North Richland Hills Charter Review Commission Meeting - February 24, 2025

The Charter Review Commission met on Monday, February 24, 2025, at 4:00 p.m. in the Council Workroom at North Richland Hills City Hall. City Manager Paulette Hartman called the meeting to order. All eight commission members were present: Jack McCarty, Tito Rodriguez, Ricky Rodriguez, Suzy Compton, Matt Blake, Blake Vaughn, Russell Mitchell, and Kelvin Deupree. Staff included City Manager Paulette Hartman, Assistant City Managers Trudy Lewis and Caroline Waggoner, City Secretary/Chief Governance Officer Alicia Richardson, City Attorney Bradley Anderle, Communications Director Mary Peters, and Assistant City Secretary Traci Henderson. The meeting focused on electing leadership, reviewing the City Council's charge regarding term limits, and discussing potential changes to Article V, Section 3 of the city charter.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No members of the public requested to speak.

Action Items

• The Commission elected officers. Jack McCarty moved to nominate Ricky Rodriguez as Chair and Matt Blake as Vice Chair, seconded by Kelvin Deupree. The motion carried 8-0. Ricky Rodriguez later chaired the remainder of the meeting and adjourned it at 4:39 p.m.

Discussion Items

• City Attorney Bradley Anderle explained that the City Council charged the Commission with reviewing term limits for elected officials.
• Anderle reviewed three types of term limits for consideration:
  • Consecutive term limits: limit the number of back-to-back terms an official can serve; the official may run again after sitting out an election cycle. Examples included two successive terms for Mayor or Council member and a three-consecutive-term council limit with eligibility returning after the next general election.
  • Cumulative term limits: limit total consecutive years of service, regardless of position, with eligibility returning after sitting out a cycle. Examples included 18 consecutive combined years as Council member and Mayor and 16 consecutive years on the City Council.
  • Strict term limits: limit total terms and do not allow a person to run again after serving the full allotment. Example language barred a person after two full terms from serving again in any place or position on the City Council. Anderle noted strict limits are rare at the local level.
• Anderle encouraged the Commission to draft clear language on how terms are counted, including partial terms, vacancies, appointed versus elected service, and when eligibility resumes. He said lack of clarity has been a common problem in charter provisions.
• Anderle presented four transition options for moving from two-year to three-year council terms:
  1. 2026: two 3-year terms and two 2-year terms; 2027: three 3-year terms and one 1-year term; 2028: three 3-year terms.
  2. 2026: three 3-year terms and one 2-year term; 2027: three 3-year terms and one 1-year term; 2028: two 3-year terms.
  3. 2026: two 3-year terms, one 2-year term, and one 1-year term; 2027: three 3-year terms, one 2-year term, and one 1-year term; 2028: two 3-year terms; 2029: one 3-year term.
  4. 2026: four 3-year terms; 2027: four 3-year terms; 2028: off year.
• After discussion, the Commission favored Option 4, which would elect four positions in one election cycle, four positions in the next cycle, and then have an off year. Several members supported the off-year approach for simplicity and reduced election costs, and some noted that county-run elections in off years would reduce city election expenses.
• Anderle noted related charter provisions that might need adjustment if council terms change: the municipal judge's two-year term tied to the Mayor's term, Planning and Zoning Commission terms, and the current 180-day vacancy-filling threshold. He distributed sample charter language from other Texas cities for the Commission to review.
• Note: The written minutes show the transition options beginning in 2026, but during the meeting Anderle cautioned that the chart dates might be a year off depending on whether the charter amendment is placed on the November 2025 ballot.

Key Outcomes

• The Commission elected Ricky Rodriguez as Chair and Matt Blake as Vice Chair by an 8-0 vote.
• The Commission expressed consensus favoring a three-year term with an off-year election cycle, but took no formal action on term limits or ballot language.
• The next meeting was scheduled for March 3, 2025, at 4:00 p.m. to discuss and decide the type and length of term limits. A subsequent meeting was planned for March 24, 2025, to discuss and decide ballot language for the charter amendment.