Residents pushing for the right to hold a recall vote are planning on a petition drive, though the Taylor City Council has yet to voice any support for putting the measure on the Nov. 3 ballot.
That was the latest take on the contentious issue following the July 9 council meeting when members on the dais received the finalized list of seven recommended amendments for a city charter election.
The council decides which amendments actually make it to the ballot for the general election. One issue still not on the list: Giving the public the power at the ballot box to recall council members.
Some residents are now initiating a petition drive to add a recall measure to Taylor’s city charter. The group is working on making the petition available for the public to download and sign.
The council took no action on the item, but a public hearing on the amendments will be held before the final vote to add recommendations to the November ballot.
The seven recommendations before the council include establishing term limits for officeholders and improving public notification before voting on previously codenamed developments.
The Charter Review Commission discussed the recall topic twice, but proponents could not get majority approval and it was not included on the final list of suggested changes.
“From my perspective, it was a healthy discussion,” said Charles Zech, an attorney with Denton Navarro Rodriguez Bernal Santee & Zech who advised the commission. “Ultimately, it was a split vote to not recommend placing recall on the ballot.”
The commissioners’ vote failed 5-4, though one member later stated he was confused about what he was voting against and would have changed it to a “for” vote, potentially causing it to pass.
John McDonald, who chaired the commission, said there were concerns about frivolous recalls and about the potential to recall a majority of a sitting council, leaving the city unable to conduct official business until new members were elected.
According to the Texas Municipal League, as of 2011, 90% of home-rule cities such as Taylor have recall provisions in their charters.
