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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

North Richland Hills City Council Work Session and Regular Meeting - March 9, 2026

City Council & Boards — Monday, March 9, 2026

BodyNorth Richland Hills, Texas

SessionCity Council & Boards

DateMonday, March 9, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:00:30

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording. Names come from transcript evidence. “Possibly” marks uncertain attribution.

Unassigned speaker

0:16

We got

Speaker 1

0:17

to move that move forward.

0:18

Thanks for taking care of

Unassigned speaker

0:19

that.

Speaker 2

0:20

Good evening, and welcome to the North Trudson Hill City Council work session.

0:23

It is 5 30 p.m.

0:24

and I will call the Monday, March 9, 2026 City Council work session to order.

0:28

A quorum of the city council is present.

0:30

The meeting has been duly posted in accordance with the Tex Open Meetings Act, the Texas Government Code.

0:34

Items listed for discussion on the work session agenda provide an opportunity for the City Council to discuss the items and receive information from the staff.

0:41

The City Council will not take action on any of the items listed up for discussion during the work session.

0:46

Any members of the public wishing to address the council regarding items listed in the work session agenda may do so during the public comments portion of the regular meeting.

1:07

So

Unassigned speaker

1:10

any

Speaker 2

1:11

clarifications anybody needs for the uh regular meeting.

1:14

Oh no.

1:15

Okay.

1:16

We'll move on to the next item, which is to discuss the proposed ordinance uh amending the city's code of ordinances aligning with the terms uh for the board, commissions, and committee members to city council.

1:27

Alicia.

Speaker 3

1:28

Mayor and council, I'm before you tonight to discuss the term limits for the board and commission members.

1:34

You might recall that I've been before you two, three, maybe four times.

1:38

Um just over the um the the time frame of discussing board and commission members after the city council November election passed, proposition A and proposition B, which deals with the term length and then also the term limit of the elected officials for the mayor and council members.

1:59

At the February 9th meeting, staff brought back an item for work session for the city council to discuss if they wanted to, in fact, move and extend the term from two to three years.

2:10

And then we also discussed term limits that like how it was approved in proposition B for the City Council.

2:16

At that February 9th meeting, the council consensus was to align the board and commission member terms with that of the elected officials.

2:24

So it's moving from two to three year terms at the meeting, council discussed, and it was not the desire at the time to um include term limits for board and commission members.

Unassigned speaker

2:35

And

Speaker 3

2:36

then at our February 23rd meeting during future work session items, it was requested that we place another item on the work session to discuss the term limits for board and commission members.

2:47

So that is the reason why this item is before you tonight for a city council to discuss if they want to um apply term limits to board and commission members

Speaker 2

3:00

anybody wants to Billy?

3:01

Sir

Speaker 4

3:03

Yeah, Mayor.

3:04

Um I think the reason for asking it to be put back on just to to have a more in-depth discussion about it.

3:10

Uh I I know we brought it up, we had some discussion about

Unassigned speaker

3:13

it,

Speaker 4

3:14

especially in light of the changing with the term limits that apply to the council members.

3:20

Should there be for the opportunity perhaps to uh give other citizens opportunity to serve on different boards?

Unassigned speaker

3:29

I

Speaker 4

3:29

I'm not though that I'm taking a hard position one way or the other.

3:32

I just think it's worthy of more discussion.

3:34

And

Unassigned speaker

3:35

I

Speaker 4

3:35

wanted us to have the opportunity to do

Unassigned speaker

3:38

that.

Speaker 4

3:39

Okay.

3:40

If anybody wants to have more discussion, Councilmember Mitchell.

Speaker 5

3:43

Um I just, you know,

Unassigned speaker

3:45

I

Speaker 5

3:45

don't see the reasoning behind doing the term limits for board members, whoever the new council person becomes

Unassigned speaker

3:54

has

Speaker 5

3:55

that option to make that change.

3:57

So if they don't want to make the change, they just don't make it.

4:00

If they make it and want to move them to a different board, they just make that change as well.

4:04

So that's sort of where I stand on

Unassigned speaker

4:06

it.

Speaker 2

4:07

Anyone else?

4:09

Councilmember Villaine.

Speaker 6

4:11

My thought with it is just why would we do it for ourselves and not for the boards?

Speaker 2

4:16

It's a fair thought.

4:18

So so if we were to do that, so somebody could do if we did the three threes, right?

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Government Ethics██████████████████████████26%

Procedural█████████████████17%

Community Engagement████████████12%

Parks and Recreation████████8%

Workforce Development███████7%

Public Safety███████7%

Zoning Regulations██████6%

Efficiency Audits█████5%

Public Engagement█████5%

Summary of Proceedings

North Richland Hills City Council Work Session and Regular Meeting - March 9, 2026

The North Richland Hills City Council convened for a work session at 5:30 p.m. followed by a regular meeting at 7:00 p.m. on March 9, 2026. The work session focused on potential term limits for board and commission members and updates on efficiency audits. The regular meeting included the approval of a special use permit for a cable assembly manufacturer, a contract for playground replacement at JB Sandlin Park, and a substantial authorization for Motorola public safety radios. The meeting concluded at 7:36 p.m.

Public Comments & Testimony

Mike Harris (6800 Richfield Drive, Vice President of the NRH Citizens Fire Academy Alumni Association) invited the council to the association's second annual St. Patrick's Day Party on March 14 at B&B Theatres, which benefits the Fire Department Pipes & Drums Honor Guard.
Dana Hammack (9373 Granger Lane, Fort Worth) informed the council of a new weekly farmers market in North Richland Hills, starting with a preview event on March 21 and officially weekly from April 11.
Mary Michaels (8401 Revenue Way) expressed concerns about dangerous speeding and frequently changing speed limits on Davis Boulevard, noting a past fatality and requesting the city evaluate speed limits in conjunction with the planned median project.

