Charter Review Committee vote fails at Killeen Council meeting

The Charter Review Committee vote at the Killeen City Council Tuesday failed 4-2 with Council Members Riakos Adams and Michael Boyd voting in favor.

Council Members Jessica Gonzalez, Jose Segarra, Joseph Solomon and Nina Cobb voted against the motion.

Councilman Ramon Alvarez was absent.

The Charter Review Committee would’ve appointed committee members to review the Killeen City Charter to potentially make changes to the document, which governs how the city of Killeen operates.

Before the vote, Adams said “change is happening all around us,” but that people are “grotesquely unprepared” to adapt to it.

He said the last charter review in 2022 was not comprehensive enough.

“The committee will engage with the community, gathering input and recommendations to ensure our charter reflects the current and evolving needs of our citizens,” Adams said.

He said significant changes will still require deliberation and would require voter approval.

Boyd said the city is dynamic, diverse and growing.

“I don’t like the city of Killeen getting behind Temple Belton or Waco, because we are the city of Killeen,” he said. “We could maintain the status quo … we don’t necessarily have to sustain that narrative.”

He said previously he recommended changes that involved a comprehensive approach, which is what he wants now.

“I don’t like the idea of us going backwards or slowing down,” Boyd said.

He said the “one phrase” on the strong mayor form of government, which he said he is not advocating, rubbed people the wrong way.

“I know we’re just 160,000 people, but if we’re serious about looking into the future” then they should look into the charter.

Gonzalez said she had a concern about the committee as opposed to opening the process up to feedback from the constituency as a whole.

Adams said they already have a “dynamic system” for submitting applications to be on the committee for each district.

Gonzalez asked City Manager Kent Cagle what happens if anything needs to be done to the charter if the state of Texas makes any changes that conflict with the charter.

Cagle said typically the city will change the charter as part of a “clean-up.”

Segarra said each council member has its own opinion on whether the 2022 review was comprehensive. “We went through a lot, several months,” he said. “If that’s not a comprehensive review, we’re going to be here a year because that one took a long time.”

He said at the time, there were things that needed to be updated. “This time, there’s nothing.”

“What we’re doing is asking our citizens and giving them a blank slate and saying ‘here’s the charter, come up and make changes,’” Segarra said. “I think that most people really would not understand what are some of these changes that we’re asking.”

He said he really doesn’t understand what things may or may not need to be changed in the charter.

Segarra also said the City Council has a lot on its plate right now. He also doesn’t want them to ultimately turn down recommendations that are made.

“I don’t think it’s fair to our citizens and that’s why I’m against it,” he said.

Nash-King pointed out that there isn’t even a grocery store yet on the north side of Killeen.

“I want this council to have a legacy,” she said. “Let’s complete something.”

She said that includes building a new city hall. She said she doesn’t want them to constantly “add stuff on.”

“Let’s just focus, let’s narrow it down on what this council really wants to accomplish for the city of Killeen and the residents that we’re supposed to serve,” Nash-King said.

Councilwoman Nina Cobb said she was against the charter review both because they “worked hard” in 2022 and also because she doesn’t know what the objective is.

“I just don’t believe we’re ready to look at it,” she said.

She also said that the last time they reviewed the charter, “it took a lot.”

“We have to have an objective and we have to be together with that objective,” Cobb said.

Nash-King acknowledged that in 2022 the City Council did review the Killeen City Charter.

“I can only speak from my perspective as mayor,” she said on the strong mayor form of government, which would give more power to the mayor from the city manager and was briefly mentioned by Councilman Michael Boyd.

“That is a big responsibility,” she said. “As you all know … you have to know every aspect of running a city.”

Nash-King said if the city of Killeen implemented that, it would be setting the city up for failure. And she said that had nothing to do with the population of the city, because when they want to expand, that comes from the comprehensive plan.

The Killeen City Charter, similar to the U.S. Constitution, defines the city’s duties and powers, including that of its leaders, such as the mayor and council members.

This idea to bring possible changes was originally brought forward last month by Adams. Some of the reasons he gave the Herald was to review council member term limits, council pay and citizens’ petitions, as well as making the language more readable.

The charter committee would have between eight and nine members, each appointed by the mayor and council. 

The most recent changes to the Killeen City Charter occurred in 2022, when voters approved several changes, including more pay for the mayor and council members.

In the months leading up to that vote, then-Councilman Ken Wilkerson floated the idea of taking away some of the city manager’s powers to appoint and remove assistant city managers, department heads and other city staff, and give it to the City Council.

However, it was ultimately stricken from consideration before the final list of proposed amendments was approved by the Council.

Voters did approve 11 of 13 Killeen City Charter amendments that were on the ballot on May 7, 2022, including a controversial change that increased pay for mayor and council members. The pay raise for council members went from $100 a month to $250, and for the mayor from $200 a month to $350.

That charter review process, which started in September 2021 after its initiation in April of that year at the request of then-Mayor Pro Tem Shirley Fleming, produced no fewer than 22 items — most of which were administrative or clerical changes. After multiple meetings, it eventually dropped to 13 items on the ballot that went to the voters.

However, there were two major sticking points for residents, which came to a head at a town hall in late 2021: How much control should the city council have over the city manager, and how much should a council member be paid?

During what would become a heated town hall during which council members pushed back against criticism, residents decried “well-meaning but inappropriate measures” by “amateur politicians.”

In one proposal, the City Council — through a majority vote — would have been able to direct the hiring and firing of department heads under the city manager. Another proposal was set to increase the monthly pay for council members from $100 to $1,000 and from $200 to $1,500 for the mayor. Neither of those played out as first proposed.

CITIZEN COMMENTS

Kristin Wright said she has questions but isn’t for or against it.

“So far I think a lot of us are just confused,” she said. “So anything that tonight could be done to help clarify and give us consistent information to help us support you would be awesome.”

She said she was on the Killeen Comprehensive Plan committee and that reviewing the KIlleen City Charter was often referenced.

Wright asked for specifics from those requesting the review on some information.

James Sills said Solomon and Segarra “brought up some valid points.”

“You have some changes that are potentially coming from the state, which would tne force you to wait … to implementing those changes at a sooner date.”

He also mentioned the strong mayor form of government — which Boyd briefly mentioned but said he wasn’t necessarily for — would be a bad idea.

“I think waiting for a more valid reason to make those charter changes is the best option for the city and the council,” he said.

Former Councilwoman Mellisa Brown, who served on the council at the time, said the council did not involve citizens in the last process of the charter review in 2022.

She said there were originally 22 items for consideration, but they needed to be “whittled down” because they couldn’t put them all on the ballot.