Forney council removes Board of Adjustment alternate and fills multiple boards and commissions

The Forney City Council held a public hearing on June 3 and voted to remove Amanda Taylor from the Board of Adjustment alternate seat No. 4 for failing to complete required open-government training within the time frame set by city policy. The removal was considered under Texas Local Government Code section 211.008; the council motion to remove was made by Council Member Helm, seconded by Council Member Chambers, and the council voted to approve removal.

After the public hearing, the council considered nominations and appointments to multiple boards and commissions. City staff presented vacancies, special qualifications for several seats and the reappointment process. Ms. Rios, city staff, explained that the city charter empowers the council to make appointments and that some seats carry special residence or profession qualifications.

Council members nominated and voted to appoint residents to a series of boards. Appointments recorded on the June 3 meeting record include:

- Board of Adjustment: Cecilia Gomez (appointed to Seat 4/alternate) and Clinton Kirk (reappointed); one additional vacancy was held over until the June 17 meeting. - Building Standards Commission: Cass (Kaz) Tankersley was appointed to Seat 1; remaining seats were held to solicit additional applicants. - Forney Economic Development Corporation (EDC): Jessica Browning (reappointed), Scott Collins (reappointed), Scott Burrows (appointed to Place 7), and Fred Alexander (appointed); other appointments to the EDC were processed during the meeting as shown in the record. - Historic Overlay District Architectural Review Board: Christie Conaway and Richard Cunningham were reappointed; some existing members had not yet reapplied and those seats were held until the next meeting. - Parks and Recreation Board: Obed Santano (reappointed), Robert Neely (appointed), and Diane McPherson (reappointed) were approved. - Planning and Zoning Commission: Natasha Rivera (appointed to Seat 4) and Lawrence McCall (appointed to Seat 5); the council held Seats 2 and 7 until the June 17 meeting.

Council members generally used show-of-hands voting for appointments; where motions and seconds were recorded the meeting minutes note the nominator and seconder and then indicate the motion “passes.” In several instances the council chose to hold seats open to solicit more applicants before the June 17 meeting.

Why it matters: boards and commissions advise the council on planning, development, historic preservation, parks and economic development; filling vacancies affects city review processes, local advisory capacity and the pace of projects requiring board-level review.

Notable procedural points: staff reminded appointees that the oath and statement of office and other forms must be filed within 14 days of receiving the board-member packet; several seats require special qualifications (for example, a licensed local veterinarian for the Animal Adoption Center Shelter Advisory Committee). The council directed staff to re-advertise open positions prior to the June 17 meeting to attract more applicants.