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City forms 15‑member Fire & EMS stakeholder committee; council seeks broader community representation
Summary
Following council direction, city staff proposed a 15‑member stakeholder committee (11 city staff/council + 4 community leaders) to guide Fire & EMS policy. Council members asked about district representation of community nominees and sought clearer selection criteria and more public communication.
The Garland City Manager presented a proposed Fire & Emergency Medical Services stakeholder committee made up of 15 members: three public safety committee councilmembers, city management and staff, Fire Department leadership and four community leaders nominated for their familiarity with the Garland Fire Department or volunteer experience.
City Manager Judd Stevens told the council that the committee composition follows direction given at a June pre‑budget workshop to form a stakeholder body hosted by the council’s public safety committee. The proposed group includes the three members of the council public safety committee (Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Ott, Councilwoman Dutton and Mayor Pro Tem Loched), the city’s CFO and HR and budget directors, fire chief Mark Lee, a second fire department representative (Tyler Little), the Garland Fire Association president (Bill Crews), the city medical director (Dr. Matthew Theis) and four nominated community leaders: Scott LaMay, Meryl Belanciere, Jason Collard and Melissa Garner.
Stevens explained the nomination criteria for the four community leaders: (1) experience or familiarity with the Garland Fire Department, (2) experience volunteering with department programs such as the Citizens Firefighters Club or Citizens Fire Academy, and (3) an interest in serving on the committee. Stevens said council members provided approximately 20 nominees and the four selected best met the established criteria.
Councilmembers pressed staff on district representation and whether the public had been told how appointments were chosen. Stevens acknowledged staff did not collect addresses for the nominees at the time and said district residency was not a selection criterion; a subsequent council comment noted the elected members confirmed that the four community leaders live in a mix of districts (D7, D5, D1, D6). Council member Ed Moore said some initial community suggestions had expected more “everyday citizens,” but acknowledged the committee’s technical charge justifies selecting people with specific Fire Department familiarity.
Council provided consensus approval to move forward with the committee composition while requesting clearer public communication of selection criteria and next steps. Stevens said the committee’s charge will include evaluating how Fire and EMS services are managed and staged, and staff will organize future meetings. No formal ordinance or vote was required; the council reached consensus on committee composition during the work session.
