Explaining opposition and support for Proposition C in San Antonio

The actual ballot language reads: "Shall the Charter of the City of San Antonio be amended to grant to City Council the authority to set the full terms of the City Manager's employment including tenure and compensation?"

What they're saying: "It makes a huge difference in the level of support we see for them when we use the actual ballot language," Bryan Gervais, director of the Center for Public Opinion Research at UTSA, said last week.

Zoom in: The center's latest poll of 656 likely San Antonio voters, with a margin of error of ±3.8%, showed that 43% would vote in favor of Proposition C when shown the ballot language.

• When the center presented people with a description in September saying Proposition C would remove the existing cap, only about 17% of people supported it.

The argument for Prop C: Supporters say the city needs a consistent leader who won't be kicked out when the term ends — and someone who will be focused on San Antonio, not on finding their next job opportunity.

• Proponents also say the city needs flexibility to pay a city manager a competitive salary so San Antonio doesn't lose them.

• San Antonio business leaders have long been pushing for Prop C.

The argument against Prop C: Keeping the caps in place ensures transparency, fairness and equity and helps balance power between elected officials and management, the San Antonio firefighters union has said in mailers opposing the proposition.

• The union helped pass the caps in 2018.
• Other opponents have pointed out that the city manager could receive a raise by increasing wages for the lowest-paid city employees.

The bottom line: It's important to cast your ballot and to know what you're voting on.

Go deeper: San Antonio City Charter amendments voter guide