Elections, youth curfew, charter votes expected at special-called Port Arthur meeting

Published 12:40 pm Monday, February 10, 2020

An ordinance to leave Port Arthur’s youth curfew laws as is, as well as to place propositions to city charter changes on the May 2 election ballot, are among budgeted items for Thursday’s special city council meeting.

The meeting would be the fourth of five open city council meetings in 23 days, two of them being regularly scheduled. Thursday’s special meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. at city hall, with the Feb. 18 regular open session to begin at 5:30 p.m.

An exact list of proposed charter changes was not immediately available, as the city is working on specific language to submit to the council.

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During a special meeting Friday, the council unanimously decided to maintain a majority form of voting for its positions and to keep term limits to two three-year spans instead of changing to three two-year terms. The council also voted unanimously to keep the minimum age for running for city office at 18.

Also budgeted for Thursday, the city is expected to vote on:

  • continuing the entire juvenile curfew ordinance as is; this ordinance must be reviewed every two years, and two public hearings have been held;
  • finalizing the May 2 joint general election for city council positions (Mayor Thurman Bartie’s seat won’t be up for re-election until 2022); Port Arthur and Sabine Pass independent school district board seats; and the Sabine Pass Port Authority positions;
  • adding to the May 2 election ballot propositions to vote on the adoption of sales and use tax for projects related to recreational or community facilities and to vote on the sale of various city parks.

About I.C. Murrell

I.C. Murrell was promoted to editor of The News, effective Oct. 14, 2019. He previously served as sports editor since August 2015 and has won or shared eight first-place awards from state newspaper associations and corporations. He was born in Memphis, Tennessee, grew up mostly in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and graduated from the University of Arkansas at Monticello.

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