Two weeks ago, at the last minute Mayor Tom Leppert -- or was it City Secretary Deborah Watkins ... or Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway? -- added to the Dallas City Council's agenda several controversial rules changes that were tabled the night before they were to be discussed. One of those proposed amendments to the City Council Rules of Procedure resurfaces this morning as Addendum Iten No. 4 -- the rather uncontroversial item that requires city council members show up for at least half of a council meeting or council committee meeting before they get paid. This is a Leppert proposal; clearly, the mayor's tired of council members showing up and then ducking out (or arriving just when the opera's letting out). And don't think someone won't be watching; per the resolution:
The city secretary, or a person designated by the city secretary or the city manager to record attendance of city council members at a meeting, shall maintain a record of each city council member's absences so that such absences can be used in determining the member's annual compensation under Chapter III, Section 4 of the Dallas City Charter.Update at 11:50 a.m.: Rudy Bush reports that the measure passed council, but not without some opposition from the likes of Steve Salazar, Ann Margolin, Vonciel Jones Hill and Carolyn Davis. In fact, said Davis of Leppert's proposed rule change, "I feel like I'm in a strong mayor form of government. It's wrong. It's just wrong. It's absolutely wrong."
