Tempers flare as Killeen City Council debates governing standards

The Killeen City Council moved to delay a discussion on appointments to boards and commissions Tuesday, after one council member took issue with the process by which they were made.

Mayor Pro Tem Ken Wilkerson argued Tuesday that the current process of mayoral appointment was unfair, offering an alternative method by which council members could be placed on boards.

According to the Council’s Governing Standards, the mayor is directed to make these appointments, and then council approves or declines to approve the list.

During the ensuing discussion, Mayor Debbie Nash-King said she had researched how other governing boards make appointments and found most appointments are made by the mayor.

Wilkerson said that his issue was about the process, insisting that the best way to resolve the issue was through the city’s governing standards.

Wilkerson’s proposal would have taken a separate approach — one largely based on tenure.

First, because the mayor receives by far more votes than any particular council member, he or should would pick three committee assignments “off the top” — a move Wilkerson said is commensurate with representative power.

Next, the remaining 14 slots would selected by the council members themselves based on “tenure,” which Wilkerson defined as the amount of time an individual council member has served on the City Council without a break.

“I would think that seniority is important at some point,” he said.

The third factor to be considered would be total votes in the last election, he said.

However, the City Council faced some difficulty in reaching an agreement on tenure; Jose Segarra pointed out that he has served on the City Council prior to his current term.

The motion however, ultimately failed in a vote of 4-2, with only Wilkerson and Councilman Riakos Adams voting in favor. Council members Nina Cobb, Jessica Gonzalez, Michael Boyd and Segarra voting against.

Boards and Commissions

Discussion on the tabling the topic of appointments drew some ire Tuesday night, with Segarra noting that the longer the council delayed approving the appointments, the longer the boards would be idled, delaying important city business.

“I am not concerned with the timeline; I am concerned with the process ... with getting things right,” Wilkerson said.

Nash-King also expressed her frustration with the situation, saying, “There has never been any problem with these appointments while Mayor Segarra was in charge. Now there’s a problem. The only difference is he’s a man and I’m a woman.”

After some heated discussion and frayed tempers, Boyd spoke up.

“I am concerned that this kind of discussion is on display on the dais ... I believe our citizens may lose confidence as a result.”

Similarly, Cobb said the members of City Council were not at their best when publicly displaying their laundry. She made the comment after 11 p.m., at which point the council had been meeting for more than six hours

Earlier Tuesday, in a 4-2 vote, the council agreed to a motion of direction moving the discussion of board appointments to the June 28 meeting.

Council members Boyd, Gonzalez, Adams and Mayor Pro Tem Wilkerson voted to move the items, with Segarra and Cobb voting against.

Councilman Ramon Alvarez was not present for the meeting.

The rift over the board appointments first surfaced last week, after Nash-King released her picks to the council.

The council voted to table the agenda item last week, after which Nash-King reworked the appointment list in an attempt to accommodate the preferences of some members — even removing herself from all boards in the process.

The meeting ended at 11:27 p.m.

Suggested changes to the governing standards will resume at a later date.