Everman council agrees to midyear workshop for department briefings after Open Meetings Act caution

Councilmembers discussed whether to hold regular, small-group meetings with department heads to allow deeper, off-agenda questioning of operations and projects. Councilwoman Sanders said she learned at a Texas Municipal League class that council members benefit from opportunities to ask department-level questions outside of regular meetings.

The City Attorney cautioned council members about the Texas Open Meetings Act and the risk of a "walking quorum," saying that individually meeting the same department head could unintentionally transmit the same information to a majority and violate open-meetings rules. The City Manager echoed the caution and offered alternatives: individual meetings are possible but a better option for broader, public discussions would be a quarterly workshop or work session.

After discussion, council and management agreed to pursue a midyear budget review and workshop — similar to existing budget workshops — to bring all department directors before the council in a public, posted setting where council members can ask in-depth operational and budget questions. The City Manager said he would work with staff to draft appropriate agenda language and schedule the midyear session.

Council emphasized the need to preserve the chain of command and to avoid providing directives to department heads in informal settings; the City Manager said council members should continue to route routine questions through his office for follow-up when appropriate.

The discussion ended with direction for staff to plan a midyear workshop that allows substantive question-and-answer with directors while remaining compliant with public‑meeting laws.