McKinney city council members are limited to eight years in office — but they’re asking voters for more time.
Voters in McKinney have four city charter amendments on the ballot, including a proposition that would increase council members’ term limits from two consecutive four-year terms to three. Another would bump council members’ pay to a monthly stipend of $750 and the mayor’s pay to $1,000 a month if passed.
The other two propositions would amend the charter to comply with new state laws that have been passed since the last charter amendment election in 2019 and remove provisions and policies the city no longer follows.
Bridgette Wallis, who writes the McKinney Citizen to Citizen blog, said the amendment to extend term limits is a power grab by current council members and the mayor. McKinney voters elected Mayor George Fuller to his second term in 2021. He’d be eligible to run for reelection if the amendment passed but hasn’t decided yet if he’ll run again.
Wallis said allowing council members to serve three terms would decrease diversity.
“The longer the establishment is in charge, the less they will be looking for new ideas and perspectives,” she said.
Under current city charter rules, an elected official could serve eight years as a council member and — after a break — serve another eight years as the mayor.
If the charter amendment passes, an elected city official in McKinney could serve 12 years as a council member and 12 years as mayor so long as there is a gap in between.
Supporters of extending term limits say experience is an asset for council members and the mayor. Geré Feltus, who’s finishing her second term on the McKinney City Council, said there’s a learning curve for new members.
“You get to the point where you feel like I'm getting better at this, but I have to leave office, and that doesn't really serve the greater good very well,” she said.
Fuller said relationship building takes time. The mayor said he has connections now that he didn’t have when he was first elected. He said those relationships have helped the city. The federal government gave McKinney $15 million in grant funding earlier this year for the Lower 5 Plaza. The project aims to connect Historic Downtown McKinney and East McKinney with a pedestrian walkway.
Fuller said he would’ve struggled to access those grant funds during his first two years as mayor.
“I wouldn’t have known where to begin,” he said.
But Tom Michero, who founded the Keep McKinney Unique PAC to oppose Proposition A, said being on city council isn’t rocket science. He also said turnover allows for new ideas and increased participation in local government.
Other than the president, city council members and the mayor are the only elected officials in McKinney that have term limits. Wallis and Michero both said they support adding term limits to other elected positions.
Voters in McKinney approved the two-term limit for city council and mayor in 2011. Michero called that decision prophetic.
“I think they put those protections in the term limits to protect us from people who would try to extend them, especially for themselves,” he said.
A.J. Micheletto, a volunteer with the Citizens for McKinney PAC, said consistent leadership is key for the growing city. McKinney is the county seat of Collin County, the third-fastest-growing county in the nation according to the U.S. Census. McKinney has 213,509 residents as of July 2023 according to Census data — about 100,000 more than the city’s population in 2010.
Micheletto said McKinney needs leaders who have experience tackling the impact of growth on local infrastructure and government services.
“It’s important for our leadership to understand and have a forward future plan so that we can grow in the best and most mindful way possible,” she said.
Fuller said voters should be the ultimate decision-makers on term limits and the other three city charter amendments.
“It shouldn't be on council,” he said. “It shouldn't be with the naysayers or with the advocates. It should be with the overall electorate.”
Early voting ends on Friday Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. Election day is Tuesday Nov. 5.
Got a tip? Email Caroline Love at clove@kera.org.
Caroline Love is a Report For America corps member for KERA News.
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