Haslet resident raises Open Meetings Act and park-safety concerns during HCEDC public comment

Sandra Smith, a Haslet resident of 300 Gamel Street, used the Nov. 5 HCEDC public-comment period to urge the board and its legal representatives to receive training on the Open Meetings Act and to raise longstanding community concerns.

Smith told the board she has attended or watched meetings for five to 10 years and described "a lot of chaos" involving board conduct and her own property disputes. She recommended that the board’s new attorney provide Open Meetings Act training so members understand "what it means to speak outside of executive session." Smith also criticized what she called unprofessional behavior and taxpayer expense associated with prior legal representation.

Smith expressed specific concerns about the board’s involvement with parks, saying she worried the EDC’s focus on parks was misplaced and describing recent incidents in which homeless people were transported out of park restrooms. She said she intends to "circle back" to raise these issues in future meetings.

Her remarks were made during the public-comment portion of the meeting and did not result in formal board action that evening. The board later discussed scheduling Open Meetings Act and public-records training for members and asked the new legal counsel to review a draft agenda procedure and to help summarize the EDC’s functions for the public.