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Rowlett council declares mayoral office vacant and approves ordinance changes and consent items
Summary
The Rowlett City Council voted unanimously Jan. 7 to declare the office of mayor vacant under the city charter; the meeting also advanced several administrative items, including a short-term rental permit rule change and a consent agenda that included a fiscal-year 2024 budget amendment.
The Rowlett City Council voted unanimously Jan. 7 to remove Blake Margolis from the office of mayor and declared the mayoral seat vacant under the City of Rowlett home-rule charter. The same meeting approved a change to the city’s short-term rental permit rules and adopted consent-agenda items including a fiscal-year 2024 budget amendment and an information-technology services contract.
The action to remove the mayor came under Section 3.092 of the Rowlett City Charter. Council Member Bowers moved the removal and Council Member Shoop seconded; the motion carried on a unanimous vote of the remaining council members. Council members debated legal and policy questions before voting; several said the action complied with charter language and recent legal guidance, while others called it a legal loophole even if required by the charter. Council Member Britton said he consulted with the city attorney and that the decision followed statutory rules but expressed qualms about the charter’s punitive tone. Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Schinder called the provision a “legal loophole” while urging that the council was following required procedures.
Mayor Blake Margolis addressed the council and audience before the vote and later delivered a >10-minute prepared farewell that summarized his five years on council and two-plus years as mayor. “I leave the position of mayor with my core goals accomplished,” Margolis said, and told the council he planned to continue serving the city in a different role. After the vote the council appointed an acting mayor, Jeff Wingett, to preside for the remainder of the meeting.
The council also approved a narrowly scoped amendment to the city’s short-term rental ordinance that clarifies how multiple violations are counted toward permit revocation. Council Member Britton moved approval; Council Member Reeves seconded. The revised language specifies that a permit may be revoked after three separate instances of violations during any consecutive 12-month period (rather than only three repeats of the same violation); the motion passed unanimously.
A four-item consent agenda passed on a single unanimous motion. The consent items read into the record included: approval of meeting minutes, receipt of the city’s investment report, an amendment to the fiscal-year 2024 adopted budget to recognize additional revenues and appropriate increased expenses, and approval of a contract for information-technology services.
Separately, the council considered but postponed action on a proposed amendment to the code of ordinances that would allow alternative materials for residential parking surfaces in screened side yards and rear yards (examples included specified pavers, asphalt and binded decomposed granite). Council Member Shoop moved to postpone the item to the next meeting; Council Member Bowers seconded and the motion carried unanimously. Staff said they will return with clarified definitions (including a clearer definition of “approach” and how visibility from a public right-of-way will be treated for corner lots).
Votes at a glance - Removal of Mayor Blake Margolis (motion by Council Member Bowers; second by Council Member Shoop): outcome — approved (vote: unanimous). The council declared the office vacant under Section 3.092 of the Rowlett City Charter. - Short-term rental ordinance amendment (motion by Council Member Britton; second by Council Member Reeves): outcome — approved (vote: unanimous). The amendment clarifies that three instances of violations during any consecutive 12 months may trigger permit revocation. - Consent agenda (motion by Mayor Pro Tem Wingett; second by Council Member Reeves): outcome — approved (vote: unanimous). Items included: minutes approval (6a); investment report (6b); fiscal-year 2024 budget amendment (6c); IT services contract (6d). - Parking-surface ordinance amendment (motion to postpone by Council Member Shoop; second by Council Member Bowers): outcome — postponed to next council meeting (vote: unanimous). Staff to refine definitions and return with edits.
The council concluded the meeting after presenting a commemorative plaque and a reception for Margolis.
