OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Fort Worth City Council Meeting - February 10, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, February 10, 2026
BodyFort Worth, Texas
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, February 10, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 5:09:25

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

And welcome to the Four City Council meeting.

0:01

I will call us to order.

0:04

Tonight's invocation will be provided by Reverend Michael Bell from the Greater Saint Stephen's Baptist Church.

0:12

Please rise for the invocation and remain standing for the presentation of the color guard and pledges of allegiance.

0:24

Let us pray.

0:26

God of our weary years, God of our silent tears.

0:31

Thou who has brought us thus far along the way.

0:34

Thou who has by thy might let us into the light, keep us forever in the path we pray.

0:42

Holy one of justice, we stand in this chamber, mindful that public service is a sacred trust.

0:49

You have carried communities through struggle through division through seasons when hope seemed fragile and voices seemed small.

0:59

Yet here we are, still standing, still seeking, still believing that right is stronger than wrong.

1:07

You have walked with people who had no vote, no voice, no seat at the table.

1:12

You have made a way out of nowhere.

1:14

You have turned lynching trees into liberation movement.

1:19

You have taken whispered prayers and made them thunder in the streets.

1:23

And if you did it before, you can do it again.

1:27

So I ask you, Eternal, to trouble this room with holy courage.

1:31

Remind those who sit in seats of decision that authority without accountability becomes arrogance, power without compassion becomes cruelty, and law without respect for the dignity and worth of all humanity is worthless.

1:47

Let them legislate with memory and govern with imagination, seeing not just what is but what ought to be.

1:54

And if they're tempted to bow to power, remind them there is a higher power.

2:00

If they are tempted to bend toward injustice, bend them back toward righteousness.

2:06

If they forget who they serve, remind them they serve a people, and above all the people.

2:19

So God of our weary years steady their resolve.

2:22

God of our silent tears amplify the cries of those unheard.

2:26

God who led us into the light.

2:28

Do not let this city drift back into the shadow.

2:32

And when history records what happened in this room, may it be said that they chose courage over comfort, conscience over convenience, and justice over power.

2:43

In the name of the God who liberates and sustains, the God of diversity, equity, and inclusion, we pray.

2:51

A meen Asha.

2:57

The presentation of the colors will be by the Tremble Tech Junior R O T C Color Guard.

3:59

Texas Lag.

4:01

Delegion is to be.

5:00

Ring with the harmies of liberty.

5:06

Let our rejoice sing as the skies.

5:18

Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.

5:29

Full of the faith that the dark past has taught us.

5:40

Full of the hope that the present has brought us.

5:49

Facing the rising song of our new day gun.

6:02

Let us march on Victory One.

6:28

Next will be a special presentation of the of a recognition for excellence in small business growth and financial empowerment for the Fort Worth City, Fort Worth Black Chamber of Commerce.

6:41

Councilmember Chris Nettles.

7:20

The work and the effort that the Black Chamber is doing.

7:27

The City of Fort Worth's special recognition, whereas small businesses are a vital deliverer of economic growth, job creation, and neighborhood vitalization throughout the city of Fort Worth.

7:40

Whereas the city of Fort Worth committed to fostering a strong, inclusive and relentless small business economic system through a small business development program and strategies partnership.

7:53

Whereas the Fort Worth Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce, in collaboration with the City of Fort Worth, plays a critical role in providing financial education, mentoring, and access to capital opportunities for small businesses across the city of Fort Worth.

8:10

Whereas the Fort Way Black Chamber has implemented empathful access to capital initiatives that strengthen the business, reading confidence and long-term emerging in growth and entrepreneurship.

8:24

Whereas one such initiative, JP Morgan Chase Bank, the power to compete, small business growth and development initiative is a two-part program that provides targeting businesses, coaching, followed by a public facing business and small showcase, enabling participation, entrepreneurs, and increasing visibility.

8:45

I'm not going to read the next five paragraphs.

8:48

Okay, because we are a lot to do today.

8:51

So now therefore, be it reserved and proclamated that the mayor and the city council, Fort Worth hereby does recognize and commend the Fort Worth Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce, JP Morgan Chase Bank and Prosperity Bank for their leadership, partnership, and continued dedication to advocacy, small business development, and access to capital in the city of Fort Worth, presented on this 10th day of February 2026.

9:16

Can we give the Black Chamber around the plause?

9:26

We'll have Michelle come with speaker on behalf of the chamber.

9:30

Good evening.

