or amended their charters under this
section is reduced to five thousand (5000) or fewer, the cities
still may amend their charters by a majority vote of the qualified
voters of said city at an election held for that purpose. The
adoption or amendment of charters is subject to such limitations as
may be prescribed by the Legislature, and no charter or any
ordinance passed under said charter shall contain any provision
inconsistent with the Constitution of the State, or of the general
laws enacted by the Legislature of this State. Said cities may
levy, assess and collect such taxes as may be authorized by law or
by their charters; but no tax for any purpose shall ever be lawful
for any one year, which shall exceed two and one-half per cent. of
the taxable property of such city, and no debt shall ever be created
by any city, unless at the same time provision be made to assess and
collect annually a sufficient sum to pay the interest thereon and
creating a sinking fund of at least two per cent. thereon, except as
provided by Subsection (b). Furthermore, no city charter shall be
altered, amended or repealed oftener than every two years, except
that a subsequent charter election may be held on a date prescribed
by the Legislature even if that date falls a number of days short of
two years.
SECTION 2. This proposed constitutional amendment shall be
submitted to the voters at an election to be held November 7, 2017.
The ballot shall be printed to provide for voting for or against the
proposition: "The constitutional amendment authorizing a
municipal charter amendment election to be held on an election date
prescribed by the legislature."