Lago Vista eyes May charter vote, taxpayer cost not stated

The Lago Vista City Council took no vote on its charter work-session item on Nov. 5, 2026.^1,2 Instead, the mayor asked members to send dates for a special called meeting to finish a rewrite in time for a May 2027 election.^2,3 Under the next agenda item, the mayor proposed a charter work session on Dec. 17 in place of a regular council meeting.⁴ The state's last day to order a May 1, 2027, election is Friday, Feb. 12, 2027.⁵ The rewrite now stands at 20 proposed changes, labeled A through T.⁶ No one who spoke on the item said what a May charter election would cost taxpayers.^1,3,7 The city's 2026-27 budget sets $18,000 for elections, in the General Fund.⁸

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A two-host briefing. The voices are AI generated. Read the transcript.

A blank limestone block sits in fresh mortar at the base of an old limestone wall, being re-set, with a mason's trowel, a bucket of mortar, and a wooden level beside it among Hill Country brush. AI illustration. — AI illustration. Image credits.

When we wrote this story, the city had not posted minutes for this meeting, so this story is based on the meeting video.⁹

What the charter is

The charter is the city's home-rule law, which sets up the city government and its powers. Home rule means the city can govern itself in any way state law does not forbid. Changes to it must go to the voters.¹⁰ The council decides which changes go on the ballot and orders the election by ordinance.⁷ Under the charter, a citizens committee the council appoints reviews it and recommends changes.¹⁰

What we reported before

Our Sept. 25 story found that the council took no action on Aug. 6 on 20 charter changes, so none reached the Nov. 3 ballot.^11,12 That story estimated that a May 1, 2027, charter election would have to be ordered by about Feb. 12, 2027. By our count, that date is 78 days before the election, the same rule the council followed for its 2021 charter vote.¹³ The Texas Secretary of State's calendar now lists that same date.⁵

Before the meeting

Mayor Shane Saum submitted the charter item for the Nov. 5 agenda. The packet holds only a cover page for it, with no report or draft.¹⁴ City Secretary Robin Smith certified that the agenda was posted at City Hall by 6 p.m. on Oct. 29, 2026. The item was listed under the work session, for discussion only.¹⁵

The agenda also listed a closed session on legal advice about the charter changes.¹⁵

The Nov. 5 meeting

The council met in its chambers at 5803 Thunderbird for a regular meeting set for 3 p.m.¹⁵ It held its closed session at the start of the meeting.¹⁶ The video does not show what the council did on the closed charter item.¹⁷ Saum read the charter item aloud. He said his goal was not to debate the charter that night. He said the council had wanted to come back to it, and "we wanted to get on the May election." He said the council had to get it "submitted by the end of January," so it would likely need special called meetings.¹ Those are meetings set apart from the council's regular schedule.^3,10

City Attorney Brad Bullock then gave a later deadline.^7,18 He put it "on or about February 15th" and said he would need to check the Secretary of State's website for the exact date.⁷ That is three days after the date the state lists.⁵ Bullock suggested the council aim for its top five to 10 or 12 areas of the charter. He said simple fixes to spelling and commas can share one ballot question. But each real change needs its own, "one topic per proposition," he said.⁷

City Council meeting, Nov. 5, 2026, from 2:45:15 to 2:46:52 in the city's video. Trimmed only at the start and end. Watch the full meeting from this moment. Video credits.

Saum asked for the last version of the draft.¹⁹ The committee's secretary, Robert Owen, said the council had set the work aside on Aug. 6.^19,20 He said he never saw the city attorney's final version, which he understood had legal advice in it. He asked whether to merge his working draft with the attorney's version, or to work from the attorney's copy.¹⁹

A council member asked Owen how the committee felt about the council's changes. The member said some committee members felt the council was changing things the committee thought were important.²¹ Owen said the committee members' appointments end Dec. 31.^20,22 If the work runs into January and February, he said, the council would probably need to extend them.²²

Owen listed the committee's main ideas.²² They were three-year terms, an ethics board, a lower recall petition threshold, majority-vote elections with runoffs, and term limits.^22,23 He said the council had dropped the ethics board.²²

He said the latest draft cut the recall threshold from 10% to 5%, the committee's choice. A council member said they remembered it differently and thought the council kept 10%.²⁴

Bullock said he had just re-sent the council his July 30 email with the draft ordinance and ballot questions. He urged the council to have the Secretary of State review the ballot wording. He said approval gives the city a "safe harbor" from paying attorney's fees if the wording is challenged. He warned that the state needs time, so the city cannot wait until the last minute.²⁵

A council member then asked whether the state might allow the whole rewrite as one ballot question. Bullock said the law allows a single vote only when a city first adopts a charter. He said he found no case of a city adopting an amended charter in one ballot question. He said state approval would not stop a court challenge, though the city might not have to pay attorney's fees. He called that "a limited protection."²⁶ Bullock then left and handed off to another attorney, whom he called Sarah.^23,25

