Dallas voters decriminalize marijuana, approve 2 controversial propositions
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Dallas voters approved an amendment to the City Charter that would essentially decriminalize marijuana, according to preliminary voting results.
- They appeared set to approve two community-supported propositions that would vastly increase the police force and allow residents to sue city officials.
Why it matters: Four of the 18 proposed City Charter amendments were added by groups collecting enough signatures on petitions.
- The charter defines the structure of the city government and is typically only reviewed every 10 years.
The big picture: Dallas voters approved most of the 14 propositions drafted by a city committee after months of review and community input.
- Voters rejected one of the city-written propositions and narrowly approved another, which eliminates the requirement that members of the Redistricting Commission and other city boards be registered to vote.
The intrigue: Former Mayors Mike Rawlings, Ron Kirk, Tom Leppert and Laura Miller lobbied against three community-backed propositions. They contended the efforts were funded by wealthy outsiders.
- Dallas HERO added propositions S, T and U, which the group said are meant to increase local government accountability and improve public safety. But opponents said the measures were backed by a rich Park Cities resident.
The results:
Proposition C was rejected. The amendment would have increased the mayor's salary to $110,000 and council member salaries to $90,000.
Proposition R was approved. The proposition makes Class A and Class B misdemeanor marijuana possession the lowest police enforcement priority, essentially decriminalizing the drug.
Proposition S was approved. The measure gives residents the power to sue government officials who don't follow the City Charter, city ordinances or state law.
Proposition T was rejected. The proposition would have tied the city manager's compensation to the results of a survey of at least 1,400 residents.
Proposition U was narrowly approved. It would require the Dallas Police Department to employ at least 4,000 officers. The Dallas Police Association, the city's largest police union, didn't support the measure.