Jersey Village City Council nixes term limits, approves training for boards and commissions

During its Oct. 23 meeting, Jersey Village City Council unanimously approved a resolution creating a policy for its boards and commissions that:

• Does not create term limits for appointees
• Adds an in-person training requirement for all appointed members within 90 days of their appointment

How we got here

During the Sept. 18 meeting, City Council asked for an item regarding term limits to be on the agenda, according to the Oct. 23 meeting agenda packet. City Secretary Lorri Coody said she reached out to officials in other cities to see what they were doing regarding terms limits on boards and commissions, and prepared a draft policy based on the information she received.

The draft policy—before being amended by council prior to approval—outlined term limits for appointees serving on boards and commissions.

“It is so much easier to have a conversation up here with a preset list of rules and go from there,” council member James Singleton said to Coody during the meeting. “You gave us a starting point to go from. That’s what we need.”

Quote of note

“We do have the power to vote, and we have the power to appoint, and we have the power to remove individuals if they’re not attending or if they’re not fulfilling their obligations,” council member Sheri Sheppard said. “So do we need to implement a policy or codify term limits? I don’t think so.”

In other news

During its Oct. 23 meeting, council also unanimously approved a resolution committing not to build a vehicular bridge on Equador Street over White Oak Bayou.

Learn more

Learn more about Jersey Village’s boards and commissions by visiting www.jerseyvillagetx.com.