Ennis charter review committee appoints Scott Haney chair, names Kathy Falkenbach vice chair

The Ennis Charter Review Committee on Monday appointed Scott Haney as chair and Kathy Falkenbach as vice chair and heard legal guidance on the limits and timeline for proposed charter amendments.

The committee approved the leadership appointments by voice vote after a motion to name Scott Haney chair and Kathy Falkenbach vice chair was made and seconded; the clerk recorded only a voice vote and did not provide a roll-call tally.

The city attorney led an Open Meetings Act training and a legal briefing on the citys home-rule charter, telling the group that "The Open Meetings Act requires that all meetings be open to the public," and stressing that charter provisions cannot conflict with state law. She reminded members that agendas must be posted three business days in advance and explained the statutes ban on so-called "walking quorums," in which a series of private communications among members results in collective action.

The attorney also outlined a compressed calendar to place changes on an upcoming ballot: the commissions report of recommended amendments is scheduled to be delivered to the city commission on July 21, with the commission deciding whether to call an election on Aug. 11. She warned commissioners to focus on "overarching principles" rather than a long list of grammatical or minor edits because the charter can be amended only at limited intervals.

Committee members spent much of the meeting debating audit-committee language and vacancy procedures. Some members expressed concern that the charters current text (sections 3.10 and 3.11) could be read to require an audit committee and that portions of the text were unclear about committee composition and qualifications. One member argued for changing the provision from "shall" to "may" so the commission could exercise discretion on forming an audit committee.

Members also discussed options for filling short-term vacancies. The attorney cautioned that the Texas constitution constrains appointments to certain circumstances, but commissioners debated a compromise to permit appointments when an unexpired term has less than a year remaining to avoid repeated special elections and voter fatigue.

Staff recommended preparing voter-facing ballot materials and noted the intention to distribute explanatory information via the city newsletter and the city website (with Spanish-language materials) so residents can review propositions before Election Day.

The committee agreed to concentrate on charter articles 1 through 4 at its next meeting and to bring specific proposed edits for legal review. The chair adjourned the meeting at 6:16 p.m.