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2026 Constitutional Amendments Resolution

At a glance

Based on auto-generated captions; names and details may be misheard.

  • What: a council resolution opposing the three constitutional amendments on the November 3, 2026 ballot (income tax cap, property tax limits, photo ID for all voters) and urging residents to vote against all three.
  • Where it stands: adopted unanimously on 2026-10-19.
  • Next: election day is November 3; early voting was already under way at 10 sites.

The resolution

  • Read aloud by Kopack, who brought it forward to help community groups raise awareness.
  • Income tax amendment: would lower the constitutional ceiling on the state income tax rate to 3.5%. The resolution notes a 7% cap already exists, the current rate is 3.99%, and state law already allows cuts below 3.5% from 2027 if revenue triggers are met.
  • Property tax amendment: would require the General Assembly to limit how much local governments can raise total property tax revenue. The resolution says this reduces flexibility for infrastructure, affordable housing and public safety.
  • Photo ID amendment: would require photo ID for all voters, including absentee. The resolution notes state law already requires it and says it has a disparate impact on minority, military, student, rural and older voters.
  • Constitutional amendments are harder to change than ordinary law (three-fifths of both chambers plus a majority of voters).

Discussion

  • One public speaker, apparently Pablo Friedman, supported it but used his time to ask for a similar resolution on the county's Board of Equalization Review Commercial Valuations.
  • Mayor Williams said the city does not usually govern by resolution but takes positions on matters touching city business, and urged people to vote early and bring approved ID. He mentioned receiving a complaint that officials should not take positions on state politics.
  • A councilmember (not identified in the captions) called the property tax amendment a generational change to local finances and cited a Joint City-County Committee presentation the week before on the state's tight fiscal situation.

Status and next steps

  • Resolved at the council level; the ballot outcome is not part of this record.

Sources

Discussion time

About 12 minutes across 2 meetings (from transcript timestamps; approximate).

Meeting Minutes
2026-10-19 - City Council 8
2026-10-08 - City Council Work Session 4

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