On February 10th, 2025, Katy City Council voted UNANIMOUSLY to place five important propositions on the ballot.
Introduction
On February 24, 2025 Katy City Council voted unanimously passing an ordinance calling for a Special Election to put the following Proposed Charter Amendments on the May 3, 2025 Ballot.
What is a City Charter & Why Does It Matter?
The City Charter is Katy’s version of a constitution. It lays out the rules for how our local government operates, from how elections work to what powers the mayor and city council have. Sometimes updates are needed to make sure things stay fair, functional, and in line with state law. The City Charter can not be changed without your vote. This May, you’ll see five propositions on the ballot. The purpose of these videos is to walk you through each one. Don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions!
Proposition A
✅ Vote YES to Keep City Government Running
Right now, if the Mayor and just one Councilmember are absent, City Council cannot legally meet or take action—even in an emergency! This amendment simply ensures that when the Mayor is absent the Mayor Pro Tem is allowed to count toward a quorum, vote and prevents city business from halting.
Proposition B & C
✅ Vote YES for Fair & Consistent Election Rules
These amendments align our City Charter with the Texas Constitution, ensuring that a Mayor or Councilmember vacancy is limited, and the transition is handled in a way that maintains continuity of elected city leadership. It also avoids confusion with the State Constitution’s hold-over provision that can supersede the current charter. Keep it simple, fair, and consistent!
Proposition D
✅ Vote YES to Keep City Department Heads Professional, Not Political
This amendment ensures that appointed city department heads cannot be fired unfairly without a chance to appeal, which is a right that every other city employee already has. This protects the day-to-day operations serving the citizens, and ensures these professionals are not subjected to unilateral political whims. The actual change in the charter is simply removing some conflicting language to correct the mistake. The Police Chief, Fire Chief, City Secretary, City Attorney, Public Works Directors should not be political appointees, they are career public servants!
Proposition E
✅ Vote YES for Clear Term Limits with No Loopholes
City Council term limits are a mess. The City Charter says there’s a two-term limit, but two council seats have NO term limits at all due to a legal loophole. We currently have 2 councilmembers in their 3rd term, a former member who ran for a 4th term, and (loopholes aside) all 5 seats terming out within 12 months starting next May.
Prop E FIXES this by setting a clear and fair limit of four terms for all council seats. This ensures voters still have the ability to re-elect strong leaders while preventing anyone from staying in power
Below is the Ballot language you will see when you vote:
City of Katy Proposition A
SHALL THE CITY OF KATY CHARTER BE AMENDED BY AMENDING SECTION 1(B), ABSENCE OR DISABILITY OF THE MAYOR, OF ARTICLE III, THE MAYOR, BY ALLOWING THE MAYOR PRO TEM TO RETAIN VOTING PRIVILEGES AND COUNT TOWARDS QUORUM, BUT REMOVING THE POWER OF THE VETO WHEN ACTING IN THE ABSENCE OF THE MAYOR?
City of Katy Proposition B
SHALL THE CITY OF KATY CHARTER BE AMNDED BY AMENDING SECTION 5, VACANCY, OF ARTICLE III, THE MAYOR, TO REMOVE THE AUTOMATIC RESIGNATION OF THE MAYOR UPON FILING TO BECOME A CANDIDATE FOR NOMINATION OR ELECTION TO PUBLIC OFFICE IF SUCH FILING OCCURS WHEN THE UNEXPIRED TERM OF THE OFFICE THEN HELD DOES NOT EXCEED ONE YEAR AND THIRTY (30) DAYS?
City of Katy Proposition C
SHALL THE CITY OF KATY CHARTER BE AMENDED BY AMENDING SECTION 4, VACANCY, OF ARTICLE IV, THE COUNCIL, TO REMOVE THE AUTOMATIC RESIGNATION OF A MEMBER OF THE COUNCIL UPON FILING TO BECOME A CANDIDATE FOR NOMINATION OR ELECTION TO PUBLIC OFFICE IF SUCH FILING OCCURS WHEN THE UNEXPIRED TERM OF THE OFFICE THEN HELD DOES NOT EXCEED ONE YEAR AND THIRTY (30) DAYS?
City of Katy Proposition D
SHALL THE CITY OF KATY CHARTER BE AMENDED BY AMENDING SUBSECTION (B)(2) OF SECTION 6, POWERS OF THE MAYOR, OF ARTICLE III, THE MAYOR, TO PROVIDE DEPARTMENT HEADS REMOVED BY THE MAYOR TO SEEK REINSTATEMENT OF EMPLOYMENT THROUGH AN APPEAL TO CITY COUNCIL?
City of Katy Proposition E
SHALL THE CITY OF KATY CHARTER BE AMENDED BY AMENDING SECTION 2, TERM, OF ARTICLE IV, THE COUNCIL, TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF CONSECUTIVE TERMS FOR THE OFFICE OF COUNCILMEMBER FROM TWO CONSECUTIVE TERMS TO FOUR CONSECUTIVE TERMS, INCLUSIVE OF TIME ALREADY SERVED, AND PROHIBIT AN INDIVIDUAL FROM SERVING AS A COUNCILMEMBER, WHETHER IN WARD A, WARD B, OR AT LARGE, FOR MORE THAN THE MAXIMUM PERMISSIBLE CONSECUTIVE TERMS?