Fate voters to decide eight city charter amendments

Fate voters faced eight proposed city charter amendments on a May 3, 2025 ballot that also included races for mayor and two council seats. The city set the special charter election to run jointly with the general election, turning a routine spring vote into a decision that could affect how Fate governs itself for years.

The City of Fate first moved the charter question forward in a January 23, 2025 agenda item that put the Fate Charter Commission’s recommended amendments before the council. A January 30 election order, prepared by City Secretary Vickey Raduechel, said the special election was for voter consideration of amendments to specific sections of the city charter. The same order also set the citywide election for one mayor and two council members in Places 4 and 6, with three-year terms from May 2025 to May 2028.

For residents, the practical question was not just whether the amendments passed, but how much they might change the way city hall works. City charters define who can act, how long they serve, and how decisions move through local government. In a fast-growing city like Fate, that can shape everything from how quickly vacancies are filled to how much authority the mayor and council keep over city business, public meetings, and ordinances. A yes vote would adopt the charter changes placed on the ballot; a no vote would leave the existing charter language in place.

The charter review itself was handled by a Fate Charter Commission that met three times between December 16, 2024 and January 21, 2025 before making recommendations. At the February 3, 2025 special council meeting at Fate City Hall, 1900 CD Boren Parkway, Mayor David Billings was present with council members Codi Chinn, Mark Harper, Scott Kelley, Allen Robbins, Mark Hatley and Lance Megyesi. The city’s election packet listed Billings and Megyesi, the Place 6 council member, as incumbents eligible for reelection, while noting that one incumbent was ineligible for another term.

The city’s internet-posting requirements say the mayor and each council member serve three-year terms and that no person may be elected as councilmember for more than two consecutive three-year terms. Fate later scheduled a May 8, 2025 ordinance to canvas and declare the results of the joint general and special election, closing the loop on a ballot that paired charter reform with the city’s regular leadership races.