Ordinance 2023-0504A-R adopted 8/21/2025
This is hereby created and established within the City of Wilmer's Boards, Commissions and Committees by Ordinance 2023-0504A-R adopted 8/21/2025 which shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the city council and shall constitute a Board, Commission or Committee to the city council.
Ordinance 2023-0504A-R adopted 8/21/2025
(a) 
The city council has the right to appoint citizens to various boards, commissions, and committees. All appointments and removals are made at the discretion of the city council. This policy is intended to create consistency for all boards, commissions, and committees of the city; therefore, any portion of an ordinance or policy which conflicts with this policy, as amended, is repealed. All other portions of said ordinances or policies shall remain in full force and effect.
(b) 
The Boards, Commissions and Committees Matrix, attached to Ordinance 2023-0504A-R adopted 8/21/2025, as appendix C[1], setting forth a summary of the membership, requirements, terms, dates and times, and other information, is hereby incorporated herein and adopted by the city council. To the extent that there is a conflict between the Boards, Commissions, and Committees Matrix and the text of this article, the text of this article will control.
[1]
Editor's note-Said appendix is included as an attachment to this chapter.
Ordinance 2023-0504A-R adopted 8/21/2025
Shall be composed of members appointed by the city council that are depicted on appendix C[1]. Each member of the board, commission, or committee shall meet the eligibility requirements established by this article and depicted on appendix C.[2] The members shall serve at the pleasure of the city council and may be removed at the discretion of the city council.
Ordinance 2023-0504A-R adopted 8/21/2025
[1]
Editor's note-Said appendix is included as an attachment to this chapter.
[2]
Editor's note-Said appendix is included as an attachment to this chapter.
(a) 
Unless stated to the contrary herein, each board or commission or committee member must reside within the corporate limits of the City at the time of the appointment to the board or commission and must be a registered voter within the city, as depicted on appendix C.[1]
[1]
Editor's note-Said appendix is included as an attachment to this chapter.
(b) 
Additional board, commission or committee qualifications may be specified in the board- and commission-specific portions of division 3 herein.
(c) 
Any board, commission, or committee member ceasing to possess any of the qualifications set forth in this section, or in the board- and commission-specific portions of division 3, herein, applicable to their particular board, shall immediately forfeit his or her office.
(d) 
Background checks for youth-oriented boards.
(1) 
Members appointed to the Library Advisory Board and Parks Advisory Board shall be required to complete a background check coordinated by the city secretary's Office and conducted by the Wilmer Police Department.
(2) 
This requirement is due to the boards' roles in youth programming, public events, and community engagement.
(3) 
Members who fail to meet eligibility due to background check results shall be considered ineligible to serve on these boards.
Ordinance 2023-0504A-R adopted 8/21/2025
All appointments to boards, commissions and committees of the City shall be made by the city council. Each nomination shall be subject to approval by majority vote of the city council present.
Ordinance 2023-0504A-R adopted 8/21/2025
The term of office of each board, commission, or committee member shall be two years. Each board, commission, or committee member shall be appointed so that some of the members' terms shall expire in odd-numbered years, and some of the members' terms shall expire in even-numbered years. Should no appointment be made at the time a term would otherwise expire, the sitting board, commission, or committee member will continue to serve in an interim capacity until the replacement or reappointment has been made.
Ordinance 2023-0504A-R adopted 8/21/2025
(a) 
The board, commission, or committee shall have a Chair/President and a Vice-Chair/President, whose terms shall be one year. The Chair/President and Vice-Chair/President shall be nominated by a majority vote of the board, commission, or committee.
(b) 
The Chair/President and Vice-Chair/President shall be elected each year at the first regular meeting after the board, commission, or committee members are appointed and have taken their oath of office.
(c) 
If both the Chair/President and Vice-Chair/President are absent from a meeting of the board, the board members present at the meeting shall elect a member of the board to serve as the temporary presiding officer during the meeting.
(d) 
Duties of the officers shall be as follows:
(1) 
Chair/president:
Preside at all meetings.
(2) 
Vice-chair/president:
Assist the Chair/President in directing the affairs of the board, commission, or committee and act in the Chair/President's absence.
(e) 
Vacancies in office shall be handled as follows:
(1) 
In the event of resignation or incapacity of the Chair/President; the Vice-Chair/President shall become the Chair for the unexpired portion of the term.
(2) 
Vacancy of the Vice-Chair/President shall be filled for the unexpired term by special election.
Ordinance 2023-0504A-R adopted 8/21/2025
(a) 
The boards, commissions and committees' roles are as follows:
(1) 
Advise the city council on policies that assist the city council in carrying out its responsibilities.
(2) 
Provide citizen input by being positive representatives of a board, commission, or committee member in the community.
(3) 
Provide opinion, support, and expertise, as needed.
