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A proposed public hearing previously expected for April 21 will not appear on the Farmers Branch City Council agenda, according to the agenda released Tuesday, April 14.
The item had been anticipated after three council members used a rarely invoked procedural mechanism to request it, City Manager Ben Williamson said earlier this week. However, one of those members, Roger Neal, has since withdrawn his support, according to an email thread sent by Council Member Tina Bennett-Burton to the Branch Herald.
"The purpose of this item is to clarify the wording and basis of the public reprimand. The hearing will provide transparency to both council members and residents regarding the facts and circumstances that led to the reprimand. This is necessary to ensure the record is clear and to prevent continued claims that the executive session and resulting reprimand were political or an ambush," Bennett-Burton wrote to Williamson in an email dated Saturday, April 11.
Bennett-Burton publicly announced the proposed hearing in her emailed newsletter on Sunday, April 12.
The afternoon of Tuesday, April 14, Neal replied to the email thread, writing, "Additional circumstances have come to light which have caused me to withdraw my support for this 'public hearing' item. Please consider this email my formal withdrawal of support."
In addition, Neal requested to modify an executive session with an item of clarification so council can deliberate and clarify the statement to the community.
The Branch Herald reached out to Neal and had not received a response before deadline.
The April 21 agenda does not include the proposed public hearing.
In an interview, Council Member Lupe Gonzalez said she had not yet reviewed the latest email correspondence but remains supportive of holding a public meeting.
“I just want transparency,” Gonzalez said. “I don’t have concerns because I know I didn’t do anything wrong... That’s what the residents have asked for, so that’s what I want to give them.”
Instead of a standalone discussion item, the April 21 agenda includes three executive session items, including one related to a new ethics complaint, filed April 8. The Branch Herald has filed an open records request in regard to the complaint. The city has 10 days to respond.
All items scheduled for council action, aside from any potential action resulting from executive session, are grouped under the consent agenda, meaning they may be approved in a single vote unless a council member requests separate consideration.
Williamson said Monday the hearing was being added through the council’s standards and procedures in which three council members can add an item to the council’s agenda, a mechanism not commonly used, and noted the format could differ from a typical public hearing.
Public hearings in Farmers Branch are most often tied to planning and zoning cases and generally include a staff presentation, followed by public comment and council discussion. In this case, Williamson said the structure was still uncertain.
“It’s unique territory,” he said. “I’d hate to say what will or won’t happen.”
He added that Mayor Terry Lynne would determine how any presentation is handled, ranging from a formal presentation to a brief summary.
Residents may still speak at this, and all city council meetings, during the public comments session of the meeting. Standard rules for public comment will remain in place. Residents who wish to speak must follow the city’s decorum guidelines, which require comments to remain respectful and prohibit threats, hate speech or personal attacks. The city’s public decorum policy is available here.
Residents can sign up in advance to speak at the meeting using the city’s online form.
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