9:32

To Mayor Parker and Constable Nettles and all of our council members, executive team, and to the Fort Worth Metropolitan Board, staff chambers and our community partners.

9:44

We would like to thank you for the recognition for the work that we're doing with small business development and access to capital, along with our other partners, the Fort Worth Chamber and the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber.

10:00

Thank you for the opportunity, and we look forward to going forward to continue to build businesses in this community so that we can see growth in every area of this city.

10:08

Thank you.

10:15

We'll go out front picture.

10:17

Yes.

10:18

I also want to acknowledge Judge Glenn Lewis with us today.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Engagement█████████████13%
Environmental Protection█████████████13%
Public Safety████████████12%
Affordable Housing██████████10%
Community Engagement█████████9%
Procedural██████6%
Land Use Planning██████6%
Personnel Matters█████5%
Legal████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Fort Worth City Council Meeting - February 10, 2026

The Fort Worth City Council met on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, at 6:02 PM in the City Council Chamber. The meeting included special presentations, approval of a consent agenda, public hearings, numerous zoning cases, and a lengthy public comment period. The meeting was adjourned at 11:20 PM. Mayor Mattie Parker presided over the meeting with all 11 council members present (Council Member Crain attended remotely).

Consent Calendar

  • General Consent Items (A): Adopted Rules of Procedure for Transportation Impact Fee Capital Improvements Advisory Committee; authorized unit price contracts for guardrails/barricades ($750,000 each), master transportation plan update ($47,832.60), street lights/traffic signals ($4.5 million each), US 287/East Berry Street project ($300,000), and animal welfare grant applications (up to $250,000).
  • Purchase of Equipment and Services (B): Approved amendments for equipment rental (Herc Rentals, $1,033,542), commercial washers/dryers ($250,000), overhead crane inspections ($420,000).
  • Award of Contract Consent Items (E): Approved economic development agreement with Weir Minerals ($185,000); reallocation of CDBG funds ($400,000) from Habitat for Humanity Como Townhomes to Preserve-A-Home Program – Como; tax abatement agreements for industrial buildings (MA-BD, LLC $2.1M; K5 Holdings $9.14M); asphalt resurfacing contract ($4,089,561); interlocal agreements for Everman Parkway ($263,655 plus $450,000 TDCs); mitigation bank credit purchase ($193,148); printing/mailing services ($400,000 annually); sole source agreement for crime center software ($490,000); sanitary sewer manhole repair ($900,000); engineering amendments (Kimley-Horn $1,948,665; BDS Texas $154,820); water/sewer replacement contracts (Gra-Tex $8,949,903; Woody Contractors $8,227,654; Gra-Tex $14,595,928).
  • City Secretary & Minutes: Approved notice of claims and minutes from January 6, 13, and 27, 2026 meetings.
  • Board Appointments: Approved appointments of Allison Fitzgerald to Community Development Council and Laura Kelley to City Plan Commission (both 11-0).
  • Resolutions: Adopted resolution authorizing initiation of rezoning for 5329/5335 E 1st Street (11-0); consented to addition of 50.10 acres to Far North Fort Worth MUD No. 1 (11-0).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Sex Offender Residency Restrictions (Ordinance 26-5721): Multiple speakers opposed the ordinance. Richard Gladden (attorney) argued the ordinance is legally invalid because it lacks exceptions for persons on probation or parole and violates the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Sean Braun (licensed sex offender treatment provider) stated residency restrictions do not reduce risk and noted low recidivism rates (13-14%). Edward Puckett (faith-based housing provider) cited lack of operational guidance and authoritative map. Others (Mack McCurry, Adrian Smith, Scott Johnston) argued restrictions destroy stability and increase homelessness. One speaker (Alexander Montalvo) strongly supported the ordinance, calling it necessary to protect children.
  • Charter Amendments (Ordinance 26-5766): Multiple speakers spoke in favor of raising council pay (proposition G) but opposed giving city manager power to create/abolish departments (proposition M). Andrew Torre, Mindy Tackett, Chris Tackett, and Jamie Perkins advocated for indexed pay and argued proposition M concentrates too much power in an unelected official. David Rodriguez and Kent Decardenas echoed concerns about unchecked authority.
  • Bond Election (Ordinance 26-5765): Several speakers (Ann Zadeh, Donna VanNess, Wesley Kirk, others) supported including affordable housing and public art funding. Some urged a larger allocation than the $10 million included.
  • Housing Tax Credits (M&C 26-0118): Toray Kennedy (property manager), Corbin Frederick (broker), Thomas Huth (Palladium), Kelly Parma (traffic engineer), Kim Parker (Palladium executive director), and Ann Lott (Inclusive Communities Project) spoke in support of the Palladium Legacy Drive project, highlighting 90 units, 228-person waiting list, and a commitment to fund a $650,000 school drop-off staging area. Council members expressed mixed views, with Council Member Hill ultimately opposing due to neighborhood concerns and school recess space loss.
  • General Public Comments: Topics included ICE enforcement in schools (urging safer school policies), police response issues (Thomas Hamilton), anti-discrimination ordinance enforcement, illegal gunfire and safety (Derek Patterson), pay raise support, and criticism of council agenda management (Bob Willoughby).

