Rowlett City Council held interviews on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, to fill seats on several boards and commissions, including the Planning & Zoning Commission and the Board of Adjustment. Council members heard from more than a half-dozen applicants, reviewed attendance records for incumbent commissioners and tentatively placed candidates pending final ratification at the council’s Dec. 16 meeting. Appointments resulting from the Dec. 16 vote are expected to take effect Jan. 1.

The council opened the work session by noting the meeting was recorded and that no public comments had been submitted for the citizen input period. The series of roughly 10-minute interviews began with Laura Weiss, who appeared virtually and said she wanted another term on the Planning & Zoning Commission to “contribute” and to bring professional transportation planning experience back to Rowlett. Weiss acknowledged prior attendance problems and said health issues and job demands contributed, adding, “I’ve been making the commitment to be more consistent going forward.”

Other applicants described similar community ties and professional experience. Applicant Kendall Patton confirmed she could attend P&Z meetings (held second and fourth Tuesdays at 7 p.m.) and said she had reviewed meeting packets and minutes. Applicant Joshua Hughes and others highlighted volunteer work, while several applicants emphasized a preference for objective, code‑based review at the P&Z level and an understanding that the council makes the final, more subjective zoning decisions.

Council discussion focused less on policy than on board functioning. A councilmember flagged attendance as a systemic issue after noting that an incumbent had missed nearly half of recent P&Z meetings. That member said low attendance had produced a 2–1 vote on a recent matter, producing concern about whether the commission had an adequate quorum or sufficiently experienced members. Council members agreed to review the attendance record and to discuss refresher training with the city attorney.

On appointments, councilmembers tentatively recommended specific placements — for example, reappointing Joshua Hughes to the Board of Adjustment and proposing new regular or alternate seats for several interviewed applicants — but held off on final votes. “These will come back to council as a resolution at the Dec. 16 meeting for formal ratification,” a council speaker said, noting that staff would contact appointed individuals after the ratification vote.

The council also directed staff to reconcile attendance-record inconsistencies and to ensure that excused absences and removal rules in the boards-and-commissions handbook are applied consistently. The meeting adjourned at about 8:29 p.m.

Next procedural step: council will consider a resolution adopting the appointments at its Dec. 16 regular meeting; nominees should expect city staff to notify them after that ratification.