Saum said the number of ballot questions does not matter to him. He said the council should not leave "bad things" in the charter just to keep the ballot short.²³ Council Member Adam Benefield agreed.^15,27 He said a May election would be about the charter alone, so voters would come for that vote. "Let's get it right," Benefield said.²⁷

Council Member Paul Prince said Bullock's email lists propositions "A through T, which is 20."^6,15 He said the council needs good reasons wherever it departs from the committee's advice. He urged the council to move fast and try for the May ballot. "It's always easier to kick the can down the road than to make a decision," Prince said.⁶

City Council meeting, Nov. 5, 2026, from 2:57:23 to 2:58:56 in the city's video. Trimmed only at the start and end. Watch the full meeting from this moment. Video credits.

Saum said he hoped to hold a special called meeting or work session in November. He asked members to send their open dates to a staff member he called "Chief." He asked Prince to post his views on the council's online discussion board while he still has access.³ Prince's term ends in November 2026, and he is not on the city's list of candidates for his seat.²⁸ Benefield asked that charter agendas name which propositions are up, such as A through F. He said the council could then vote on each one quickly and have Bullock's firm write the final language.²⁹

A council member suggested getting Bullock's latest draft to Owen so he could sort out where the council differs from the committee. A request followed for the council's consent to share the document with the committee member.³⁰

A council member asked whether the council could lift attorney-client privilege on that document.³⁰ That privilege keeps a lawyer's advice to a client private.³¹ Another council member asked that attorney whether sharing it would make it public.³⁰

She said the notes would "probably" stay privileged if shared with committee members for their charter work. She said she would check with Bullock.³² Prince said that once a document goes out, "you can't close that barn door."³³

A council member said they did not believe the notes held a legal opinion. The member said the charter "is basically going to be our city's constitution" and should be open to anyone. Another council member called for town halls before any May vote, so residents can learn what is on the ballot.³⁴

Mayor Pro Tem Norma Owen said the document had 11 comments. The attorney said a privileged note passed from one client representative to another "is still considered a privileged communication." She said that means it is "not subject to the Public Information Act."³¹ That state law lets anyone ask for government records.³⁵

Saum closed the item by saying members would send dates to staff for a possible special called meeting. He then added, "Not any dates in November." He did not explain that remark.² The city's meeting list already showed council meetings on Nov. 13, 16, and 17.⁹ The council took no vote on the item.^1,2

The next item was the council's meeting dates for the holidays.^4,15 The mayor said the second December meeting is on the 17th. He proposed skipping the regular meeting that day and holding a charter meeting instead. A council member said that would be the charter work session. The mayor said, "I still want one in November."⁴

One speaker said they would be away that week. That speaker asked the council not to take up the recall threshold without them, and to put it on the November meeting. Our two transcripts hear the mayor's closing words differently, so the video does not make clear whether members agreed.⁴

What it could mean for taxpayers

May 1, 2027, is a statewide uniform election date.⁵ Under the charter, the city's regular council elections fall in November.¹⁰ So a May charter vote would be a separate city election.^5,10 The city's elections account, inside the General Fund, spent $6,346 in 2022-23, $12,776 in 2023-24, and $8,813 in 2024-25. The 2026-27 budget sets $18,000.⁸ Those years included the regular November election, so they do not show what a May charter vote alone would cost.^8,10

Bullock's advice on a state review of the ballot wording is about legal costs. He said it could keep the city from paying attorney's fees if the ballot is challenged.²⁵

What we could not find

What a May 2027 charter election would cost the city.⁸
The date of the November charter meeting the mayor wants, which had not been set.^2,4
Whether the council will extend the committee members' terms past Dec. 31, 2026.²⁰
The July 30 email and annotated draft that Bullock re-sent to the council.²⁵ The draft the council saw on Aug. 6 is in that meeting's packet.¹²
What the council discussed or did on the charter in its closed session.¹⁷
Minutes of the Nov. 5 meeting, which the city had not posted when we wrote this story.⁹

What you can do

Watch council agendas for a November charter meeting and the Dec. 17 charter work session the mayor proposed.⁴
Ask for the draft charter ordinance and ballot questions through the city's records request page.³⁵
To speak during citizen comments, fill out the city's citizen participation form and give it to the mayor before the meeting starts.¹⁵
If you have records on this, you can share them with us.

Podcast transcript

Read the transcript

Host 1. Welcome to the Lago Vista Watchdog podcast. The two voices you're hearing are AI generated, and every fact comes from a public record.

Host 2. Today we're looking at the city charter, and a race to get changes in front of voters next May.

