City Council approves change to boards-and-commissions appointment process

The McKinney City Council on Aug. 18 approved Resolution 26-0767, amending the city's policy on board and commission appointments to allow councilmembers to nominate candidates individually rather than relying solely on a preference-ranking process. Councilwoman Feltes moved to approve the amendment and Councilwoman Beller seconded; the council approved the measure by voice vote.

City staff explained the change is intended to allow councilmembers more direct input during appointments for boards including the McKinney Community Development Corporation (MCDC) and the McKinney Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). City Attorney Mark Hauser clarified state law implications, saying, “The 4 the type b statute, MCDC, has a 2 year term.” Staff also told council members that the city will continue to have discretion to appoint or remove board members regardless of the new preference process.

Under the amended policy, council members were asked to submit their number‑one and number‑two preferences for affected boards to the city secretary’s office; staff will tally the nominations and report back to the council. The change will affect nomination procedures for several boards that the staff presentation listed; staff called the item an administrative policy amendment and no additional legislation was required at this meeting.

What happens next: council members were asked to submit their top two preferences to the city secretary; staff will compile and report the results at a subsequent meeting. The item was listed as resolution 26-0767 on the special meeting agenda.