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NOTICE OF MEETING
CITY OF GARLAND, TEXAS

CHARTER REVIEW COMMITTEE

Work Session Room of City Hall
200 N. Fifth Street
Garland, Texas
November 28, 2023 at 6:30 p.m.

A meeting of the Charter Review Committee of the City of Garland, Texas will be held at the aforementioned location, date, and time to discuss and consider the following agenda items:

AGENDA:

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Approval of the minutes from the November 14, 2023, meeting.

PUBLIC COMMENTS

Persons who desire to address the Committee on any item on the agenda are allowed three minutes to speak. Testimony may be held until the item is considered or given at the beginning of any committee meeting. Invited testimony may also occur at any time, subject to a request of the Member of the Committee and with the approval of the Committee Chairperson.

ITEMS FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION

Consider changes for Council Item 14, Article XI, Section 4, related to revising the powers granted to Council related to Planning and Zoning matters.

Consider changes for composition specifications of Boards and Commissions, including Article XI, Section 1, related to composition of Plan Commission.

Consider changes for Article III, Section 2, related to qualification of City Council members.

Consider changes related to gender neutral language.

FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS

ADJOURN

NOTE: A quorum of the City Council may be in attendance and may or may not participate in the discussions of the Committee or board.

GARLAND

Charter Review Committee Agenda

1.a.

Meeting Date:

11/28/2023

Item Title:

Approval of the minutes from the November 14, 2023, meeting.

Summary:

Approval of the minutes from the November 14, 2023, meeting.

GARLAND

Charter Review Committee Agenda

3.a.

Meeting Date:

11/28/2023

Item Title:

Consider changes for Council Item 14, Article XI, Section 4, related to revising the powers granted to Council related to Planning and Zoning matters

Summary:

Consider changes for Council Item 14, Article XI, Section 4, related to revising the powers granted to Council related to Planning and Zoning matters.

Background/Additional Information:

Original Language:

Article XI, Section 4:
§ 4 Zoning.
For the purpose of promoting health, safety, morals or the general welfare of the community, the Council is hereby empowered to regulate and restrict the height, number of stories and size of buildings and other structures, the percentage of lot that may be occupied, the size of yards, courts and other open spaces, the density of population, and the location and use of buildings, structures and land for trade, industry, residence or other purposes.
Such regulations shall be made in accordance with the Comprehensive Plan and be designed to lessen congestion in the streets; to secure safety from fire, panic and other dangers; to promote health or the general welfare.

Proposed Language:

The City shall have all authority and power in matters of zoning the City of Garland and to pass any necessary ordinance, rule, or regulation to enforce those powers, including ~~which~~ ~~are~~ all matters conferred by the statutes of the State of Texas and various legislative acts supplementary to or amendatory thereof. Any regulations of the City passed under this authority, including but not limited to the Garland Development Code, as amended, shall be made in accordance with the authority and powers referenced herein.

GARLAND

Charter Review Committee Agenda

3.b.

Meeting Date:

11/28/2023

Item Title:

Consider changes for composition specifications of Boards and Commissions, including Article XI, Section 1, related to composition of Plan Commission

Summary:

Consider changes for composition specifications of Boards and Commissions, including Article XI, Section 1, related to composition of Plan Commission.

Background/Additional Information:

Proposed Language:

Article XI, Section 1:
§ 1 Plan Commission.
(A) There shall be a Plan Commission composed of nine (9) commissioners who reside in the City of Garland. Eight (8) of the commissioners shall reside in the eight (8) Council districts, respectively, while one (1) commissioner may reside anywhere within the corporate limits of the City. Eight of the commissioners shall each be respectively nominated by the Councilmember from the district in which that commissioner resides, and the at-large commissioner shall be nominated by the Mayor. All nominations shall be subject to and continue until confirmation by a majority vote of the Council.

(B) None of such commissioners shall hold any other public office or position in the City while serving on the Plan Commission.

(C) The Plan Commission shall elect its chairman from among its members. Five of the commissioners shall constitute a quorum. The commissioners shall adopt such rules and regulations as they deem best governing actions, proceedings, deliberations, and time and place for meetings.

(D) A commissioner shall serve a term beginning with the date appointed and qualified by the Council and ending when the member of the Council who nominated that commissioner leaves office. The term for the at-large commissioner shall likewise correspond to the term or service in office of the Mayor.

(E) If a vacancy occurs upon the Plan Commission, the Councilmember from the affected district, or the Mayor, as the case may be, shall nominate a commissioner, subject to confirmation by a majority vote of the Council, to fill the unexpired term.

(F) Each commissioner shall have been a resident in that commissioner's respective district for a period of at least one (1) year prior to appointment and shall consecutively so reside during the commissioner's term. The at-large commissioner shall have been a resident of the City for at least one (1) year prior to appointment and shall consecutively so reside during that commissioner's term.

(G) At the beginning of each commission term, the Plan Commission shall determine its own rules and order of business by a majority vote of five (5) of the commission. These rules may be amended as required at any time during the term by a majority vote of five (5) of the commission.

GARLAND

Charter Review Committee Agenda

3.c.

Meeting Date:

11/28/2023

Item Title:

Consider changes for Article III, Section 2, related to qualification of City Council members

Summary:

Consider changes for Article III, Section 2, related to qualification of City Council members.

Background/Additional Information:

Article III, Section 2

Original Language:
§ 2 Qualifications.
Each member of the Council shall, in addition to the other qualifications prescribed by law, be, at the date of his or her election, a qualified voter of the City and shall not be in arrears in the payment of municipal taxes, municipal utility charges or any other lawful monetary obligation to the City. A member of the Council ceasing to reside in the City or if convicted of a felony or Class A misdemeanor shall immediately forfeit his or her office.

Proposed Language:
§ 2 Qualifications.
Each member of the Council shall, in addition to the other qualifications prescribed by law, be, at the date of his or her election, a qualified voter of the City and shall not have been previously convicted of a felony ~~be in arrears in the payment of municipal taxes, municipal utility charges or any other lawful monetary obligation to the City~~. A member of the Council ceasing to reside in the City or if convicted of a felony ~~or Class A misdemeanor~~ shall immediately forfeit his or her office.

GARLAND

Charter Review Committee Agenda

3.d.

Meeting Date:

11/28/2023

Item Title:

Amending the Charter to provide for gender neutrality, deletion and correction of obsolete incorrect citations, references, titles of city officials, and correction of typographical errors

Summary:

Consider changes related to gender neutral language.

Background/Additional Information:

This was a proposition that was part of the 2017-2018 Charter Review. On the ballot it was Proposition A, which was approved:
"Amending the Charter to provide for gender neutrality, deletion and correction of obsolete incorrect citations, references, titles of city officials, and correction of typographical errors."

Most grammatical changes were made at that time. Should the committee wish to recommend general language the following is presented for consideration.

Proposed Language:

Article XVII, Section 18
This would be a new section – the last one of the entire charter. Article XVII is "Miscellaneous Provisions," so I think that would work.

§ 2 Gender.
Within this Charter, words of any gender shall be held and construed to include any other gender.

Attachments

Ordinance No. 6991