Host 1. The bottom line first. On Nov. 5, 2026, the Lago Vista City Council took no vote on its charter work-session item.

Host 2. Instead, the mayor asked members to send dates for a special called meeting. The goal is to finish a rewrite in time for a May 2027 election.

Host 1. The state's last day to order that May 1, 2027, election is Friday, Feb. 12, 2027. The rewrite now stands at 20 proposed changes, labeled A through T.

Host 2. And the cost? No one who spoke on the item said what a May charter election would cost taxpayers. The city's 2026-27 budget sets $18,000 for elections, in the General Fund.

Host 1. One note up front. When we wrote this story, the city had not posted minutes for this meeting, so the story is based on the meeting video.

Host 2. Let's back up. What is the charter, exactly?

Host 1. It's the city's home-rule law. It sets up the city government and its powers. Changes to it must go to the voters.

Host 2. And who decides what goes on the ballot?

Host 1. The council does, and it orders the election by ordinance. A citizens committee the council appoints reviews the charter and recommends changes.

Host 2. We've covered this before. In our Sept. 25 story, the council took no action on Aug. 6 on 20 charter changes, so none reached the November ballot.

Host 1. That story estimated a May charter election would have to be ordered by about Feb. 12, 2027. The Texas Secretary of State's calendar now lists that same date.

Host 2. So how did the Nov. 5 meeting go?

Host 1. Mayor Shane Saum read the charter item aloud. He said his goal was not to debate the charter that night. He said the council had to get it submitted by the end of January, so it would likely need special called meetings.

Host 2. Then City Attorney Brad Bullock gave a later deadline. He put it on or about February 15th, and said he'd need to check the state's website for the exact date.

Host 1. That's three days after the date the state lists. Bullock also suggested the council aim for its top five to 10 or 12 areas of the charter.

Host 2. Why limit it?

Host 1. He said simple fixes to spelling and commas can share one ballot question. But each real change needs its own. In his words, "one topic per proposition."

Host 2. Robert Owen, the citizens committee's secretary, spoke next. He said the council had set the work aside on Aug. 6. He also said the committee members' appointments end Dec. 31.

Host 1. If the work runs into January and February, he said, the council would probably need to extend them. He listed the committee's main ideas, from three-year terms to an ethics board, which he said the council had dropped.

Host 2. Bullock also urged the council to have the Secretary of State review the ballot wording. He said that review could keep the city from paying attorney's fees if the wording is challenged.

Host 1. A council member asked whether the state might allow the whole rewrite as one ballot question. Bullock said the law allows that only when a city first adopts a charter.

Host 2. Then the debate turned to how many questions voters should see.

Host 1. Saum said the number does not matter to him. Council Member Adam Benefield agreed. He said a May election would be about the charter alone, so voters would come for that vote.

Host 2. Council Member Paul Prince said Bullock's email lists propositions A through T, which is 20. He urged the council to move fast and try for the May ballot.

Host 1. Prince put it this way: "It's always easier to kick the can down the road than to make a decision."

Host 2. There was also a question about the attorney's notes on the draft. Could they be shared with Owen without becoming public?

Host 1. The attorney who took over from Bullock said the notes would probably stay privileged. Prince warned that once a document goes out, there's no pulling it back.

Host 2. Another council member called for town halls before any May vote, so residents can learn what is on the ballot.

Host 1. Saum closed the item by saying members would send dates to staff for a possible special called meeting. The council took no vote.

Host 2. But the next item mattered too.

Host 1. It covered the council's holiday meeting dates. The mayor proposed skipping the regular Dec. 17 meeting and holding a charter work session instead. He said he still wants a meeting in November, too.

Host 2. What does all this mean for taxpayers?

Host 1. May 1, 2027, is a statewide uniform election date. Under the charter, the city's regular elections fall in November, so a May charter vote would be a separate city election.

Host 2. The city's elections account, in the General Fund, spent $6,346 in 2022-23, $12,776 in 2023-24, and $8,813 in 2024-25. Those years included the regular November election, so they don't show what a May vote alone would cost.

Host 1. Here's what we could not find. We don't know what a May charter election would cost, when the November charter meeting will be, or whether the committee's terms will be extended past Dec. 31.

Host 2. You can watch council agendas for a November charter meeting and the Dec. 17 work session the mayor proposed. You can also ask for the draft charter and ballot questions through the city's records request page.

Host 1. To speak during citizen comments, fill out the city's citizen participation form and give it to the mayor before the meeting starts.

Host 2. And if you have records on this, you can share them with us at lagovistawatchdog.com/share-records.

Host 1. Thanks for listening to the Lago Vista Watchdog.

Sources and documents

Every fact in this story comes from the records below. The small numbers in the story point to them. Links go to the exact moment in the meeting video or the page in the document.

See something wrong? Request a correction. Have records on this? Share them with us.