An Analysis of Texas Home Rule Charters

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this Applied Research Project is two-fold. The first is a description of the content of current Texas home rule charters. The second is a description of what changes, if any, have occurred in that content since Blodgett's 1994 monograph. Method: The research method is a hybrid approach combining surveys and content analysis in order to determine how local government is structured within Texas home rule charters. Survey questionnaire/coding sheets are sent out to the 340 currently existing home rule cities in Texas which are then used to review their content for a determination of what, if any, changes have occurred in home rule structure since 1994. Findings: Overall findings reveal forms of government remain relatively unchanged since Blodgett's 1994 survey. However, certain aspects of those forms have changed. Generally, there is a trend towards requiring more unanimity in city council decisions, an increase in term limit requirements, and increased mandatory capital budget requirements.