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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Joint Meeting of Richland Hills City Council and Planning & Zoning Commission - October 26, 2026

City Council — Monday, October 26, 2026

BodyRichland Hills, Texas

SessionCity Council

DateMonday, October 26, 2026

StatusNEW · FILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:35:06

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

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

25:26

Everybody.

Unassigned speaker

25:28

We are live.

Speaker 2

25:30

Good to see you.

Speaker 3

25:36

All right.

25:37

Good evening.

25:38

I'm calling the to order the October 26, 2026 regular meeting of the Richland Hills City Council.

25:45

The time is now

Unassigned speaker

25:47

about

Speaker 3

25:48

531.

25:49

All right.

Unassigned speaker

25:52

Thank you.

Speaker 4

25:52

All right.

25:53

Uh thank you, Mayor.

25:55

I'm calling to order the October 26, 2026 special meeting of the Rich Nails Planning and Zoning Commission.

26:01

Time is 531.

26:04

The Commission will participate in tonight's joint work session, then consider its own amending plat item before adjourning.

Unassigned speaker

26:11

All

Speaker 3

26:11

right, would you please stand as we observe a moment of silence for Dr.

26:16

Mayor Dr.

26:16

On Trong from Haltham City who passed away last week and will follow with the prayer and pledges of allegiance by cast this year.

Speaker 5

26:38

Thank

Speaker 3

26:39

you.

Speaker 1

26:40

Okay, Mayor, thank you.

26:41

Our Heavenly Father, we come before you tonight asking for your wisdom, guidance, and peace as we gather in service to our community.

26:48

We ask that you extend your protection over our police, fire, and first responders who selfishly keep us safe day and night.

26:55

Please watch over all of our city employees, give them strength, skill, and safety to carry out the essential

Unassigned speaker

27:00

work

Speaker 1

27:01

that keeps our city moving forward.

27:03

We pray for our elected officials and appointed board members present tonight.

27:07

Grant them the clarity of mind, discernment, and compassionate hearts.

27:11

Guide their discussion or decision so that every outcome reached here just today serves the best interest of our residents and our city.

27:19

Help us to listen to one another with respect, speak with goodwill, and work together in unity for the good of all of our glory.

27:27

Amen.

Unassigned speaker

29:28

Yes,

Speaker 6

29:28

sir.

29:29

Good evening, Mayor, Council, P and Z Commission.

29:31

Um Jason Moore, City Manager.

29:44

So this is just discussion only.

29:46

If you guys give us direction to proceed with some of the proposed changes, we have to come back to both bodies in a public hearing for a zoning text amendment.

29:55

And so that would be the procedural steps that would follow.

Unassigned speaker

30:00

And so that would be the procedural steps that would follow.02 for the last several months as it relates to the height.

Speaker 6

30:18

And there was some changes recently made to the height of the accessory structure section, but it was not really well defined on how you measure the height.

30:29

So what we've talked to city council about was ensuring that we're measuring from the average grade.

30:36

So if the the slope of the property slopes off, obviously the taller end uh would where the lower grade is to the roof.

30:45

Um that's that's actually already codified in the ordinance as the average grade where you're going to measure from to the highest point of the structure is what the ordinance says is how we measure the height.

30:59

And that could be a chimney, it could be a satellite, it could be a cupola, and that's been interpreted uh by staff as using those appertuases to measure the height.

31:13

And so what we're proposing, and what we what council kind of gave us previous direction

Unassigned speaker

31:17

on

Speaker 6

31:17

was to measure the height from that average grade at the bottom to the roof line.

31:22

So the average uh where the roof line that the highest point of that peak

Unassigned speaker

31:27

is.

Speaker 6

31:28

Um, and so that that would all that would not change the height requirements right now.

31:32

Today, you cannot build an accessory structure taller than 28 feet, it has to be the height of the principal structure, so the primary residence, or 28 feet, whichever one is lower.

31:47

So if the primary structure is 22 feet, your tallest accessory structure can only go 22 feet.

31:54

Um if your house is 30 feet, your accessory building can only go 28 feet.

31:59

So it's the lesser of those two.

32:01

That's how that's how this is uh being proposed today.

32:04

So what we're adding in the ordinance in this section is the clarification of how we're measuring the height.

32:11

So we added that in in the red line of the ordinance.

32:15

Then we also looked at at some other cases where you have properties that are larger, um, generally two to three times larger the average size of a zoning district.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Zoning And Land Use█████████████████████████████████████████████54%

Procedural██████████12%

Water And Wastewater Management████████10%

Code Enforcement██████7%

Economic Development█████6%

Engineering And Infrastructure███4%

Budget Equity Analysis███4%

Fiscal Sustainability██2%

Public Safety█1%

Summary of Proceedings

Joint Meeting of Richland Hills City Council and Planning & Zoning Commission - October 26, 2026

The Richland Hills City Council and Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) convened jointly on October 26, 2026, at 5:30 PM for a work session to discuss accessory structure regulations and the Comprehensive Plan. Following the joint session, P&Z considered an amending plat and adjourned. The City Council then continued with its own work session covering the Booth Calloway Road project and proposed utility rate adjustments, followed by a public hearing and regular business meeting.

