OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Weatherford Historic Preservation Commission Regular Session - April 22, 2026

City Council & Boards — Wednesday, April 22, 2026
BodyWeatherford, Texas
SessionCity Council & Boards
DateWednesday, April 22, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 27:41

Transcript — Verbatim
0:01

And I believe we do have a quorum we're missing Terry.

0:05

She's traveling, I believe.

0:07

Right.

0:08

Um I guess.

0:12

Item 2A, uh, we're going to consider the approval of the minutes of the Historic Preservation Commission that was on February the 25th.

0:19

Everybody got a copy of the minutes.

0:22

February 25th, I believe.

0:24

They're online, they're on.

0:34

I just tried it.

0:35

Okay.

0:50

Okay.

0:50

No say those.

0:53

I move that we approve the minutes of the February 2026 meeting.

0:59

I know I have to do that.

1:07

Everybody approval say aye.

1:12

Aye.

1:12

And like to make note that I approve also.

1:18

Okay.

1:23

Decide.

1:29

Okay.

1:30

Okay.

1:31

On our regular agenda items, um, I believe our open meetings at training would be tonight.

1:42

Uh presented by Andrea McDonald.

1:45

Thank you.

1:46

Good evening, Madam Chair and Commissioners.

1:48

Can everyone hear me okay?

1:50

I'll give y'all a minute to switch to presentation mode on your screen on your monitors if you'd like to see the presentation from your chairs.

2:06

We'll go ahead and get started.

2:18

But you can break it.

2:19

I can break it.

2:21

Okay, great.

2:22

Thank you.

2:23

Up and going.

2:25

Okay.

2:26

I think y'all all know who I am, but um I'm Andrea McDonald, you're a city secretary, and I'll be giving you all a brief refresher tonight on the Texas Open Meetings Act, along with the associated public information act and related regulations.

2:44

This evening we'll cover a variety of topics, so don't hesitate to pause me and um ask questions along the way.

2:56

As you all know, the Texas Attorney General's office mandates that both the Open Meetings Act and Public Information Act training be completed within 90 days of taking your oath of office or beginning your official duties.

3:10

Since this training is basically a once and done requirement, meaning you take it one time, and as long as you can keep up with your certificate, you should never have to take it again.

3:21

So that's why it's important that we have these reminder or refresher courses.

3:26

Some of you have recently taken it and should be pretty fresh, and then others it may have been a minute, so that's why I'm here tonight.

3:34

Um I am pleased to share that the Weather Bird Historic Preservation Commission is 100% in compliance with these training certificates, and they are all on file in the city secretary's office.

3:51

So the Texas Open Meetings Act was enacted in 1967 and can be found in chapter 551 of the Texas Local Government Code.

4:01

Um the Texas Open Meetings Act was implemented to ensure that government decision making is transparent and acts accessible to the public.

4:12

As a general rule, every regular special or called meeting of most boards and commissions must be open to the public and comply with the act.

4:21

Um there are there are some common exceptions that you may have heard for going into closed meetings or executive session meetings.

4:30

Um to name a few would be the purchase of real property, economic development, or personnel matters, just just to name a few.

4:42

I'm sorry.

4:44

Oh, sorry.

4:45

Any decisions regarding these topics must be made during an open session.

4:49

That means you have to come out of closed session and go into open session to make any decisions.

5:00

There are some penalties for violating the act that range from having the action voided to the imposition imposition of fines and incarceration.

5:10

The Texas Open Meetings Act applies when a quorum discusses public business.

5:17

Generally, pure advisory boards are exempt from the act.

5:21

However, the City of Weatherford's policy and best practice is that all council created bodies must comply with the act.

5:39

As long as no city business is discussed during these occasions.

5:48

And the Texas Open Meetings Act also mandates agenda posting requirements.

5:54

As you know, an agenda must contain specifically the date, hour, place, and subject of each item you're going to discuss, specifically for public awareness, just so that the public knows what you're going to be discussing so that they can choose to attend the meeting if they want.

6:15

This is a new rule.

6:16

Effective September 1st of 2025.

6:31

Business days.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████53%
Historic Preservation█████████████████████████████████████44%
Community Engagement███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Weatherford Historic Preservation Commission Regular Session - April 22, 2026

The Weatherford Historic Preservation Commission held its regular session on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, at 5:30 PM in the City Council Chambers. The meeting lasted approximately 29 minutes, adjourning at 5:59 PM. Commissioners approved the previous meeting's minutes, received Open Meetings Act training, discussed future agenda items including a potential historic resource survey grant and expansion of the historic overlay district, heard announcements about National Preservation Month activities, and accepted citizen comments from a resident.

Approval of Minutes

  • The Commission unanimously approved the minutes from the February 25, 2026 meeting (motion passed by voice vote of ayes).

