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Fire union petitions, including limiting city manager's pay, will go to vote in November

In April, Fire union president Chris Steele held a press conference to announce that 100,000 signatures were gathered in support of three charter amendments.
The San Antonio Professional Firefighters Association is calling for change at city hall.

The San Antonio Professional Firefighters Association is calling for change at City Hall, and now it looks like they may be a little closer to getting it.

City Council gave approval Thursday to send several charter amendments proposed by San Antonio Professional Firefighters Association to a vote in November.

In April, Fire union president Chris Steele held a press conference to announce that 100,000 signatures were gathered in support of three charter amendments.

The first petition is to reduce the city manager's salary and only allow the city manager to serve no more than an eight-year term. However, a city spokesperson told KENS 5 that current city manager Sheryl Sculley would be exempt from the change.

Agenda Memo by KENS 5 on Scribd

The second petition would require the City of San Antonio to go into arbitration during labor contract disputes. "We know that in these litigations, these fights that this city hall that's corrupt has had with firefighters, it has spent more than $2 million on lawyers. I'm sure there's a lot of great programs, potholes and other things that can be fixed," Steele told KENS 5 in April.

The third petition would make it easier for citizens to change city ordinances or charter rules by allowing more time and fewer signatures

On Thursday, the city approved the amendments to move forward to a vote on General Election Day on November 6.

San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg chimed in on the petitions back in April saying that they are not for San Antonians but in support of the fire union's agenda. He said the city invited the union to the table in February 2014, and since then, no agreement has been reached between them.

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