DALLAS — Like a college student with a tough assignment looming, the Dallas City Council decided Wednesday to postpone taking action on changes to the city charter and instead teeing up an all-nighter just days before the deadline to put the amendments on the November ballot.
City Council made the decision at its final meeting before a summer recess, at which it also punted on a proposed ban on horse-drawn carriages. It sent that measure -- which dozens of members of the public spoke about -- back to the committee by a vote of 10-5.
The decision to push off the charter discussion moves the Council closer to the August 19 deadline by which it must decide which changes to the city's constitution it will put to the voters in November. The council isn't scheduled to return for a voting meeting until August 14.
Among the amendments it must consider are: a proposal to increase pay for city council council members and the mayor, a change to the length of city council terms, and a requirement for council to approve the mayor's appointments to committees.
City Councilmembers also expressed interest in adding additional amendments -- including one decriminalizing possession of less than four ounces of marijuana. A citizen petition to do the same is currently under evaluation to determine whether it has the requisite number of signatures.
By the time the council returns, the city secretary said her office will have verified whether the petitioners have enough signatures to move forward with the proposal on their own.
The discussion on the city charter is likely to stretch hours -- Councilwoman Cara Mendelsohn, who represents far North Dallas, kicked off the debate Wednesday by proposing a change to the term lengths previously agreed upon by a majority of the council during a straw vote.
She voted against delaying the charter discussion -- and said she would bring back all of her amendments in a voting meeting, not a now-planned August 7 briefing.
Other city council members expressed an interest in working through the details of the proposals during the summer break and at the non-voting briefing.
The vote to send the horse carriage discussion back to the Quality of Life, Arts and Culture Committee followed a robust Council discussion that occasionally skirted the boundary of personal attack.
Councilmember Paul Ridley, whose district stretches from Oak Lawn to the M-Streets, proposed amending the existing ordinance instead of moving forward with the ban. He suggested lowering the maximum outside temperature at which the horse-drawn carriages could operate to 90 degrees.
"Colleagues I appeal to your better instincts and to stand up to small business, data-driven decisions and preservation of our Texas historic legacy," he said, adding that the ban seemingly targeted the city's sole licensed operator and sends a bad message to entrepreneurs that the city can "outlaw their business with a stroke of the pen."
Councilmember Adam Bazaldua, who represents the district just south of I-30, supported the ban and fired back accusing Ridley of being disingenuous in his support for small business given his previous positions on Airbnbs and other short-term rentals.
"This is not an attack on business, not an attack on business owners," he said. "It is consistent with our commitment to invest in safer streets."
Bazaldua suggested sending the proposal back to the committee he chairs, which garnered some opposition from other council members who said they were prepared to vote without further discussion.