Discussion Items

  • Sex Offender Residency Restrictions (26-5721): Council Member Beck moved to continue the item to allow legal staff to address constitutional concerns raised by public comment. Council Member Lauersdorf made a substitute motion to increase distance from 1,500 to 2,000 feet; motion failed for lack of a second. The original continuation motion passed 11-0, with direction to return with amended language.
  • Bond Election (26-5765): Adopted 11-0. Mayor Parker clarified that while state law requires a statement that bonds are a tax increase, the city's bond program is designed to work within existing tax rate with no projected tax increase.
  • Charter Election (26-5766): Adopted 11-0. Council members discussed proposition M, clarifying it only applies to non-charter-mandated departments and aligns with existing city manager authority. Proposition G raises council pay.
  • Municipal Setting Designation (M&C 26-0078): Extensive debate on groundwater contamination (arsenic, lead, manganese) at 5921/5933 South Freeway. Community members (Jerome Johnson, Letitia Wilbourn, Malik Austin, Gena Byrd, Crystal Womack) opposed the MSD, citing health concerns, historic pollution, and distrust. Council Member Nettles moved to approve with additional conditions: third-party environmental testing, quarterly updates to neighborhood association, roundtable with TCEQ, developer donation of 14-acre buffer. Motion passed 11-0. Council Members Peoples and Hall initially expressed reservations but ultimately voted in favor.
  • Tax Abatement for Stellar Energy (M&C 26-0117): Approved 11-0 after no public comment.
  • Zoning Cases:
    • ZC-25-184: Continued to March 10, 2026, pending data center briefing.
    • ZC-25-111: Approved 11-0 (lodging house at Glen Garden Baptist Church).
    • ZC-25-144: Approved 11-0 (waste transfer station).
    • ZC-25-178: Approved as amended 11-0 (planned development for mobile food vendor).
    • ZC-25-193: Approved with 2-year limit 11-0 (CDL truck driving school).
    • ZC-25-196: Approved 11-0.
    • ZC-25-197: Approved 11-0.
    • ZC-25-198: Approved with 3-year limit 11-0 (mobile food vendors).
    • ZC-25-200, 201, 202: Approved 11-0.
    • ZC-25-203: Denied with prejudice 11-0 (auto repair on Hemphill Street). Council Member Martinez cited 23 existing auto-related businesses in a two-mile stretch.
    • ZC-25-204: Approved 11-0 (Fort Worth ISD community facility), with Council Member Hall recused.
    • ZC-25-205: Continued to March 10, 2026.
  • Housing Tax Credits (M&C 26-0118): Council Member Hill moved to remove Palladium Legacy Drive; Council Member Lauersdorf amended to also remove Thompson; amendment failed for lack of second. Council Member Nettles moved to separate Districts 4 and 7; approved 11-0. Remaining districts (2,3,5,6,8) approved 11-0. District 4 motion to deny passed 8-3 (Peoples, Nettles, Beck dissenting). District 7 motion to deny passed 8-3 (Peoples, Nettles, Beck dissenting). Palladium Legacy Drive and Thompson excluded.
  • Eminent Domain (M&C 26-0119): Approved 11-0 to acquire easements for Southside II Water Transmission Main.

