Willow Park Mayor Teresa Palmer's ongoing feud with city council members continued Tuesday night, July 28, as she pushed an agenda item stressing she was being left out of the agenda-setting process.
Council did not act on the item, stating she is already a part of the process, pointing to evidence of such that this item was put on the agenda by her.
That did not stop Palmer from arguing with council members, and she repeated several times during the evening, "I run the meeting."
"My input on council meeting agenda items is vital," she said.
City Secretary Deana McMullen told Palmer and the council a major problem is Palmer consistently wanting to change the agenda at the last minute and insisting on consultations with attorneys in the process. She said these often cause delays in posting the agenda on the city website for the public to see in time to meet the required three business days’ advance notice.
McMullen said she stepped out of a meeting Feb. 10, wondering if she was having a potential heart attack because of the stress from dealing with meeting agendas.
She also told of a time in July 2025, when her husband was in the hospital. Instead of being able to post the agenda in an orderly fashion and leaving early, she said Palmer forced her to stay until after 5 p.m.
"I was informed by the mayor, 'No, you can't do that (leave early),'" McMullen said.
Councilman Scott Smith reminded Palmer, "We set cutoffs, and you're still submitting things days after."
He added that each hour spent discussing agenda items with attorneys is costing the city more than $800.
"It's absolutely ridiculous we're meeting with our attorneys just to be told what's on the agenda," he said.
City Manager Toni Fisher explained the process for setting the agenda, noting every council member, mayor and staff can request agenda items. Fisher then puts them on the agenda, providing they are properly and legally prepared.
"If they're ready to go they're put on the agenda," she said.
City Attorney Judy El Masri reminded Palmer that in February attorneys were told to only give the final agenda a legal review.
In response to Palmer's complaint about being left out of the process, El Masri said, "I do know you received all these emails. I get them, and you're on them."
Palmer argued she would like to return to the previous way of setting the agenda and involving attorneys for more than a final legal review.
Councilman Eric Contreras responded, "All five council members’ combined attorney fees are below your attorney fees."
Smith followed by asking Palmer, "So you'd rather spend $8,400 a month to be told what an agenda item is?"
Mayor Pro Tem Nate Crummel told Palmer, "Nothing has been abruptly changed. You've not been abruptly removed. We have a process."
Deer, most folks would agree, are beautiful creatures and a joy to see when out for a walk or sitting on your back porch.
But, as they say, too much of a good thing is not always a good thing.
So it has become with the deer population in Willow Park. Instead of seeing a couple of deer here and there, people are seeing lots of deer everywhere.
"Several of my friends at church want to rent my driveway to hunt them," Bill Green said with a chuckle.
"When I stepped out to come to this meeting there were about 12 deer in my front yard," Scott Caron said.
Kailee Bedunah-Ott, a biologist with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and a Willow Park resident addressed council and the audience concerning the immense population of deer in the area, offering advice such as not to feed them.
"If they have an unlimited food source to candy, they're not going to touch their broccoli," Bedunah-Ott said, comparing the deer to children and noting that they will not eat their natural food if people are constantly putting out food for them.
She also referenced unintentional feeding.
"I'm talking about the 87 pounds of cat food you put out for feral cats," she said.
Bedunah-Ott noted three fawns have been hit on the Interstate 20 access road this week, acknowledging the problem does have to be dealt with.
"It's a problem that can be solved if you want to take the steps to do so," she said.
She said keys to doing so include determining the root cause and planning, such as maintaining a green space and working to keep deer in that area. She also said some individuals have conducted drone surveys in working with the problem, adding, "I haven't seen any cities do it yet, but it might be a good option."
Caron asked if predators such as coyotes will go after family pets, such as cats, if deer are removed. Bedunah-Ott said if the deer go, the coyotes should follow.
When asked about trapping and transporting deer to a different location, Bedunah-Ott said the state does not allow individuals to do this on their own. Also, precautions must be taken to avoid the spread of diseases among deer when they are transported.
While no formal solution was reached, the entire room was in agreement something must be done. Resident Gene Martin said he recently saw about 40 deer in the same place, including adults and fawns.
"Just in my neighborhood, we're looking at about a 50 percent increase in the size of the herd," he said. "The herd is not wildlife. They're being domesticated."
Director of Public Works Chase McBride gave an update on work at the new wastewater treatment plant. He said testing will take place over the next couple of months and that plans are for completion by the end of 2026, along with de-commissioning of the old plant.
"A lot of troubleshooting, we're making sure everything is properly functioning," he told council.
As part of the quarterly projects update, council and the audience were given a report on the status of the King’s Gate Road Bridge Replacement Project.
A new contractor is being sought to fulfill the project contracted for more than $1.5 million. The former contractor working on the project has gone out of business.
The project consists of the removal and replacement of the bridge over Clear Fork Trinity River. It includes the approach roadways about 200 feet south of the bridge to the Interstate 20 frontage road and 100 feet north of the bridge.
The Surety bond company has taken control of the project and is in the process of acquiring a new contractor to complete the work. The Texas Department of Transportation is waiting to hear from Surety when it is ready to proceed.
TxDOT is keeping an eye on the project site to ensure no site conditions change and that safety measures remain in place.
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