Proposed Charter Amendment
Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2021 5:18 pm
Colleagues,
I am proposing a charter amendment at Tuesday’s Special Called Meeting that would give City Council and the community the opportunity to make the office even stronger and more independent moving forward through future discussion and Council ordinance.
In other cities, the Office of Police Oversight is independently appointed (like our City Auditor) or has civilian reporting structures through independent boards like the police review commission. These arrangements can improve transparency and community trust, but many of these options are limited by our current charter. By making the proposed charter change, the community and City Council can weigh options and pass ordinances in the future that create the structures that are best for Austin. In the end, this is all about continuing to strengthen the police oversight function that we've worked on for years.
In most cases, I would prefer more time for community conversation before putting a charter amendment on the ballot. Since the citizen petitions have triggered a charter election, we may not have the opportunity to alter the charter again for two years, given state law. I don't want to let the moment pass us by. Further, this charter amendment is different. It creates the *option* for Council to create more independent structures, but the charter amendment does not dictate the future path. That is, this charter amendment opens the door to broader community engagement-- it does not close doors.
I'd like to thank my co-sponsors for adding their names so that we can have this discussion on Tuesday.
Thanks,
-Greg
I am proposing a charter amendment at Tuesday’s Special Called Meeting that would give City Council and the community the opportunity to make the office even stronger and more independent moving forward through future discussion and Council ordinance.
In other cities, the Office of Police Oversight is independently appointed (like our City Auditor) or has civilian reporting structures through independent boards like the police review commission. These arrangements can improve transparency and community trust, but many of these options are limited by our current charter. By making the proposed charter change, the community and City Council can weigh options and pass ordinances in the future that create the structures that are best for Austin. In the end, this is all about continuing to strengthen the police oversight function that we've worked on for years.
In most cases, I would prefer more time for community conversation before putting a charter amendment on the ballot. Since the citizen petitions have triggered a charter election, we may not have the opportunity to alter the charter again for two years, given state law. I don't want to let the moment pass us by. Further, this charter amendment is different. It creates the *option* for Council to create more independent structures, but the charter amendment does not dictate the future path. That is, this charter amendment opens the door to broader community engagement-- it does not close doors.
I'd like to thank my co-sponsors for adding their names so that we can have this discussion on Tuesday.
Thanks,
-Greg