Killeen City Council Special Meeting – June 9, 2026

The Killeen City Council met in special session at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 101 N. College Street. All council members were present, with Councilmember Charles Kimball participating via Zoom. The council approved the agenda 7–0, heard citizen comments, and discussed changing the time of upcoming special meetings and a series of proposed charter amendments. The meeting adjourned before completing all scheduled charter-review items.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Anka Niagu: Expressed support for restoring non-agenda citizen comments, arguing their removal was intended to silence citizens. She said criticism should be accepted and that council members who cannot take criticism should not serve. She also raised a practical question about limiting speakers if 50 people show up.
• Michael Fernino: Called the proposal to change special meeting times a “bonehead idea” and suggested it was an attempt to make meetings less accessible. He advocated for judicial removal of elected officials, resign-to-run for offices outside the city, and council-initiated investigations, citing his attendance at charter review committee meetings.
• James Sills: Urged the council to restore non-agenda citizen comments and put that right in the charter so it could not be removed at the council’s whim. He criticized reliance on email as an inadequate substitute for listening to citizens and noted that only three council members acknowledged his June 3 email.
• Dr. Sue Neasy Croft: Asked for a cross-reference document mapping each proposed charter amendment to the specific article/section of the charter, the current language, the proposed change, and rationale. She requested this matrix before the next special meeting and said her purpose was transparency, not support or opposition.
• Leo Gukizen: Spoke as a charter review committee member. He supported the committee’s recommendations, including putting non-agenda citizen comments in the charter, requiring the city manager to brief council on change orders in open session, and requiring resignation when running for another office. He cautioned the council not to “butcher” the recommendations to meet personal opinions.

Discussion Items

DS-26-046: Changing Time for Special Meetings

• Staff asked the council to confirm the 5:00 p.m. time for special meetings scheduled on June 22, 2026, July 14, 2026, and July 28, 2026.
• Councilmember Kimball supported keeping 5:00 p.m., noting citizens cannot participate during work hours. Councilmember Brown suggested 5:30 p.m. to improve access. Councilmember Williams agreed with 5:00 p.m. Mayor Pro Tem Gonzalez supported 5:00 or 5:30 and suggested a 10:00 p.m. cap for productivity. Councilmember Nash-King noted that meeting length is driven by council behavior, not citizen comments.
• Consensus: Keep the special meetings at 5:00 p.m.

DS-26-047: Charter Amendments

The council discussed five of the eleven proposed charter amendments. A staff presenter described current charter provisions, Charter Review Committee recommendations, and comparative language from other cities. The council took the following actions:

1. Election Dates

   • The committee recommended aligning the charter with the council’s December 19, 2025 resolution moving all regular elections to the November uniform election date in odd-numbered years, requiring changes to Sections 22 and 93.
   • Discussion included concerns about staggering terms and the prohibition on November elections in even-numbered years. Councilmember Nash-King favored two-year terms; Councilmember Brown said voters should decide.
   • Motion to accept the amendment as proposed passed 5–2.

2. Term Limits

   • Current charter limits officials to three consecutive two-year terms per office but no total limit. The committee recommended a cap of six consecutive terms in any combination of offices, followed by a one-term wait.
   • Councilmember Bass said he trusts voters and opposed the change. Councilmember Nash-King recommended keeping current language. Councilmember Kendrick moved to reject the recommendation, seconded by Nash-King.
   • The motion to reject passed 6–1, so the term-limit amendment will not appear on the ballot. Councilmember Brown voted in opposition.

3. Resign-to-Run

   • Current charter requires resignation when filing for a different city office, but not for outside offices. The committee recommended applying the requirement only to outside offices.
   • A motion by Councilmember Brown to accept the committee recommendation failed for lack of a second.
   • Councilmember Nash-King then moved to remove the resign-to-run provision entirely, allowing officials to continue serving while running for any office, with immediate resignation upon winning. The motion passed 7–0 and will go on the ballot.

4. Filling Vacancies on City Council

   • Current charter requires appointment for a single vacancy occurring more than 90 days before an election, allows appointment within 90 days, and requires a special election if two or more vacancies occur. The committee recommended all vacancies be filled by appointment, with a special election only if a quorum no longer exists.
   • Councilmember Nash-King moved to accept the recommendation, seconded by Bass. Councilmember Brown proposed an amendment capping appointments at two per two-year term; the amendment failed 4–3.
   • The original motion to accept the committee recommendation then passed 6–1, placing the vacancy-appointment amendment on the ballot.

5. Council-Initiated Investigations

   • Section 39 of the charter already authorizes council investigations and subpoenas. The committee recommended adding a requirement that the council adopt an ordinance establishing investigation procedures.
   • Several councilmembers argued procedures would be better placed in governing standards. Councilmember Nash-King strongly opposed the change as overreach. Councilmember Brown moved to accept the recommendation but strike the “by ordinance” requirement, so the charter would simply say the council shall provide procedures.
   • After procedural votes, Councilmember Nash-King successfully amended the motion to specify that procedures be provided through governing standards rather than ordinance. The amendment passed 6–1.
   • The final motion as amended was declared carried by the mayor, though the transcript contains confusion about the vote count. The amended language would require the council to provide investigation procedures through its governing standards and would go to voters in November.

Key Outcomes

• The agenda was approved 7–0.
• Upcoming special meetings will remain at 5:00 p.m.
• Election-date charter amendment approved for the November ballot (5–2).
• Term-limit amendment rejected (6–1).
• Resign-to-run removal approved for the November ballot (7–0).
• Vacancy-appointment amendment approved for the November ballot (6–1); a two-appointment cap amendment failed (4–3).
• Council-investigation procedures amendment approved for the November ballot (declared carried; vote count not clearly recorded).
• The meeting adjourned on a motion by Councilmember Brown before considering the remaining charter amendments—candidate filing fees, initiative/referendum requirements, recall procedures, judicial removal of elected officials, citizen comment period, and change-order briefings by the city manager.