Consent Calendar

Approved the minutes from the October 12, 2026 regular meeting.
Adopted Resolution No. 670-26, canceling scheduled regular City Council meetings on November 23, 2026, December 28, 2026, June 28, 2027, and July 12, 2027.
Adopted Resolution No. 672-26, adopting a Vacation Buyback Policy for City employees.

Discussion Items

Accessory Structure Height and Setback Requirements (Item 4A)

City Manager Jason Moore presented proposed amendments to clarify height measurement from average grade to roof peak, excluding cupolas or chimneys.
The current rule caps accessory structures at the lesser of 28 feet or the height of the principal structure.
Staff proposed an exception for lots of 20,000 square feet or more, allowing a structure up to 5 feet taller than the primary residence if set back at least 50 feet from all primary structures and public streets.
Councilor Barton and Commissioner Roland discussed the risk of creating non-conforming structures through neighbor expansions and whether the setback should scale with height. A chart with graduated setbacks was suggested for staff consideration.
Staff was directed to refine the ordinance and return for a formal public hearing before both bodies.

Comprehensive Plan Utilization (Item 4B)

Council and P&Z discussed strict adherence to the Comprehensive Plan. P&Z sought clarification on applying the plan's land-use recommendations for corridors like Baker Boulevard. Council reaffirmed the plan as the guiding document for future zoning applications, discouraging piecemeal deviations that undermine long-term goals.

Booth Calloway Road Project (Item 7A)

David from Halff presented a proposed $375,000 professional services agreement for an initial phase including survey, drainage study, and utility investigations to reach roughly 30% design.
This phase would allow Richland Hills to utilize Tarrant County bond funds and better understand downstream drainage requirements for the Calloway Branch storm drainage system.
Council directed staff to bring the agreement back as a formal action item for approval.

Proposed Fiscal Year 2027 Water/Wastewater Rate Adjustments (Items 7B & 11A)

Staff presented rate adjustments needed to cover increased wholesale costs from Fort Worth.
Residential users consuming 15,000 gallons per month would see an increase of roughly $12 per month, driven primarily by wastewater costs.
Water impact fees (pass-through from Fort Worth) increased significantly. A $3,000 fee for a new irrigation meter connection was noted.
A public hearing was held with no public comment, and the fee schedule was adopted under Ordinance 1547-26.

Amending Plat for Vance Road Properties (Items 5 & 12A)

The P&Z recommended approval, and the Council approved an amending plat combining two lots at 3305 and 3309 Vance Road into a single lot to simplify ownership and property tax homestead status.

Key Outcomes

Votes:
- Approved the Consent Agenda.
- Approved Ordinance 1547-26, adopting the Fiscal Year 2027 Municipal Fee Schedule, including water and wastewater rate adjustments.
- Approved Resolution 671-26, authorizing the write-off of uncollectible utility billing and fire department accounts receivable.
- Approved the Amending Plat for 3305 and 3309 Vance Road.
Directives & Next Steps:
- Staff to draft and present a formal zoning text amendment for accessory structure regulations, including feedback on scaled setbacks.
- Staff to prepare a formal professional services agreement for the Booth Calloway Road project for council consideration.

Meeting Transcript

Everybody. We are live. Good to see you. All right. Good evening. I'm calling the to order the October 26, 2026 regular meeting of the Richland Hills City Council. The time is now about 531. All right. Thank you. All right. Uh thank you, Mayor. I'm calling to order the October 26, 2026 special meeting of the Rich Nails Planning and Zoning Commission. Time is 531. The Commission will participate in tonight's joint work session, then consider its own amending plat item before adjourning. All right, would you please stand as we observe a moment of silence for Dr. Mayor Dr. On Trong from Haltham City who passed away last week and will follow with the prayer and pledges of allegiance by cast this year. Thank you. Okay, Mayor, thank you. Our Heavenly Father, we come before you tonight asking for your wisdom, guidance, and peace as we gather in service to our community. We ask that you extend your protection over our police, fire, and first responders who selfishly keep us safe day and night. Please watch over all of our city employees, give them strength, skill, and safety to carry out the essential work that keeps our city moving forward. We pray for our elected officials and appointed board members present tonight. Grant them the clarity of mind, discernment, and compassionate hearts. Guide their discussion or decision so that every outcome reached here just today serves the best interest of our residents and our city. Help us to listen to one another with respect, speak with goodwill, and work together in unity for the good of all of our glory. Amen. Yes, sir. Good evening, Mayor, Council, P and Z Commission. Um Jason Moore, City Manager. So this is just discussion only. If you guys give us direction to proceed with some of the proposed changes, we have to come back to both bodies in a public hearing for a zoning text amendment. And so that would be the procedural steps that would follow. And so that would be the procedural steps that would follow.02 for the last several months as it relates to the height. And there was some changes recently made to the height of the accessory structure section, but it was not really well defined on how you measure the height. So what we've talked to city council about was ensuring that we're measuring from the average grade. So if the the slope of the property slopes off, obviously the taller end uh would where the lower grade is to the roof. Um that's that's actually already codified in the ordinance as the average grade where you're going to measure from to the highest point of the structure is what the ordinance says is how we measure the height. And that could be a chimney, it could be a satellite, it could be a cupola, and that's been interpreted uh by staff as using those appertuases to measure the height. And so what we're proposing, and what we what council kind of gave us previous direction on was to measure the height from that average grade at the bottom to the roof line. So the average uh where the roof line that the highest point of that peak

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