August 11, 2026
City Council Meeting Recap

Mayor Palmer opened with a Bible verse (Romans 12:21) and recognized The Little Gym, near City Hall, with Gym Director Hanna present. A North Texas representative of the Texas Court Clerks Association, Jennifer Northcutt, then presented a plaque to Certified Municipal Court Clerk and Court Administrator Michelle Lowe, noted as one of 163 of roughly 3,000 municipal court clerks in the state to reach Level 3 certification. These items were ceremonial.

The minutes were the meeting’s one contested vote. The consent list included the July 14 minutes in both an original and a revised (“with correction”) version, the July 18 special meeting, and the July 28 regular meeting.

First, the Council voted 5–0 to pull the July 18 special-meeting minutes, which were not included in the packet. Then Mayor Pro Tem Crummel and Councilmember Gilliland moved to revise the July 14 minutes to reflect verbatim what was said regarding the proposed Code of Conduct ordinance; that motion failed 2–3, with Contreras, Smith, and Wright opposed. The Council then approved the July 14 minutes as originally written, 3–2.

Director McBride delivered the third-quarter Public Works report and answered questions from the Mayor and Council. The report was informational; no action was taken.

CPA Jake Weber reported the General Fund still showing a surplus, sales-tax revenue around $2.35 million and expected to grow, and maintenance-and-operations spending below budget, with a roughly $47,000 PCAD refund noted. General-fund contractual spending was at about 73%, which Weber attributed partly to the continued legal costs discussed at earlier meetings. He said the city holds about $1.6 million in reserves and could comfortably draw $400,000–$500,000 if needed for a project. The Council approved the report.

The Council adopted Ordinance 943-26 authorizing the issuance and sale of the “City of Willow Park, Texas, Tax Note, Series 2026” in an amount not to exceed $6,430,000, to finance street, road, intersection, and drainage work and related costs. A tax note does not require a public vote. Citizen Bill Green spoke on the item.

The Council voted to call a special election on whether it may issue up to $10,110,000 in certificates of obligation for waterworks and sewer improvements, streets and drainage, the municipal drainage utility system, and related professional services, adopting Ordinance 944-26. The question goes to voters on November 3.

With the new wastewater plant commissioned, the Council awarded the decommissioning of the old plant to Rey-Mar Construction, LLC for $674,370 — the lowest of two bids (the other from Gracon). The work includes demolition and removal of the old structures and relocating the existing package plant to the new facility’s site for storage pending a decision on its future use. After this item, the Mayor recessed the meeting for a five-minute break (7:16–7:20 PM).

The Council accepted two voluntary annexation petitions and called their public hearings, both in the James Oxer Survey (Abstract No. 1029), Parker County: Resolution 2026-33 for approximately 0.82 acres owned by Bar-Ko Land Company LLC (Item 9), and Resolution 2026-32 for approximately 0.33 acres owned by Willow Park Services LLC (Item 10). Both passed unanimously (Contreras / Wright). The annexations themselves would follow after the public hearings.

Item 11. The Council directed staff to review and prepare a draft social-media policy for elected officials and bring it back when complete. City Attorney Judy El Masri noted that other cities’ policies have few enforcement provisions and mainly encourage keeping separate personal and official accounts. Approved 5–0 (Wright / Smith).

Item 12. The Council authorized staff to identify ordinances that are outdated, overlapping, or in conflict, and to bring recommended updates back for approval. Approved 5–0 (Wright / Contreras).

At the Mayor’s request, staff reported on the funding application for West Oaks Subdivision water improvements. Staff said the funding would come through the Texas Water Development Board, that the application window has not yet opened, and that it is not expected to open or be awarded until mid-to-late spring 2027. A fuller presentation will come at a later date. No action was taken.

Mayor Palmer asked the Council to amend City Manager Toni Fisher’s employment contract to remove language describing the City Manager as the chief appointed official who handles the city’s daily operations, saying she believed that wording conflicted with state law identifying the mayor as the chief elected official. City Attorney El Masri cautioned that the contract had been discussed as a personnel matter in a prior executive session and advised care about discussing it in open session, noting a potential attorney-client privilege concern. Following discussion between the Mayor and Council, no action was taken.

The Council first voted 5–0 to take this item into executive session and act on reconvening. After the closed session, it adopted Ordinance 945-26, calling a special joint election with Parker County to submit the Home Rule Charter — as presented by the Charter Commission — to Willow Park voters on November 3, 2026. Gene Martin and Carol Bracken spoke, thanking the Council for moving forward with the election.

The Council approved the Joint Election Agreement and Contract for Election Services with Parker County Elections for the November 3, 2026 election — the administrative step that lets the county run both the certificate-of-obligation and Home Rule Charter questions. Approved 5–0 (Contreras / Gilliland).

The Council recessed into executive session at 7:45 PM for three matters: the Beall-Dean Ranch annexation lawsuit (CV26-0175); the City Manager contract (§551.074 / §551.071); and the Police Chief position (§551.074 / §551.071). It reconvened at 8:56 PM. The only reportable action after the session was the Home Rule Charter election ordinance in Item 15; no action was reported on the litigation, the contract, or the chief search.

Staff and Council comments. City Manager Fisher announced that Communications Director Rose Hoffman’s last day with the city would be Friday, August 14, after nearly eight years, and thanked her for her service; several councilmembers echoed the thanks. Fisher also recognized Mandy McCarley for representing the city at an Aledo ISD back-to-school event and thanked the Assistant City Manager for her work on the FY 2026–2027 budget. Councilmember Smith reminded residents of “Coffee with a Councilmember” on the first Friday of each month (8:30–9:30 AM). National Night Out is set for October 6 at The District of Willow Park.

Future agenda items. Councilmember Contreras requested a future item on an ordinance to keep data centers and Flock cameras out of the city; the Mayor asked for more information, and Councilmember Smith asked whether it would be a local measure.

With nothing further, the Council adjourned at 9:14 PM (Contreras / Smith, 5–0).