On May 2, voters in Richardson will head to the polls from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. to vote on changes to the city’s charter, bonds and some Richardson ISD elections.
UTD students and faculty living on-campus, at Northside and those living east or south of campus are eligible to vote. The campus will not host any polling locations for this election. Collin County residents can vote at the Aldridge Elementary School on Pleasant Valley Lane or find a polling location closer to their residence. Dallas County residents can vote at the Ministerios Charisma on Melrose Drive or find a polling location closer to them.
While all voters in Richardson are voting on the 50 propositions and five bonds on the ballot, only some voters will vote in the Richardson ISD Board of Trustee election based on their voting district.
Bonds
In the state of Texas, the majority of large city-level purchases need to be directly approved by voters. As a result, Richardson residents will choose to approve or reject five bond propositions totalling $223.4 million.
Richardson is seeking bonds for five local infrastructure and repair projects. On the ballot, they will be designated as city propositions with letters A thru E.
Proposition A (Streets) is the largest allocation, totalling $132.2 million. If approved, it would fund the repavement of existing streets, such as Waterview Drive (from Arapaho to Campbell) just south of campus. Additional projects include signals for school zones and traffic lights.
Proposition B (Public Buildings) totals $36 million and would fund the design and construction of a seventh fire station as well as expansions to fire stations five and six.
Proposition C (Parks and Recreation) totals $22 million. If approved, it would fund the construction of trails, bridges and the replacement of the Cottonwood Park with a splash pad to save city maintenance costs since the pad would not need to hire lifeguards or extensive maintenance staff.
City parks include Point North Park, located east of Northside apartments. UTD, based on Richardson’s Open Space Master Plan, has one of the lowest rates of park access in the city.
Proposition D (Sidewalks) totals $16.5 million and would fund sidewalk rehabilitation as well as construction of new sidewalks, such as those on Waterview Parkway on the north and west side of campus, paths leading to the SP/N building and gaps along Synergy Park Blvd.
Proposition E (Drainage) totals $16.5 million. If funded, it would fund flood prevention and erosion control projects.
City Charter
Below the bonds, voters will be asked to approve 50 charter amendments. Richardson’s city council appoints a review commission at least once a decade. The Charter Review Commission compiled amendments from public comment, city council and city staff members.
Thirty-four of the 50 amendments, according to the League of Women Voters of Richardson, “will likely have little or no impact for the voter” since they “appear to be clarifying.” These amendments reform small grammatical errors or rephrase language to fit modern standards.
Some amendments, however, are of note. Below are five of the main changes that voters will be considering.
Petitions
Petitions are voter-initiated avenues for reform, often used when a legislative body is unwilling to act.
Proposition N limits petitioning for a mayoral from all citizens to only residents of the city. This would reduce external influence in local petitions.
Proposition KK and MM decrease the required number of voters for a petition from 10% to 8%. This would make it easier for voters to push for a petition-led referendum or initiative.
Residency Requirements
Residency requirements are lengths of time one must live in the boundary of the city prior to serving in a public servant role.
Proposition J would add a one-year residency requirement to run for city council.
Proposition Z increases the six-month residency requirement for city appointments to one-year.
Code of Ethics
Proposition SS would enact a code of ethics, requiring the city council to create a series of outlined guidelines that would ensure ethical leadership, though the specifics remain undefined.
Internal Employment
Proposition EE would allow employees to apply for civil service positions before external candidates, allowing internal promotion rather than searching through outside applications.
Citizen Language
Propositions F and II change language using the term “citizens of the city” to “the public.” This would increase access to public meetings and other city functions.