Paris goes inclusive with updates to city charter | News

In the upcoming general election on November 8, Proposition X on the Charter Amendment Ballot reads, inter alia: “Should section 151 of the Charter be amended so as to determine how its wording is to be interpreted in relation to sex…” with voting options “For” and “Against”.

If the proposal passes, the city council would use an order authorizing the city attorney to edit the charter “to remove gender-specific references from various provisions and substitute gender-neutral terms as deemed appropriate,” according to information provided by voters.

“My understanding of the proposal, if it passes, I would be directed to update the charter to refer to male and female gender,” City Attorney Stephanie Harris said. “The current statute uses masculine pronouns throughout and provides that whenever there is a reference to the male gender, it means male or female.”

The fate of 24 amendments recommended by a 15-member citizen committee in January and approved by the Parish City Council in August rests with city residents during the Nov. 8 general election at the Lamar County Services Building, 321 Lamar Ave.

As required by law, an information booklet written in both English and Spanish was sent to every registered city voter, according to City Clerk Janice Ellis. The booklet gives the wording of each proposal and describes the effect of each amendment.

Most of the recommended amendments are cosmetic in nature, cleaning up outdated phrasing and removing references to state agencies that no longer exist or local requirements that are now subject to state law. Other amendments are necessary to implement changes in state law or to comply with state or federal court orders. However, several proposals involve changes.

Proposition A provides that a board member would lose his or her office if he or she is absent from at least 75 percent of board meetings during the year, unless excused by the remaining board members.

Proposition W would have the city council appoint a committee every five years to review the charter and make recommendations. The committee is to consist of 15 members and two deputies, with each of the seven councilors to appoint two members and the mayor and mayoress proposing to jointly appoint the 15th member. Current and former council members and current and former city employees are ineligible for appointment to the commission.

The city’s charter, originally adopted in 1948, was last revised in May 2007, when voters approved 70 amendments to the outdated document. In 2015, the council appointed a charter review committee primarily to consider electing the mayor at large. The committee disbanded after several meetings over concerns that an elected mayor would violate a 1976 federal court ruling requiring seven single-member districts, with the mayor elected from one of those members.

This year’s bylaws committee recommended electing the mayor as the eighth non-voting council member, but councilors rejected the idea at a meeting in January, as members expressed concern that while the mayor would not have a vote, the position could have significant influence and could be , violate the 1976 court order.

Early voting for the Nov. 8 general election begins Monday, Oct. 24 at the office building and continues through Nov. 4 during regular business hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with no weekend voting. On election day, voters can vote in the service building from 7:00 a.m. until the last voter votes at 7:00 p.m.

Vote-by-mail applications from eligible voters must be received no later than October 28 at the Lamar County Elections Administrator, 321 Lamar Ave., Paris, Texas 75460.

Those eligible include those age 65 and older, those who are sick or disabled, those who plan to have children within three weeks before or after Election Day, those who are absent from the registration district during the early voting period on Election Day , civil liability in Texas. Health and Safety Code or those in prison but eligible.