SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio City Council voted 9-2 on Thursday to amend an ordinance for the city’s policy proposal process amid a power struggle at City Hall.
The newly amended Council Consideration Requests (CCR) ordinance states the status of a CCR cannot change despite the introduction of new council members or a new mayor. It also states that the CCR process cannot be altered without a city council vote.
Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones had been pushing for council members to resubmit any CCRs filed before she and the other new council members were sworn in on June 18.
Jones and Councilman Edward Mungia (D4) voted against the measure.
On Friday, council members Teri Castillo (D5), Marina Alderete Gavito (D7), Misty Spears (D9) and Marc Whyte (D10) submitted a Four Signature Memorandum, suggesting amending the CCR ordinance.
“I don’t think we need to have anything that would mandate that a CCR expire simply because the council member who authored it is not here,” Whyte said during Thursday’s meeting. “These things need to go through the governance process. They need to go through the committee process. And if the current council members don’t like the work that was done previously, then of course, they can vote it down in governance or in the committee processes."
Jones released the following statement on Thursday evening:
“Whether it’s through a CCR or work done through committee, our focus should be on getting things done most efficiently and effectively. The recent Animal Abandonment ordinance that was rushed through and led to widespread confusion about its actual effect and implementation is a perfect example of why we need to do our due diligence with all proposed policy changes. I look forward to working with my fellow Council Members on policy changes that address the needs of our community in a timely and effective way."
Jones wanted the Governance Committee, of which she is the chairwoman, to review any previous CCRs that had not yet been voted on.
Council members resisted that idea, as well as the notion that the mayor could demand the change on her own.
The power struggle was on display last week when the council took up a vote on animal abandonment fines.
City Council ultimately approved the new set of fines 10-1. However, before the meeting, Jones tried to delay the proposal.
The mayor originally had the vote withdrawn from the Sept. 4 council agenda because it stemmed from a policy proposal submitted by Gavito before Jones and the other new council members had taken office.
CCRs are one of the primary ways council members can push to create new policy. They also rely heavily on city staff to flesh out the details of a proposal and how it will work.
After a council member files a CCR, it must be presented to the Governance Committee within 60 days or the second scheduled meeting after it’s filed — whichever comes first.
The committee then refers a CCR to the full council or another committee, refers it to the city manager’s office to be considered in the budget process, or rejects it.
It often takes several months and multiple committee meetings before they come up for a vote by the full council.
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