By Robert Taylor
The first meeting of the City of Boerne Charter Review Committee was held October 29, 2024, at the request of the City Council.
Council called for the committee to review the City Charter, which is the document that outlines how the City of Boerne can operate and govern.
Boerne Mayor Frank Ritchie is the chair of the committee with each of the five councilmembers serving as members. Additionally, each councilmember has appointed one resident from their district to serve on the committee.
The two areas of focus for the committee will be Section 3: The Council and Mayor and Section 4: Elections, although the committee can propose amendments to other areas of the charter if they choose.
City staff – including the city manager, assistant city manager, city secretary, and city attorney – were also in attendance at the meeting to assist the committee and answer questions.
The meeting was recorded and can be watched online here.
Charter History
The charter was first adopted in 1995 and has only been amended twice since then. The first amendment was approved by voters in 2012 to change from at-large to single-member voting districts for council and mayor.
The next charter review took place in 2020 and marked the first thorough review of the charter since its adoption in 1995. A total of 13 charter amendments were presented to voters with 12 of them being adopted.
The only amendment to not be approved by voters on the 2020 ballot was an extension of the terms for councilmembers and the mayor from two to three years. The vote for this amendment was 4,003 in favor and 4,679 against.
Next Steps
The Charter Review Committee will continue its work in the coming weeks with the goal of wrapping up by the end of the year.
The committee will then prepare any proposed amendments to be presented to City Council in January. If City Council chooses to consider amendments, it must call for the special election by Feb. 14, 2025, for the proposed amendments to appear on the May 2025 General Election ballot.
