Fort Worth Voters Decide on City Manager's Power

0:00It's April 1st, Dallas News Today starts now, AI powered and ready. Fort Worth voters got a big decision coming up on May 2nd with Proposition M on the ballot. Right now, only the City Council can create, merge or shut down City Departments, and they do it through formal ordinances. If this passes, the City Manager could handle those moves on their own for departments they set up, giving the operation more flexibility without. Needing Council approval every time. Digging deeper, the Council would still control any departments they create themselves, and those would need a vote to abolish. City leaders say this lines up the charter for consistency since the manager already runs day-to-day City Hall Ops. They report changes during the budget process, where Council approves or tweaks the $3 billion plan each year. People had strong feelings last summer, when the Council voted to eliminate the diversity and inclusion department following a federal push. 62 folks spoke up, including activists, business owners, and faith leaders, 45 begged them to keep it.

1:04That move needed a Council vote because it started that way, but under Propim, a manager could recreate and later drop something similar without one. The City runs 27 departments from transportation to libraries, but six key ones like fire and police are locked in by charter and off-limits. New manager Jay Chapa, who started in January 2025, answers to the Council. They hire, review, and can fire him annually, so oversight stays tight. This is one of nine charter tweaks up for vote. Part of how Fort Worth shapes its government playbook every two years. If it passes, expect smoother tweaks to keep the city humming as needs evolve.