City Council Work Session and Regular Meeting – October 26, 2026

The North Richland Hills City Council met in a work session at 5:30 p.m. and a regular meeting at 7:15 p.m. on Monday, October 26, 2026. The work session included updates on legislative tracking software, EMS billing and fee schedule proposals, an Emergify fire-response insurance reimbursement proposal, lift-assist data, and a Code of Ethics review. The regular meeting opened with invocation and Pledge of Allegiance led by Councilmember Mitchell, approved the consent agenda 6-0, heard one citizen presentation, and approved two executive session action items, both 6-0. The regular meeting adjourned at 7:26 p.m.

Legislative Tracking Software Update

• Staff presented an update on Quorum, an AI-based legislative tracking platform replacing spreadsheets and an old Access database. In the Texas legislature, more than 7,000 bills are introduced each session, about 2,000 could impact city operations, and Texas Municipal League anticipates as many as 3,500 bills this year that could affect municipalities.
• Quorum will provide real-time bill alerts, categorize bills as support, oppose, or watch, and launch a public dashboard in January. The internal go-live is November 9, when bill filing begins. Residents can already sign up as legislative ambassadors.
• Staff noted that city ordinances were not uploaded into Quorum, but internal AI tools could be used to analyze local ordinance impacts. The legislative task force will also have access to the platform.

EMS Billing Provider and Fee Schedule Update

• Chief Tenny said the city has used its current EMS billing provider since 2014, moved to bundle billing in 2024, and is currently on a month-to-month contract. Staff recommended switching to Emergicon, described as the largest EMS biller in Texas, serving nearly 200 Texas cities and 12 of the 12 NEFTA cities that provide EMS transports beyond North Richland Hills.
• The proposed commission rate would increase from 5 percent to 6.5 percent. Staff said they expect no decrease in revenue and likely an overall increase. Two nearby cities using Emergicon reported year-to-date average collection per transport increases of 45 percent or greater.
• Proposed EMS rate changes include increases of $100 for ALS1, $150 for ALS2, and $100 for BLS, with a $30 decrease in oxygen charges. Staff said rates would generally remain below regional averages. The proposal also would eliminate the resident and non-resident rate difference because non-resident collections average about 21 percent lower than resident collections.
• Chief Cook presented a separate Emergify proposal to bill insurance providers for non-EMS fire department responses. There would be no balance billing and no bill to individuals. Emergify would charge 15 percent of collected reimbursements, or 18 percent if not bundled with Emergicon. Residential structure fire fees are generally capped by insurers at $500 per incident, and level two and level three hazmat reimbursements would largely go to NEFTA.
• Staff estimated that Emergify could offset more than $150,000 in expenses annually, based on 2025 incident responses and 2026 year-to-date responses. The contract and fee schedule changes are planned for November.
• Chief Tenny also reviewed lift-assist data from the last 18 months across 14 senior facilities: 3 skilled nursing, 3 Type A assisted living, 3 Type B assisted living, and 6 independent living. Those facilities generated 2,878 calls, of which 105 were lift assists; 69 were transported, 26 refused transport after a medical assessment, and 10 required no medical assessment. Chief Tenny recommended against a lift-assist fee, saying the city does not have a lift-assist abuse problem and fees could discourage calls or be passed on to residents.

Code of Ethics Policy Review

• Bradley reviewed the Code of Ethics adopted on April 13, 2026, and identified two areas for improvement: ethics complaint procedures and clarification of the meaning of ethical standards. Proposed issues included rules for clarifications or supplements to complaints, notification requirements, timeline impacts, and the difficulty of requesting an extension under the current public notice schedule.
• Council discussed creating a subcommittee to review the code. A councilmember asked that the subcommittee also consider preventing multiple council members from filing identical ethics complaints in a way that could weaponize the process and cost the city resources. Staff will bring back an action item in November to establish the subcommittee.

City Manager Report

• Paulette outlined upcoming items: the November 9 work session will include proposed updates to the animal ordinance, utility billing study efficiency recommendations, a proposed Kemper Sports contract amendment for Iron Horse Golf Course, and the NRH legislative program. December meetings will include facilities efficiency study recommendations, the City Point TIF annual report, the 2027 city council schedule, and presiding judge applications.

Consent Calendar

• No items were removed from the consent agenda. The consent agenda passed 6-0 and included:
  • Approval of the October 12, 2026 city council meeting minutes.
  • Resolution No. 2026-055 authorizing submission of a Bureau of Justice Assistance Bulletproof Vest Partnership grant application and acceptance of up to $16,000 if awarded.
  • Casting a ballot for Mike Browning in the Texas Municipal League Region 8 Director Election.
  • Purchase of mobile device computers from GTS Technology Solutions, Inc., up to $391,950, using DIR Cooperative Contract No. DIR-CPO-5225.
  • Purchase of Absolute Secure Access software maintenance and cloud subscription services from GTS Technology Solutions, Inc., up to $147,000 through July 17, 2031, using DIR Cooperative Contract No. DIR-CPO-5859.
  • Purchase of four 2027 Hino XL 8 dump trucks from Rush Truck Centers of Texas, LP, in the amount of $773,800.76, using BuyBoard Contract No. 723-23, and approval of Amendment No. 1 to the Cooperative Purchase Customer Agreement.
  • Amendment to the cooperative purchasing agreement with Blagg Tire through BuyBoard Contract No. 729-24, increasing the tire purchase ceiling to $175,000.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No speakers signed up for the public comments portion of the regular meeting.
• During citizens presentation, Brett Boone, a Shriner from Fort Worth, asked the council to allow elephant rides for three days, November 6-8, during the Shrine Circus at NYTEX. He said the elephant provider would not bring elephants without rides and referenced ordinance 14-167 as the obstacle. He requested any ordinance exemption, exception, interpretation, variance, or clarification. City Manager Paulette responded that staff had already discussed the matter and that Stephanie Martinez would speak with him.

Executive Session and Action Items

• The council entered executive session at 6:32 p.m. under Texas Government Code Sections 551.071, 551.074, and 551.087 for pending litigation, city manager personnel matters, and economic development negotiations at 7656 Boulevard 26.
• After reconvening, the council voted 6-0 to authorize the city manager to negotiate and execute an economic development agreement with M3 Hospitality LLC or assigns for the property at 7656 Boulevard 26.
• The council voted 6-0 to approve amendments to the city manager's base compensation and deferred compensation.

Announcements

• Councilmember Delaney announced early voting for the November 4 election continues through October 30 at North Richland Hills City Hall and the Northeast Tarrant County Courthouse.
• The Senior Center Craft Fair will be held October 28-29 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Grand Hall at the NRH Centre.
• A free outdoor movie night featuring The Big Green will be held November 6 at Green Valley Park, with seating at 6 p.m. and the movie starting around 7 p.m.
• Kudos Corner recognized Tammy Lopez in the water office for exceptional customer service.

Key Outcomes

• The consent agenda was approved 6-0.
• The council authorized the city manager to execute an economic development agreement with M3 Hospitality LLC for 7656 Boulevard 26 by a 6-0 vote.
• The council approved amendments to the city manager's base compensation and deferred compensation by a 6-0 vote.
• Council directed staff to bring back an action item in November to establish a Code of Ethics subcommittee.
• Staff will bring the Emergicon EMS billing contract, related EMS fee schedule changes, and the Emergify fire-response billing ordinance to council in November.
• Quorum legislative tracking goes live internally November 9, with the public dashboard launching in January.
• No action was taken on Brett Boone's elephant ride request because it was made during citizens presentation.