(4) 
Review data and circumstances pertaining to their respective boards, commissions, or committees, and formulate and recommend to the city council, for its adoption, policies and regulations consistent with the overall city plan and ordinances.
(5) 
Study the need for and encourage the development of knowledge of each board.
(6) 
Each board, commission, or committee at the direction of the city council, shall study and submit reports on any topics within their purview that the city council deems appropriate.
(7) 
Members of each board and commission shall comply with all statutory time limits, public notices, and the Texas Open Meetings Act, V.T.C.A., Government Code, § 551.001 et seq.
(b) 
Staff liason:
(1) 
The staff liaison shall be appointed by the City Administrator or his/her designee.
(2) 
The staff liaison's roles are as follows:
(A) 
Provide administrative support to the boards or commissions under the guidance of the department head (and ultimately, the City Administrator).
(B) 
The staff liaison for each board will communicate updates on City-related matters to the board, commission, or committee's contribution to advancing the City's goals and objectives.
(c) 
Relationships with staff liaisons:
The staff liaison handles administrative duties, prepares meeting agendas, and records minutes. Members may not direct the staff liaison to initiate programs, conduct major studies, or establish official policy without the approval of the city council.
(1) 
Members should feel free to contact the assigned staff liaisons for inquiries and/or support purposes. It should be understood; however, that members are responsible for all work for its board or commission. Staff liaisons may provide clerical and administrative support to boards or commissions on an as-needed basis.
(2) 
City board, commission, or committee are not involved in the administration or operation of city departments. The city's staff reports to the department head, who in turn reports to the City Administrator. It is, therefore, the responsibility of the department head and/or the City Administrator to allocate staff time and efforts and direct the priority of work.
(3) 
The staff liaisons are not considered members of a board, commission, or committee and have no power to vote on matters.
(4) 
City staff liaisons serve boards, commissions, and committees in an advisory capacity — much the same as the board or commission serves the Council. Staff liaisons are selected on the basis of their professional abilities and are expected to provide recommendations based on their professional analysis of the situation, regardless of personal opinion or consideration of political consequence.
(5) 
Members should be aware of staff's responsibility to also provide professional advice to the city council. The city council values both the opinion of the board or commission as well as staff since staff expresses its opinion from a strictly professional perspective.
(6) 
All boards, commissions, and committees member contact with the City Attorney shall be through and approved by the staff liaison or through the City Administrator or city secretary.
Ordinance 2023-0504A-R adopted 8/21/2025
All boards, commissions, and committees shall operate in compliance with the Texas Open Meetings Act (Texas Government Code, chapter 551), as amended.
(a) 
A.
(1) 
Training requirements.
(A) 
All new members must complete Open Meetings Act training and Public Information Act training within ninety (90) days of their appointment.
(B) 
Proof of completion must be provided to the city secretary for official recordkeeping.
(2) 
Meetings and quorum.
(A) 
A simple majority of the regular members shall constitute a quorum for all meetings of the board, commission, or committee.
(B) 
If a quorum is not present, the meeting shall be canceled 15 minutes after the scheduled start time.
(3) 
Parliamentary procedure.
Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised shall govern parliamentary procedure in all cases where applicable and not in conflict with City ordinances or state law.
Ordinance 2023-0504A-R adopted 8/21/2025
All staff liaison providing support to the various City boards and commissions shall maintain attendance records that shall be provided to the city Secretary on a quarterly basis. The city secretary or designee shall make the records available to the city council. A board, commission, or committee member should regularly attend meetings in order to ensure that a quorum can be met, and business transacted. Three consecutive absences, or a total of five absences during a twelve-month period shall cause the city council to consider removal of the member. Failure to meet these attendance requirements will also bar the member from being re-appointed for a subsequent term.
Ordinance 2023-0504A-R adopted 8/21/2025
The members shall serve at the pleasure of the city council and may be removed at the discretion of the city council. Board, commission, and committee members are expected to maintain regular attendance at meetings in accordance with the attendance policy stated in section 1.06.040.
Ordinance 2023-0504A-R adopted 8/21/2025
Any member of a board, commission, or committee may be removed by the city council on the grounds of incompetency, corruption, misconduct, malfeasance in office, ineffectiveness, or causing embarrassment to the city after being provided with written notice.
Ordinance 2023-0504A-R adopted 8/21/2025
Each board, commission, and committee shall be identified as "advisory" or "statutory," or as special purpose corporations such as economic development corporations. Advisory boards shall serve only in an advisory capacity and shall make recommendations to the city council for further action and consideration. Statutory boards and special purpose corporations may possess decision-making and/or quasi-judiciary powers and functions as designated by their applicable enabling statute.
Ordinance 2023-0504A-R adopted 8/21/2025
These bylaws may be amended by the city council at any regular meeting, provided all members have been notified of the proposed amendment. Such amendment would then be subject to approval by the city council.
Ordinance 2023-0504A-R adopted 8/21/2025