Commentary: Discussing Austin's Prop G
One of the more potentially contentious propositions on the May 1 ballot is Proposition G, a City Charter amendment for an 11th City Council district. The alteration is fraught with all sorts of trap doors and 'if/then' possibilities that could fundamentally change the view, effectiveness, and scope of Austin’s city council, whether or not Prop F (more on this later) passes.
Supporting Proposition G suggests the additional seat would present increased representation to a city growing exponentially. However, the seat could also create an unwanted gridlock scenario. In the current 10-1 system - ten city council members and Mayor Steve Adler as a voting member - gridlock is essentially improbable.
Proposition F should be included here, given its passage or failure bears significant consequences on Prop G, should it go through, respectively. Austinites for Progressive Reform PAC introduced Prop F and G via a signature drive, and the stand-alone amendments were meant to be tied at the hip.
Austinites for Progressive Reform's reasoning for the extra district rests on population growth, including some math suggesting districts would be (on average) 30% larger than they were in 2014 when they were last redrawn, per The Austin Common.
Proposition F, if it passed, would convert the manager-council system to a "strong" mayor system, eliminating the city manager position. However, it would also make the mayor a nonvoting member, reducing the city council vote total to ten. Prop G's 11th single-member district was proposed to bypass potential 5-5 deadlocks on Council.
"[Having] an even number of Council members makes it harder for the dais to pass proposals when in my view we need to be doing more in city government and not less," said Greg Casar, District 4 Council Member, to Austin Monitor. "We should avoid having an even number of Council districts, but there is no way for voters to say they want an odd number."
For clarification, if both propositions fail, the city government will remain unchanged. If both pass, Austin would have a "strong" mayor and 11 council member districts.
However, should Prop G pass and Prop F fail, the Austin city council would have 12 votes, putting the group in a similar quandary of potential gridlock.
"I don't think anyone who watches an Austin City Council meeting says, 'Hey, I want that to be a little more grueling and challenging for things to be decided,'" continued Casar to Austin Monitor.
"There's a reason why deliberative bodies tend to have odd numbers or paths to breaking ties because that's really important to do. I'm not a fan of the filibuster in the U.S. Senate, and I don't think we should have to have more than a majority to pass when it's a routine item on a Council agenda."
While it appears that any change(s) could take effect as soon as the November 2022 election, what is entirely unclear is how Austin would fund another council member seat and where (and how) the new district location would be decided, and by whom. However, some believe a new district could deepen city/constituent relations, putting each council member closer to the ground.
Polling locations will be open Saturday, May 1st, 7AM to 7PM. Find one here
//The Bingham Group, LLC