Council delays action on appointed improvement authority seats, asks staff to contact member and return with candidate details

The Farmers Branch City Council on Sept. 16 discussed whether to remove or replace Farmers Branch‑appointed members of the local improvement authority that handles flood control and certain public improvements. Council took no removal action and directed staff to contact the current member and return the item at a future meeting with candidate information.

Erin Flores, city secretary, told the council the authority has seven members—three appointed by Farmers Branch, three by Carrollton and one by Dallas County Commissioners Court—and that appointees must own land in the district. She said the current Farmers Branch appointees include David Koch, Michelle Holmes and Andrew Jones and that three candidates had applied to fill vacancies: Albert Wolfe, Sabrina Martin and Pat Trapp.

Councilman Roman said he raised the item to confirm member availability; he noted prior conversations in which Michelle Holmes indicated she might step down. City Attorney Nicole Koehr advised the council that, based on her review of the applicable statute, the appointing authority has the power to remove an appointee and then fill the vacancy, and that a replacement must be appointed within 60 days when a removal creates a vacancy.

Several council members urged courtesy to existing volunteers and recommended staff confirm Holmes’s intentions in writing before pursuing removal. Councilwoman Villafranca said she preferred appointing residents who live in the area; Councilwoman Bennett and others recommended tabling the item to obtain an official statement from Holmes and to provide council members the applicants’ materials for review.

No vote or removal was taken; staff said they would contact Holmes, collect candidate bios/applications, and bring the item back to council for action.