Training: Open Meetings Act Refresher

  • Andrea McDonald (City Secretary) presented a training session on the Texas Open Meetings Act (Chapter 551) and Public Information Act (Chapter 552).
  • Key points covered included: the requirement that all regular, special, or called meetings of city boards must be open to the public; the legality of executive sessions only for specific topics (real property, economic development, personnel) with decisions made in open session; penalties for violations (action voided, fines, incarceration); agenda posting requirements (72 hours in advance for regular meetings, effective September 1, 2025); walking quorum prohibition; and the definition of public records (any document created or received in transaction of public business, including emails and texts).
  • McDonald noted that the Weatherford Historic Preservation Commission is 100% compliant with training certificate requirements, with all certificates on file in the City Secretary's Office.
  • The City received 146 records requests in calendar years 2024-2026 (city records) and 309 requests (police department) as of the day prior to the meeting.
  • Commissioners expressed appreciation for the clarity and creativity of the presentation.

Future Agenda Items

  • Commissioner Jamie White requested an update on the Certified Local Government (CLG) grant for the historic resource survey update at the next meeting. Senior Planner Monica Johnson confirmed she is still researching the grant application (opens toward year-end).
  • White mentioned that at the Real Places conference, a CLG program manager indicated the city would also be eligible for a planning grant.
  • Commissioner Brenda McClurkin proposed scheduling a workshop (potentially in a less formal setting) to educate commissioners on their role, the current historic overlay district, and the process for creating new historic districts. She noted residents from the Cherry Park area had expressed interest in forming a local historic district.
  • McClurkin highlighted the success of West Wedgewood in Fort Worth, which surveyed 6,000 homes and is designating a historic landmark area from the 1950s-1960s.
  • Commissioners also discussed the possibility of a historic plaque/medallion program. Monica Johnson is researching options, including a low-cost model from Johnson County Historical Commission (under $200, paid by property owners).

Items of Community Interest

  • Commissioner McClurkin announced that Mayor of Weatherford will issue a proclamation for National Preservation Month on May 1, 2026, at 11:00 AM at the Jim Wright House.
  • A time capsule will be part of the event, and the Historical Commission will contribute items.

Citizen Comments on Non-Agenda Items

  • Tucker Ryan (424 Live Oak Lane) and his fiancée attended the meeting to observe. Commissioners welcomed them and discussed the historic character of the Live Oak Lane area (post-World War II homes built by M. O'Killian). Ryan noted they had to remove original wood floors due to repairs but enjoy Soldier Springs Park and the historical signage in the neighborhood.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved February 25, 2026 meeting minutes.
  • Completed Open Meetings Act training (refresher).
  • Directed staff to prepare a future update on the CLG grant and an educational workshop on historic overlay districts.
  • Confirmed National Preservation Month proclamation event on May 1, 2026, at 11:00 AM at the Jim Wright House.

Meeting Transcript

And I believe we do have a quorum we're missing Terry. She's traveling, I believe. Right. Um I guess. Item 2A, uh, we're going to consider the approval of the minutes of the Historic Preservation Commission that was on February the 25th. Everybody got a copy of the minutes. February 25th, I believe. They're online, they're on. I just tried it. Okay. Okay. No say those. I move that we approve the minutes of the February 2026 meeting. I know I have to do that. Everybody approval say aye. Aye. And like to make note that I approve also. Okay. Decide. Okay. Okay. On our regular agenda items, um, I believe our open meetings at training would be tonight. Uh presented by Andrea McDonald. Thank you. Good evening, Madam Chair and Commissioners. Can everyone hear me okay? I'll give y'all a minute to switch to presentation mode on your screen on your monitors if you'd like to see the presentation from your chairs. We'll go ahead and get started. But you can break it. I can break it. Okay, great. Thank you. Up and going. Okay. I think y'all all know who I am, but um I'm Andrea McDonald, you're a city secretary, and I'll be giving you all a brief refresher tonight on the Texas Open Meetings Act, along with the associated public information act and related regulations. This evening we'll cover a variety of topics, so don't hesitate to pause me and um ask questions along the way. As you all know, the Texas Attorney General's office mandates that both the Open Meetings Act and Public Information Act training be completed within 90 days of taking your oath of office or beginning your official duties. Since this training is basically a once and done requirement, meaning you take it one time, and as long as you can keep up with your certificate, you should never have to take it again. So that's why it's important that we have these reminder or refresher courses. Some of you have recently taken it and should be pretty fresh, and then others it may have been a minute, so that's why I'm here tonight. Um I am pleased to share that the Weather Bird Historic Preservation Commission is 100% in compliance with these training certificates, and they are all on file in the city secretary's office. So the Texas Open Meetings Act was enacted in 1967 and can be found in chapter 551 of the Texas Local Government Code. Um the Texas Open Meetings Act was implemented to ensure that government decision making is transparent and acts accessible to the public. As a general rule, every regular special or called meeting of most boards and commissions must be open to the public and comply with the act. Um there are there are some common exceptions that you may have heard for going into closed meetings or executive session meetings. Um to name a few would be the purchase of real property, economic development, or personnel matters, just just to name a few. I'm sorry. Oh, sorry. Any decisions regarding these topics must be made during an open session. That means you have to come out of closed session and go into open session to make any decisions.

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