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Council hears staff research on senior advisory board, asks for follow-up on makeup and outreach
Summary
City staff presented research showing about 18.9% of North Richland Hills residents are 65 or older and outlined existing services; council members directed staff to return with a proposed advisory-board makeup, outreach plan and examples from comparable cities.
City staff presented research and options for creating a senior advisory board and asked the council whether it wanted staff to develop a formal proposal.
Alicia Richardson, who introduced the item and walked the council through a memorandum and slides, said about 18.9% of North Richland Hills—s population is age 65 or older and the NRH Senior Center currently has roughly 1,000 registered members (about 72% city residents, 28% nonresidents) as of June 2025. She summarized local and county programs available to older residents, noted partnerships that support social transportation (Northeast Transportation Services/NETS, Trinity Metro, United Way and a Community Enrichment Center), and said her staff surveyed 15 peer cities; seven of those have a senior board or advisory group.
Richardson said the staff research outlined common board functions: advising the council on senior issues, identifying service gaps, improving communications between seniors and the city, and typically meeting monthly with seven-to-15 appointed members drawn from resident volunteers. "We included examples from Austin and Dallas and several nearby cities so you could see the types of charges and membership models other communities use," she said.
Council members responded positively and focused on outreach and practical tools. Councilman Billy (speaker 8) praised the existing senior programming and urged staff to help churches and other community groups distribute printed information; he told the council that many seniors prefer hard-copy materials rather than electronic notices. Councilmember Danny Roberts (speaker 12) and others asked staff to check best practices in Grapevine and Southlake and to return with recommendations on board composition, initial scope and whether the city should build in flexibility to change priorities after launch.
City Manager Paulette said staff would bring back a suggested makeup for an advisory board, including senior-center staff representation and community-service partners, and would include examples of what Grapevine and Southlake have done. "We can bring that back to you with a proposed membership and scope," she told the council.
Council direction: staff was asked to return with a concrete proposal outlining board membership, charge, meeting frequency, and outreach strategies (including printed materials) and to include examples and best practices from neighboring cities. The council did not take any formal action at the work session; staff will return with the proposal for future consideration.