Key Outcomes

  • Sex Offender Ordinance (26-5721): Continued to February 24, 2026, for legal revisions (11-0).
  • Bond Election Ordinance (26-5765): Adopted (11-0); election set for May 2, 2026, with no projected tax increase.
  • Charter Election Ordinance (26-5766): Adopted (11-0); election set for May 2, 2026, with multiple propositions including pay raise and city manager authority.
  • MSD Approval (M&C 26-0078): Approved with enhanced oversight conditions including third-party testing, neighborhood updates, and 14-acre buffer donation (11-0).
  • Stellar Energy Tax Abatement (M&C 26-0117): Approved (11-0) for development in Tax Abatement Reinvestment Zone No. 115.
  • Housing Tax Credits (M&C 26-0118): Nine resolutions of support adopted; Palladium Legacy Drive and Thompson projects removed after separate votes denying them for Districts 4 and 7 (both 8-3). All other projects approved.
  • Eminent Domain (M&C 26-0119): Resolution adopted (11-0) authorizing condemnation for water main project.
  • Zoning: 11 cases approved, 1 denied with prejudice (ZC-25-203), 2 continued to March 10 (ZC-25-184, ZC-25-205).
  • Board Appointments: Approved Allison Fitzgerald (Community Development Council) and Laura Kelley (City Plan Commission) both 11-0.

Meeting Transcript

And welcome to the Four City Council meeting. I will call us to order. Tonight's invocation will be provided by Reverend Michael Bell from the Greater Saint Stephen's Baptist Church. Please rise for the invocation and remain standing for the presentation of the color guard and pledges of allegiance. Let us pray. God of our weary years, God of our silent tears. Thou who has brought us thus far along the way. Thou who has by thy might let us into the light, keep us forever in the path we pray. Holy one of justice, we stand in this chamber, mindful that public service is a sacred trust. You have carried communities through struggle through division through seasons when hope seemed fragile and voices seemed small. Yet here we are, still standing, still seeking, still believing that right is stronger than wrong. You have walked with people who had no vote, no voice, no seat at the table. You have made a way out of nowhere. You have turned lynching trees into liberation movement. You have taken whispered prayers and made them thunder in the streets. And if you did it before, you can do it again. So I ask you, Eternal, to trouble this room with holy courage. Remind those who sit in seats of decision that authority without accountability becomes arrogance, power without compassion becomes cruelty, and law without respect for the dignity and worth of all humanity is worthless. Let them legislate with memory and govern with imagination, seeing not just what is but what ought to be. And if they're tempted to bow to power, remind them there is a higher power. If they are tempted to bend toward injustice, bend them back toward righteousness. If they forget who they serve, remind them they serve a people, and above all the people. So God of our weary years steady their resolve. God of our silent tears amplify the cries of those unheard. God who led us into the light. Do not let this city drift back into the shadow. And when history records what happened in this room, may it be said that they chose courage over comfort, conscience over convenience, and justice over power. In the name of the God who liberates and sustains, the God of diversity, equity, and inclusion, we pray. A meen Asha. The presentation of the colors will be by the Tremble Tech Junior R O T C Color Guard. Texas Lag. Delegion is to be. Ring with the harmies of liberty. Let our rejoice sing as the skies. Let it resound loud as the rolling sea. Full of the faith that the dark past has taught us. Full of the hope that the present has brought us. Facing the rising song of our new day gun. Let us march on Victory One. Next will be a special presentation of the of a recognition for excellence in small business growth and financial empowerment for the Fort Worth City, Fort Worth Black Chamber of Commerce. Councilmember Chris Nettles. The work and the effort that the Black Chamber is doing. The City of Fort Worth's special recognition, whereas small businesses are a vital deliverer of economic growth, job creation, and neighborhood vitalization throughout the city of Fort Worth. Whereas the city of Fort Worth committed to fostering a strong, inclusive and relentless small business economic system through a small business development program and strategies partnership. Whereas the Fort Worth Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce, in collaboration with the City of Fort Worth, plays a critical role in providing financial education, mentoring, and access to capital opportunities for small businesses across the city of Fort Worth. Whereas the Fort Way Black Chamber has implemented empathful access to capital initiatives that strengthen the business, reading confidence and long-term emerging in growth and entrepreneurship. Whereas one such initiative, JP Morgan Chase Bank, the power to compete, small business growth and development initiative is a two-part program that provides targeting businesses, coaching, followed by a public facing business and small showcase, enabling participation, entrepreneurs, and increasing visibility. I'm not going to read the next five paragraphs. Okay, because we are a lot to do today. So now therefore, be it reserved and proclamated that the mayor and the city council, Fort Worth hereby does recognize and commend the Fort Worth Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce, JP Morgan Chase Bank and Prosperity Bank for their leadership, partnership, and continued dedication to advocacy, small business development, and access to capital in the city of Fort Worth, presented on this 10th day of February 2026.

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