Town Council Meetings

The Town Council / Board of Trustees establishes a regularly scheduled Town Council / Board of Trustees Meeting Calendar in order to conduct the business of the Town of Westlake and Westlake Academy.  These meetings are subject to the requirements of the Texas Open Meetings Act, which requires at least 72-hours public notice prior to any scheduled meeting. More information about open meeting requirements is available in the Texas Open Meetings Act Handbook  published by the Texas Attorney General's Office. Public notice is considered to be officially posted when the agenda is affixed in the exterior bulletin board located at Town Hall, 1500 Solana Blvd, Building 7. We also post agendas on our website for ease of access in the Agenda Center.  

At any given meeting, the Town Council / Board of Trustees may approve or discuss policies that pertain to both municipal and academic business, approve zoning requests, review revenue and expenditure projects, approve budget requests, hear from residents and stakeholders, recognize student and staff achievements, and set strategic direction among other tasks. Regular meetings are typically held the third Tuesday of the month beginning at 4 p.m. Special meetings shall be called in accordance with Section 22.038(b) of the Texas Local Government Code.  Meetings dates and times are subject to change and should be verified with the Town Secretary's Office by calling 817-490-5711.

Regular Session

The portion of the meeting listed as the Regular Session is where the Council will review all the typical business associated with the conduct of business for the Town and the Academy. This may include presentation and discussion of the topics listed on the agenda, approval of resolutions, ordinances, meeting minutes, review of zoning cases for development projects, reports for Westlake Academy, and other businesses as needed. If an item is not listed on the publicly posted agenda it cannot be discussed during the meeting. 

Executive Session

These meetings are closed to the public and generally allow the Town Council / Board of Trustees to seek the advice of the municipal or academic attorney on legal matters, such as, pending or contemplated litigation, a settlement offer, negotiating economic development agreements, discussions about the value or transfer of real property, deliberating personnel matters, and/or discussions about security devices/audits/personnel.  

Addressing Town Council/Board of Trustees During a Meeting

During the Council meeting, the public is able to address the Town Council / Board of Trustees on any matter whether it is posted on the agenda or not. The time allotted for each speaker is 3 minutes in order to allow all people to be heard and to ensure the meeting is run efficiently.  Anyone wishing to speak must submit a speaker request form to the Town Secretary prior to the start of the meeting. This ensures that the speaker's contact information is correctly entered into the record of the meeting and available to staff if follow up is requested or necessary. 

Citizen/Parent Comments

This is an opportunity for citizens/parents to address the Town Council / Board of Trustees on any matter.  The Town Council/Board of Trustees cannot by law take action nor have any discussion or deliberations on any presentation made during Citizen/Parent Comments or on any other item that is not listed on the agenda.  The Town Council / Board of Trustees may ask staff to share factual information that is publicly available at the time of the meeting in response, may direct staff to review the matter and respond/report at a future date, or an item may be noticed on a future agenda for deliberation or action.

Action Items and Public Hearings

If the request to speak is for an action item or public hearing, the presiding officer may ask the citizen to hold their comment until consideration of the item as listed in order on the agenda.  Individuals speaking will have 3 minutes and must provide a speaker request form to the Town Secretary prior to the start of the meeting. This ensures that the speaker's contact information is correctly entered into the record of the meeting. 

A Quorum for a Meeting

All meetings require a quorum (a majority of the elected officials) of the Town Council to be present for the meeting to proceed. A majority is three of the five council members, as the Mayor will not count toward the quorum except to conduct an official canvass of an election. Although it is unusual, at times the Council Members may be unavailable for the meeting, and Staff will be required to cancel the meeting and either reschedule for a different date or repost items for the next scheduled meeting.