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Florence council terminates Police Chief Wayne Thompson effective immediately
Summary
The Florence City Council voted Feb. 25, 2026, to terminate Police Chief Wayne Thompson under the city's at-will employment policy, Ordinance 2026-02; the motion, made by Mary Condon and seconded by Mike Harrell, carried with no opposition after an executive session under state law.
The Florence City Council voted Feb. 25, 2026, to terminate Wayne Thompson as the city's police chief, effective immediately, citing the council's at-will employment policy, Ordinance 2026-02. Council member Mary Condon made the motion, which Mike Harrell seconded; the minutes record no votes in opposition and state the motion carried.
The action followed an executive session held under Section 551.074(a)(1) and/or (2) of the Texas Government Code, during which the council discussed personnel matters "including, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, consideration of the employment, evaluation, reassignment, duties, discipline, or dismissal of Chief of Police, Wayne Thompson," according to the meeting minutes.
The motion as recorded states that the termination "is not disciplinary in nature," and that the City of Florence "expressly reserves all rights and defenses under applicable law." The minutes do not include direct quotes from council members or from Chief Thompson; they do not record any statements by the chief in response to the termination.
The minutes also show the council met in closed session under Section 551.071 of the Texas Government Code to confer with attorneys Ann Price and/or Randy Stump about contemplated litigation, settlement offers, or other matters requiring legal advice related to the Open Meetings Act.
The meeting packet and the minutes do not specify next procedural steps for replacement of the chief or any interim command structure. The document was certified as passed and approved by the council on March 10, 2026.
Note on timing: the minutes contain internal inconsistencies about the public session times. The meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m. and the document records the meeting adjourned at 7:10 p.m. Elsewhere the minutes state the public session opened at 7:08 p.m. and that a public session ended at 6:25 p.m.; those times are recorded in the minutes but conflict with the overall start and adjournment times.
