City Secretary Not Authorized to Submit Referendum Petition

to City Council

AMARILLO – A petition from a committee seeking to repeal Ordinance No. 7985, which was approved by the City Council in May and involves the issuance of debt for the renovation and expansion of the Amarillo Civic Center, will not be submitted to City Council because the petition does not conform to the referendum provisions set forth in the City Charter.

According to Texas statute and the City Charter, a valid petition must include several elements in order to be certified and forwarded to City Council for consideration. Among other issues, the petition did not include a valid Affidavit of Circulator. The elements of the Affidavit of Circulator are provided for in Article II, Section 23 of the City Charter and are mandatory.

“Cities have no ability to depart from state and City Charter requirements for certifying a petition,” said City Secretary Stephanie Coggins. “These charter requirements were established by the citizens of Amarillo and they must be adhered to. If a petition does not include all the required elements, then by law my office is not authorized to submit it to the City Council.”

  ###