Fort Worth City Council meetings may soon carve out additional time for elected officials to hear concerns from the public, following months of criticism from local residents.
Council members vote Jan. 13 on a proposal to restructure how they gather resident input at routine public meetings in an effort to “enhance efficiency and allow for increased public engagement,” according to meeting agenda documents.
If approved, the new schedule would eliminate stand-alone meetings for public comments but add time for open public comment during regular council meetings where members vote on city business.
Council member Chris Nettles, who represents the Historic Southside and southeast Fort Worth, called the proposal a “win for the people.”
“They came down in great numbers to support keeping public comment, and it was taken from them,” he said. “They didn’t stop coming to City Hall, and three months later, they’re going to possibly get public comment back.”
The proposed schedule change, championed by Nettles and council member Michael Crain, comes after council members adopted their 2026 meeting schedule with fewer opportunities for residents to speak to them at public comment meetings — down from the 15 meetings scheduled in 2025 to 10 this year.
That decision drew sharp criticism from local residents and progressive activists, who asserted that council members were seeking to limit civic engagement over political differences. They bemoaned the new schedule and urged council members to roll back the change and increase opportunities for public participation.
Fort Worth resident EJ Carrion, who hosts the 817Podcast focused on local progressive politics, has been a vocal critic of the schedule change. To him, it’s common sense to increase opportunities for the public to participate in local government, and he hopes the council supports the proposal.
“Unfortunately, something as simple as public comments has distracted us from a lot of the bigger conversations we should be having, and it should have never been an issue,” Carrion said. “But the fact that we do, at least as a floor, have democracy in Fort Worth, that is great.”
CP-335 - Amend 2026 Council Meeting ScheduleDownload
The experience of public comments
Most North Texas government meetings follow a similar format. Anyone may sign up in advance to give their opinion on an agenda item before it’s voted on by elected officials.
The idea is that residents have a chance to influence the decision-making, open government experts previously told the Fort Worth Report and KERA News.
Residents also may sign up to share opinions, information, criticism or praise unrelated to the agenda. The structure for those comments varies by city.
In Fort Worth, the council has stand-alone public comment meetings exclusively dedicated to hearing from residents on any topic. Such comments during regular meetings must stick to a listed agenda item.
Dallas and Arlington city councils allow residents to give public comments unrelated to the agenda at the end of regular meetings, after voting on city business is finished. Fort Worth’s proposed change would follow a similar setup.
If approved, residents would have a combined 20 opportunities to address the council throughout the year, according to the agenda documents.
Crain said he created the proposal with Nettles as a solution to residents’ concerns so they have a “strong voice in their local government,” he said in a statement.
“Transparency and open communication are essential to building trust and making good policy decisions,” wrote Crain, who represents west Fort Worth. “That’s why I was glad to partner with council member Chris Nettles to find a solution that gives residents more opportunities to speak, engage and help shape the future of our city while also making city processes more efficient.”
How to speak at a Fort Worth City Council meeting
To speak at a meeting, residents may sign up no later than two hours before the meeting starts, according to the city’s website. Anyone can sign up to speak by filling out an online form, calling the City Secretary’s Office at 817-392-6150 or completing a speaker card in-person at City Hall. Council meetings are held at City Hall at 100 Fort Worth Trail.
City management typically decides what city business is on an agenda for the council’s consideration. Members may also submit items, known as council proposals, for the body to vote on if they get four others to sign on in support ahead of time.
The proposal to change the way the public addresses council also was signed by Mayor Mattie Parker and council members Carlos Flores, Mia Hall and Deborah Peoples. Parker and Flores voted in favor of the schedule change in September, while Peoples and Hall voted against.
“Consensus building is critical in any governing body, and I’m always willing to work with our council members and appreciate the continued workshopping on this topic,” Parker said in a statement. “The (proposal) as written is a great option for adding public comment opportunities to the schedule while also ensuring efficiency in city business.”
City spokesperson Sana Syed noted that the proposal is a council-led effort, saying via email that “city staff will respect council direction and, if approved, will work to implement any changes in accordance with council action.”
The politics of civic engagement
Public comments at any given City Council meeting can cover issues ranging from street maintenance and public safety to local art installations and zoning changes.
Some meetings draw dozens of residents. At others, no one shows up to speak.
Fort Worth council positions are considered nonpartisan. However, over the past year, politically divisive topics have driven heated debates between council members, impassioned commentary from residents and the occasional removal of a speaker.
Council members faced biting remarks and criticism from residents at public meetings over the decision to suspend diversity, equity and inclusion programs; Parker’s accusation about a casket left in her yard; and concerns about the future of a vacated community arts center.
Fort Worth resident Sabrina Ball speaks at a Fort Worth City Council public comment meeting Oct. 14, 2025, at City Hall. (Drew Shaw | Fort Worth Report) In December, Carrion and another local progressive activist, Alexander Montalvo, were removed from a public comment meeting by city marshals who said they were disrupting the meeting. Carrion and Montalvo maintained they did not disrupt the meeting and that their removal was an attempt by city leaders to bully them over differing viewpoints.
Council members who in September voted in favor of reducing comment opportunities argued that such meetings often see low participation or the same faces speaking about the same issues. Some, including Crain, said at the time they’re happy to meet privately with residents to discuss concerns and identify solutions.
In November, Crain said he doesn’t regret his vote in support of the reduction, but he experienced a “little change of heart” after hearing concerns from residents.
The proposal under consideration Jan. 13 is the same as the one Nettles previously tried to pass but failed to get enough support from his colleagues at the time. Nettles emphasized residents’ public comments were key in swaying them.
“What you’ve seen is people came out here basically using their time to say, ‘Give us our right back,’” Nettles said. “When you take something away from people that they have had for years, you motivate them to come and speak about just that very thing — versus, if you didn’t take it away, you probably wouldn’t have as many people coming out here anyway.”
Fort Worth resident Mindia Whittier, a progressive activist who criticized the reduction in comment opportunities, said she plans to attend the Jan. 13 meeting to urge council members to adopt the change. Still, she hopes even more opportunities are added for residents to give comments or otherwise provide feedback.
“It’s essential to ethical governance,” Whittier said. “If we are one of the largest cities in the nation and we’re choosing not to follow best practices … what kind of reflection is that on our city? What kind of city is that going to create?”
As Fort Worth jockeys with Austin for a ranking in the country’s top 10 largest cities, elected officials must break down barriers for the growing population to participate in their own governance, Whittier said. That, she added, is what a “best-in-class city” would do.
Cecilia Lenzen is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at cecilia.lenzen@fortworthreport.org.
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