City Council Set to Accept Certified Sanctuary City for the Unborn Petition Tuesday

SAN ANGELO – The San Angelo City Council is set to accept the certified petition supporting the declaration of San Angelo as a Sanctuary City for the Unborn at the regular Council meeting Tuesday.  

Pro-life groups have been attempting to make San Angelo a Sanctuary City of the Unborn for months.  A petition circulated among local churches that gathered enough signatures to get the issue on the agenda, but the first petition was rejected by the city and was not certified.  

When the group first approached the San Angelo City Council to enact the sanctuary city ordinance, the council punted on Oct. 5. The council chambers were overflowing with supporters with lines formed outside the doors to the McNease Convention Center. It was the largest turnout of concerned citizens since 2013, including during the great trash contract debate or the fight against Lee Pfluger’s proposed sand transfer rail station that was to be built in the middle of the city.

The council can vote to either adopt or reject the ordinance. If the council rejects the ordinance, those initiating the petition can request the ordinance to be placed on the ballot. The petition initiating committee claimed Thursday the odds are in their favor for winning a ballot referendum.

Organizers went back to the churches and collected enough signatures a second time and that petition was certified by the city.  

According to information provided for the meeting Tuesday, Section 47 of the San Angelo City Charter outlines the steps required for proposing a new ordinance for adoption.

Steps Completed:

•   11/18/2021 - Initiating Committee formed, submitted draft ordinance, and took petition sheets

•   1/17/2022 - Petition pages returned within 60 days

•   1/20/2022 - Over 1,512 valid signatures obtained and verified (25% of voters in prior mayoral election)

  Steps Remaining:

•   2/1/2022 - Petition certified/delivered to Council and accepted

•   TBD - Council shall set a day/time for consideration/public hearing on the ordinance

•   TBD - Council shall cause a copy of the proposition to be printed in a newspaper of general circulation

  in the City at least once prior to consideration of the proposition in a public hearing (17 pages English, estimated 17+ pages in Spanish)

•   TBD - City Clerk shall mail each member of the initiating committee a notice of the day/time of the regular meeting of the Council when its adoption shall be considered (or another day/time set by Council)

•   30th day - After public hearing, Council shall take final action by either adopting or rejecting the ordinance, or passing an amended version (if passed, this would be the first of two readings)

•   20th day - If rejected or amended, the Initiating Committee (by majority vote) may require the original or amended ordinance be submitted to a vote of the voters by filing a certificate and statement with the City Clerk

 TBD - City Clerk shall present the certificate and certified copy of the proposed ordinance to Council at their next regular meeting

 TBD - Council shall order a special election, in accordance with state law for the proposed ordinance

The San Angelo City Council meets at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday morning in the McNease Convention Center.  The meeting is open to the public.