Consent Calendar

The council approved the consent agenda (7-0, motion by Blake, second by Delaney), which included:

Approval of the minutes from the February 23, 2026 city council meeting.
Resolution No. 2026-019 authorizing the city manager to execute an asset transfer ($4,122.05) to the Dallas County Criminal District Attorney's Office for the North Texas Anti-Gang Center Grant.
Approval of the purchase of a Jail Control System from Sydaptic Inc. for an amount not to exceed $550,000.

Public Hearing and Development

ZC25-0154 / Ordinance 3949: The council held a public hearing for a special use permit requested by MJ Commercial Holdings LLC (operating as MavTel USA) for a cable and wire harness assembly operation at 5113 Commercial Drive (0.616 acres). Applicant representative Jeff Peterson and Vice President of Engineering Howard Wiles described the low-volume, high-mix manufacturing process involving no customer foot traffic, toxic waste, or significant noise. The Planning and Zoning Commission previously recommended approval (7-0). The council discussed shipping (primarily FedEx/UPS), estimated employees (approximately 20), and operating hours. The motion to approve the ordinance carried 7-0 (motion by Goetz, second by Deupree).

Discussion Items

Board and Commission Term Limits: During the work session, City Secretary Alicia Richardson facilitated a discussion on implementing term limits for board and commission members. Councilmembers expressed varied views. Councilmember Mitchell and Blake noted the natural turnover with new council appointments and the challenge of finding volunteers. Councilmember Deupree suggested a "soft" term limit (e.g., requiring a one-term break before reappointment to the same board). Councilmember Parks requested the item for robust discussion. The consensus was for staff to survey benchmark cities in the Metroplex and similarly-sized Texas cities and report back.
City Manager Report: Paulette Hartman reported the city received 3 proposals for the Facilities efficiency audit and 7 for the Utility Billing audit, with an expected award in April. The Information Technology efficiency audit is complete, with recommendations to be presented in April. Staff changes were announced: Danene Grahada started as Utility Billing Manager on March 2, and Casey Valdez was hired as Utility Billing Supervisor.

Key Outcomes

Board Term Limits: Staff directed to compile a report comparing term limit practices from benchmark cities. No policy adoption was made.
Consent Agenda: Approved 7-0.
Special Use Permit (ZC25-0154): Approved 7-0.
JB Sandlin Park Playground (G.1): Council approved the award of bid RFP No. 26-004 to Whirlix, Inc. for $275,000 for the replacement of playground equipment, which includes shade structures (motion by Roberts, second by Parks). Approved 7-0.
Motorola Solutions Public Safety Radios (G.2): Council authorized payment to Motorola Solutions, Inc. of up to $1,028,734 for radios, equipment, maintenance, and accessories for public safety departments (motion by Deupree, second by Blake). Approved 7-0.

Executive Session

The council met in executive session from 5:50 p.m. to 6:46 p.m. to discuss pending litigation (Jessie Goodfellow v. City of North Richland Hills; Travis Scott Gray v. City of North Richland Hills), economic development negotiations (Northeast Corner of Boulevard 26 & Harwood Road; EZ Streets Empowerment Zone), and personnel matters (City Manager). No action was taken as a result of the executive session.

Meeting Transcript

We got to move that move forward. Thanks for taking care of that. Good evening, and welcome to the North Trudson Hill City Council work session. It is 5 30 p.m. and I will call the Monday, March 9, 2026 City Council work session to order. A quorum of the city council is present. The meeting has been duly posted in accordance with the Tex Open Meetings Act, the Texas Government Code. Items listed for discussion on the work session agenda provide an opportunity for the City Council to discuss the items and receive information from the staff. The City Council will not take action on any of the items listed up for discussion during the work session. Any members of the public wishing to address the council regarding items listed in the work session agenda may do so during the public comments portion of the regular meeting. So any clarifications anybody needs for the uh regular meeting. Oh no. Okay. We'll move on to the next item, which is to discuss the proposed ordinance uh amending the city's code of ordinances aligning with the terms uh for the board, commissions, and committee members to city council. Alicia. Mayor and council, I'm before you tonight to discuss the term limits for the board and commission members. You might recall that I've been before you two, three, maybe four times. Um just over the um the the time frame of discussing board and commission members after the city council November election passed, proposition A and proposition B, which deals with the term length and then also the term limit of the elected officials for the mayor and council members. At the February 9th meeting, staff brought back an item for work session for the city council to discuss if they wanted to, in fact, move and extend the term from two to three years. And then we also discussed term limits that like how it was approved in proposition B for the City Council. At that February 9th meeting, the council consensus was to align the board and commission member terms with that of the elected officials. So it's moving from two to three year terms at the meeting, council discussed, and it was not the desire at the time to um include term limits for board and commission members. And then at our February 23rd meeting during future work session items, it was requested that we place another item on the work session to discuss the term limits for board and commission members. So that is the reason why this item is before you tonight for a city council to discuss if they want to um apply term limits to board and commission members anybody wants to Billy? Sir Yeah, Mayor. Um I think the reason for asking it to be put back on just to to have a more in-depth discussion about it. Uh I I know we brought it up, we had some discussion about it, especially in light of the changing with the term limits that apply to the council members. Should there be for the opportunity perhaps to uh give other citizens opportunity to serve on different boards? I I'm not though that I'm taking a hard position one way or the other. I just think it's worthy of more discussion. And I wanted us to have the opportunity to do that. Okay. If anybody wants to have more discussion, Councilmember Mitchell. Um I just, you know, I don't see the reasoning behind doing the term limits for board members, whoever the new council person becomes has

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