Helotes council restores mayoral nomination power, limits EDC-Chamber overlap and appoints two interim EDC members
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Summary
Council voted to roll back 2022 EDC bylaw changes: the mayor will again nominate the EDC executive director and council will approve appointments; the council also added a prohibition on EDC directors and the executive director serving on Chamber of Commerce boards and appointed Jen Stones and Sabrina McGowan as interim members.
Helotes — On Dec. 12 the City Council approved revisions to the Economic Development Corporation's bylaws and related articles of incorporation to return some nomination authority to elected officials, add conflict-of-interest restrictions and appoint two interim council representatives to the EDC board.
Councilmember Sanders, who co-sponsored the package, said the 2022 bylaws had limited the city's ability to fill vacancies and align EDC priorities with council direction. The approved changes reinstate mayoral nomination authority for EDC director appointments and add language that the executive director be nominated by the mayor and appointed or terminated by council. The amendments also prohibit EDC directors and the executive director from serving on Chamber of Commerce boards "in any capacity" to avoid perceived conflicts of interest originating from shared office space and joint activities between the EDC and the Chamber.
Council discussed the trade-offs between EDC autonomy and city oversight. Councilmember Merchant said volunteers manage the EDC and that autonomy had produced results such as grants and public improvements; other council members said earlier wording had caused delays filling vacancies and hindered council oversight. The mayor and legal staff explained the nomination process will include application and interview steps and that final appointment and contract negotiation remain council actions.
After adopting the bylaw and articles changes, the mayor nominated Jen Stones and Sabrina McGowan to fill two EDC board places on an interim basis; each nominee recused as appropriate for their own vote and council approved both appointments. The council said the appointments are temporary to ensure a full board while the city continues recruiting qualified citizen candidates.
Next steps: Staff will file amended articles with the state and follow the nomination/appointment process specified in the revised bylaws when filling future vacancies.