An advocacy group is suing the Dallas City Council, alleging that the council violated the Texas Constitution by introducing three last-minute amendments to the city charter, according to a Thursday complaint obtained by The Daily Caller.
The council quietly introduced three charter amendments to counter the advocacy groups' proposed amendments. Dallas Heroes It was introduced in June, according to the lawsuit.
The HERO amendments, which city residents will vote on in November, aim to increase funding for the police and fire departments, hire more police officers, establish performance standards as a means of additional compensation for the mayor and allow citizens to sue the city.
The group has submitted a petition with more than 169,000 signatures from Dallas residents to put the amendment on the ballot.
HERO negotiated with Dallas city lawyers over the language of the amendments, but the City Council offered three last-minute amendments that would give the City Council “full authority” over the city's budget and reduce the proposed City Charter amendments to mere suggestions, a source within the Dallas HERO organization told The Daily Caller.
The lawsuit alleges that the purpose of the amendment is to “confuse and mislead voters about the issues raised by the Dallas HERO Proposition.”
According to the lawsuit, the City Council's amendment not only violates the state Constitution's one-subject principle, it also violates the good faith agreement between the city and HERO. (Related: Walz administration paid groups that advocate for police budget cuts to push labor policies)
“Simply put, the City's last-minute ballot language was a desperate attempt to hide misleading language behind another ballot proposition, with only one result: to mislead and disenfranchise Dallas voters,” the lawsuit reads.
The lawsuit says the policing reforms are an attempt to curb a growing public safety crisis in the city.
And don’t forget the personal messages from your cop-hating rep. Adam Bazaldua Vote pic.twitter.com/wC8oNXWnh0
— Dallas Hero (@dallas_hero_) August 21, 2024
“This case is about the right of Texans to direct public participation in legislative action,” the complaint states.
“This lawsuit also issues the right of Texans to vote on citizen-proposed city charter amendments without government officials manipulating the ballot in a misleading and confusing manner,” the complaint states.
HERO lawyers filed the lawsuit in the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in Dallas, Texas, on Wednesday. The lawyers filed the lawsuit at the same time they are filing a similar lawsuit in the Texas Supreme Court.
