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06-16-2026 Council Workshop MinutesMINUTES WORKSHOP MEETING June 16, 2026 A Workshop Meeting was held by the Schertz City Council of the City of Schertz, Texas, on June 16, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. in the Hal Baldwin Municipal Complex Council Chambers, 1400 Schertz Parkway, Building #4, Schertz, Texas. The following members present to -wit: Present: Mayor Ralph Rodriguez; Mayor Pro Tern Mark Davis; Councilmember Michelle Watson; Councilmember Paul Macaluso; Councilmember Ben Guerrero; Councilmember Robert Westbrook; Councilmember Sarah Dietz•, Councilmember Robert Sheridan Staff Steve Williams, City Manager; Daniel Santee, City Attorney; Brian James, Deputy present: City Manager; Sarah Gonzalez, Assistant City Manager; Sheree Courney, Deputy City Secretary Call to Order Mayor Rodriguez called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. Hearing of Residents This time is set aside for any person who wishes to address the City Council. Each person should fill out the speaker's register prior to the meeting. Presentations should be limited to no more than 3 minutes. All remarks shall be addressed to the Council as a body, and not to any individual member thereof. Any person making personal, impertinent, or slanderous remarks while addressing the Council may be requested to leave the meeting. All handouts and/or USB devices must be submitted to the City Secretary no later than noon on the Monday preceding the meeting. Handouts will be provided to each Councilmember prior to the start of the meeting by the City Secretary. All USB devices will be vetted by City IT staff to ensure City property is protected from malware. No residents came forward to speak. Workshop 1. Council Liaison Selection Process (Councilmember Westbrook) Mayor Rodriguez recognized Councilmember Robert Westbrook who introduced the workshop topic. Councilmember Westbrook stated the purpose of the workshop was to consider whether the Council procedures governing board, committee, and commission liaison assignments should be updated. Councilmember Westbrook indicated that the discussion was not meant to address any individual appointment, but rather an evaluation of the existing framework's reflection of the priorities of the current Council and whether it provided a transparent, fair, and consistent assignment process. He asked council to take into account factors such as seniority, continuity, qualifications, workload, and member interest, and consider whether amendments are needed to better document and balance these considerations while strengthening public confidence in the liaison assignment process. Following Councilmember Westbrook's opening statement, Mayor Rodriguez recognized Deputy City Secretary Sheree Courney to explain the distinctions between Council assignments as members vs. liaisons and to provide an overview of the current board, committee, and commission assignment process. Ms. Courney explained that Councilmembers assigned as boardmembers are expected to actively participate in discussions, attend meetings, and typically possess voting rights. In contrast, liaisons serve as a communication link between the boards, committees, or commissions and Council. Liaisons do not have voting authority, should not attend closed sessions or board retreats, and are expected to identify procedural or structural issues that may affect the effective functioning of the board, committee, or commission. Ms. Courney provided current Council assignments, vacancies, and workload distribution across boards, committees, and commissions. It was noted that provisions governing liaison assignments contained in a previous ordinance have since been removed, and she recommended restoring those provisions. Ms. Courney noted that new Councilmembers currently have no board assignments. Ms. Courney provided the following guiding principles for Council's consideration: • Transparency - how assignments are made? • Fairness - have all Councilmembers been given a meaningful opportunity to express interest? • Continuity - does this assignment benefit from institutional knowledge? • Rotation - are members given a reasonable opportunity to serve in different areas over time? • Qualifications & Interest - does the assignment consider experience, subject matter expertise, and relevant interest? • Workload balance - are the high -demand assignments proportionately dispersed? • Public trust - are the assignments done in a manner to avoid unnecessary concentration of influence? Ms. Courney also outlined important factors such as seniority and institutional knowledge, balancing between rotation and continuity. It is understood that there should be regular opportunities for rotation, recognizing that long-term assignments should be periodically reviewed while preserving continuity where beneficial. The presentation also included a proposed assignment process following each Council election cycle that would: • Provide Councilmembers with a list of available assignments and vacancies. • Provide Councilmembers with an opportunity to submit assignment preferences, qualifications, workload considerations, and interest in continuing or rotating assignments. • Identify member, liaison, chair, and alternate roles separately. • Require Council approval of assignments. Ms. Coumey identified the existing ordinances and Council Rules of Conduct and Procedure that address board appointments and noted that while current rules establish boards and committees, they do not currently clearly define liaison responsibilities and requested Council direction on the preferred assignment process and criteria. At the conclusion of Ms. Coumey's presentation, Mayor Rodriguez opened the floor to Council for discussion. After much discussion, Council agreed there was a need to establish a formal assignment process for Council liaison assignments to provide clear direction for future councils and the City Secretary's Office. Other key elements brought forth included: • Council seniority would be the starting point for assignments, while providing newer members meaningful opportunities to serve on committees of interest rather than simply inheriting a predecessor's assignments. • To promote a more equitable distribution of assignments, Council members will make two selections at a time in seniority order before proceeding to the next member. • Consider member qualifications, expertise, and interest in addition to seniority when making assignments so that Council members with relevant experience or professional backgrounds can effectively contribute to specific boards or committees. • Balance workload among Council members by avoiding concentration of numerous assignments with a few members and considering each committee's meeting frequency and time commitment. • Provide Council members with assignment information in advance, including meeting schedules, locations, and expected time commitments, to help members make informed selections based on their availability. • Maintain continuity where appropriate while providing periodic opportunities for rotation, so members can gain experience on different boards over time. • Conduct a comprehensive review of assignments every two years, preferably in December following the election cycle, allowing for a complete reassessment while maintaining sufficient continuity. Newly elected or appointed members would temporarily assume their predecessor's assignments until the next scheduled review. • Allow assignment changes between review cycles when mutually agreed upon by Council or when circumstances such as workload, scheduling conflicts, or personal commitments warrant reassignment, subject to Council approval. While there was general agreement on codifying the process, Council also acknowledged the importance of retaining flexibility to accommodate member availability, institutional knowledge, continuity, and changing circumstances. Ms. Courney stated that based on Council's feedback, she would prepare amendments to the Council Rules of Conduct and Procedure and return with an ordinance for Council consideration. Adjournment Mayor Rodriguez adjourned the Workshop meeting at 5:41 p.m. ATTEST: JII iGi��f,Y R"M City Secretary R ph Rodriguez, 71 yor