Dallas residents to vote on initiative for more officers, higher police pay and lawful possession of marijuana
Dallas, Texas – Four proposed charter amendments, independent of the Dallas City Council’s approval, have been successfully placed on the November ballot following a wave of citizen movement in Dallas. Under the direction of many grassroots initiatives aiming at bringing major changes to the governance of Dallas, voters will debate on these amendments this fall.
City hall was busy earlier this summer as advocates of these changes brought boxes loaded with thousands of signatures to qualify for the ballot. The city verified that every proposition exceeded the required minimum of legitimate signatures, therefore preparing the ground for a vote.
Pete Marocco, executive director of Dallas HERO, a well-known group backing three of the amendments, revealed specifics on the public’s overwhelmingly support.
“We had 169,000 responses to these charter amendments, and we only needed 60,000,” Marocco said. “We feel very strongly that we have a strong mandate for this, and we’re going to get really high bipartisan support,” Marocco said as reported by NBC DFW.
One very divisive topic among the suggested changes is Dallas Police Department staffing and pay. Dallas HERO supports a minimum of 4,000 police officers—a notable rise from the present count of about 3,070 police officers as of May 2024. The amendment also aims to guarantee a staffing ratio of three officers per 1,000 residents and raise starting pay for Dallas police officers to rank among the top five in North Texas cities. A Dallas police officer’s starting pay today is $70,314.
Another amendment would relate performance criteria determined from the annual community survey results to the pay of the city manager. The last suggestion from this group would enable people to sue municipal leaders should they feel that the city code or charter is not followed.
Talking about the wider consequences of these modifications, Marocco said that this is about Dallas residents claiming the city will need a minimum standard to boost public safety, for city leader responsibility, and citizen enforcement.
There has not been silence around the ideas either. Dallas City Councilmember Gay Donnell Willis had doubts about the procedure, implying that the Charter Review Commission’s analysis and suggestions would help the modifications.
“It’s better if they go through the Charter Review Commission that is resident-driven and has lots of opportunities for public comment,” Willis said. “That can hone and strengthen what the voters consider in November.”
A preliminary straw poll is set for August 7 and a final vote for August 14 as the city council examines these and other Charter Review Commission recommendations.
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Another group, Ground Game Texas, has effectively advocated a charter change allowing the possession of marijuana under four ounces. These four initiatives are highlighting the active part Dallas residents are playing in forming the laws and regulations of their city.
