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Mayor Teresa Palmer demands return to prior agenda-review practice after exclusion from Teams calls
Summary
Mayor Teresa Palmer urged the council to reinstate the prior agenda-review Teams calls and asked the council to amend an ordinance after she said she was excluded from the agenda-setting process; councilmembers and staff disputed that she was 'abruptly removed' and debated attorney involvement and costs.
Mayor Teresa Palmer told the Willow Park City Council she had been left out of the agenda-setting process and asked the council to amend a recent ordinance so she could again participate in meetings that set agendas. "My input on city council meetings agendas is vital," Palmer said, adding that being excluded undermined her duty to inform the public.
Council members and staff pushed back, saying the agenda process had changed after an open-session action to limit who participates in the pre-meeting Teams calls and that the published draft agenda would continue to be legally reviewed. A staff member said, "Back in February, we were told that we were no longer involved in the agenda process, and that we would get a draft of the agenda on Friday," arguing the change followed council direction and was meant to allow a formal legal review before posting.
City Secretary Dina (staff) described personal health issues and earlier executive-session requests that influenced how often she could join pre-meeting calls; she said the pattern of late edits and last-minute timing had caused stress. Dina said she had been included on emails and calendar invitations but acknowledged the mayor's preference to be more directly involved.
Councilmembers also questioned the value and cost of frequent attorney calls, with one councilmember noting that repeated hour-long calls with attorneys cost the city more than $800 per call in prior practice. The council did not take a formal vote to change process, but discussion ended with a pledge to try to keep the mayor more apprised of agenda changes and to review whether the previous Teams-based approach should be restored or modified.
Why it matters: The debate highlighted competing priorities — transparency for the public and the mayor's ability to oversee agenda content versus procedural changes intended to centralize review and reduce legal risk and staff burden. The council left the matter open for future consideration rather than reversing the change immediately.
