It’s a new dawn
It’s a new day
It’s a new life for Frisco Taxpayers
Woo-woo-woo-woo-woo
And they’re feeling good

Today I was thinking, it is the start of a new beginning and soon two new city council members will join the Dias.  Burt Thakur and Jared Elad will be sworn into office at the July 1^st City Council Meeting.  We hope their supporters come out and support them during the swearing in at the start of the meeting.

But what is happening before the meeting?  Well, apparently there is a City Council Work Session on June 26^th.  They just posted the agenda and it appears under the Regular Agenda they are going to do a traditional welcome, agenda overview and set the theme for the session.  Then they are going to discuss a book called Great by Choice.  Lastly they will talk about the traits of successful teams. 

After that they will break into “Closed Session” where they will “have a deliberation, regarding commercial or financial information that the City has received from a business prospect or to deliberate the offer of a financial or other incentive to a business prospect.”   What could that mean?  We have no idea!

Then they will convene back into the “Regular Agenda” and finish with a Review of Councils 2025 Progress Goals, have a discussion regarding the FY2025-26 Initial Budget Considerations and closed with a “Ted Talk” regarding 5 Bold Steps to a Bright Future.   Interesting!  This is where we have questions.

Outgoing council members Tammy Meinershagen and Bill Woodard will be there as they still hold the seats for city council until July 1^st. and then Burt Thakur and Jared Elad are sworn in.   Because of the runoff Thakur and Elad’s swearing falls after the meeting, but “THE BUDGET” is a big discussion that the new council members may have questions or input on.  Here is what we are interested in;

1. Did the city extend an invitation to the two newest council members to participate and learn at this work session like they have done in the past.

2. Will they host the meeting live on Frisco TV so residents can watch and learn and be more transparent for Frisco Residents?

3. What is the social event they are going to afterwords at Perry’s Steakhouse and is that on taxpayer dollars?

Now many may say, they are not sworn in yet so they can’t participate but exceptions have been made in the past.  In our article No Business Like Show Business we told you about how in March of 2022, our newly “APPOINTED” council woman Tammy Meinershagen went on the Frisco Chamber of Commerce Leadership Exchange Trip to Cary, North Carolina.  Why was that interesting to us at the time?  Well, Tammy Meinershagen had NOT YET BEEN SWORN IN as a council member yet. 

In that article, we asked the question of how Meinershagens’ trip was paid for.  Did she pay for it – remember she was not a SWORN IN council member or did TAXPAYERS pay for it?   Then we laid out the emails showing that on March 3, 2022, Mayor Jeff Cheney sent an email to Holly McCall, and said Tammy has expressed an interest in going on the LEX trip.  Cheney thinks it would be good for her to join to get a head start on her development and start building relationships.  He specifically notes, I know she will still be a council member elect as the time so not sure what hoops we need to jump through.  McCall, the Sr. Administrative Asst. to the Mayor & Council responds, “I’m sure it will be fine to pay for Tammy.  We’re just waiting on confirmation/advisement from the attorney’s office before proceeding.”

Then on March 7, 2022, in an email from Tammy Meinershagen to Tony Felker, President/CEO for the Frisco Chamber she states it looks like she will be able to join “representing the city council” so can you let me know what you need from me. 

Tony responded with an email asking Jeff Cheney what the best way for her is to register and then Jeff responds Holly McCall, the Sr. Administrative Assistant to the Mayor & Council, can book it. 

McCall responds again that she believes it will be fine to pay for her to go but she is waiting for the official city approval.  Fast forward to the April 19th, council meeting, Item #20 under the Consent Agenda (remember that is where they hide things) there is an action to consider and act upon approval of the attached reimbursement request presented to the Mayor and Council.   The memo reads that the $3000 request was the cost for Tammy Meinershagen to travel to Cary, North Carolina for the LEX trip hosted by the Frisco Chamber. It states she is a ‘CANDIDATE FOR CITY COUNCIL RUNNING UNOPPOSED.”    It then reads, Minershagen will begin her term in May, but members of the council believe the trip provided knowledge and experience that serves the public purpose of the city and was beneficial to the duties of a city council member. 

Guess what, THE COST WAS APPROVED!

At the time we wrote this article in October of 2023, we said we were alarmed that she would be going representing herself as a councilmember – when she had NOT YET BEEN SWORN IN and taken her OFFICIAL OATH.  We were adamant that running unopposed or not should not matter – what should matter is she was not sworn in to uphold her official duties as a city council woman.  We still believe that today!   However, what we think about the situation and what happened back in 2022/23, is irrelevant! The City of Frisco, The Chamber of Commerce and our City Council “SET A PRESCENDENT” that you do not have to be SWORN IN to present yourself as a council member and have the bills paid for by the city if you are appointed to your seat. 

Fast Forward to 2025

How does that change when two council members, who have officially been ELECTED, and are less than 7 days away from being sworn in, when it comes to them participating in the Summer Work session, in meetings that affect their upcoming term, etc.?  The session clearly says it is Councils Goals for the remaining time of 2025 and the future Budget for 2025-26!  I am guessing if you ask the two future elected council members what they think, they will agree with us!

That is the problem when you set a PRESCENDENT like they did in 2022 with Meinershagen, because now to be fair to the newly ELECTED COUNCIL MEMBERS – the city needs to invite them, allows them to participate, talk to leaders and city management, for the “experience it gives them, for educational reasons and benefits it presents them,” as it will help them grow in their council positions the same way they did for Meinershagen in 2022. 

Now, we wait and see – what happens?  Better get the city attorney on the phone and make allowances for the same concessions –

at least allowing them to attend s work session, doesn’t cost taxpayers $3000 this time!