Smart and Transparent Growth
2021-2026
Since May of 2021, I have been busy working with other members of the City Council and our wonderful City Staff to move our town forward in a positive and smart direction. Many changes have been implemented to change the way that the City of Forney operates. Many changes have also been made to make City Hall more transparent and accountable than ever before to our residents.
Strategic and Transparent Changes
at City Hall
Integrity
Integrity is more than just an ideal to be spoken about-it's a principle and ideal that must be lived. Integrity, honesty, and transparency are vital in municipal government.
Honesty about how city funds are being spent, and why. Honesty about developers the City of Forney is partnering with, and why. Honesty about how the day to day operations of our city are run. Honesty about how our City Employees are treated, and what the work environment is like at City Hall. Honesty about how we hold the upper management of our City responsible for how they operate our city.
TRANSPARENT MEETINGS
When I ran for office in May 2021, our city was still reeling from the resignation of our City Manager, the firing of our Police Chief, and a loss of trust in public officials.
The #1 comment I received from residents (besides traffic), was that residents didn’t know what was going on at city hall and in city council meetings. Many residents want to know what is happening in their city, but do not have time to attend or watch meetings.
The idea for a “Council Wrap Up” was born. This is a short summary prepared by the City Manager, City Attorney and the Mayor to summarize each council meeting in an easy to read and accessible way.
Like other cities around us, this is included in the water bill each month to reach residents who don’t use social media. It is an easy and quick read of current city business and action taken in council meetings. We are truly trying to get the word out about meetings, and remove the unknown. This is a big step for Forney. To have easy to read info out there. It has NEVER been done before by any previous city council.
TRANSPARENT APPOINTMENTS
Shortly after joining council in May 2021, the member occupying Place 2 resigned for a second time. The process to replace a vacant seat, in the past, was done in a closed executive session.
In an effort to be transparent about every step of the process, the City Council decided to call for applications to fill Place 2. The City Council received over 30 applications! As a council, we narrowed down the applicants to a final five.
The City of Forney partnered with a local production agency to produce a video interview of all 5 applicants. Residents were able to watch the video, and see who the council was considering appointing.
Every step of the appointment was open, transparent, and public.
The City Council voted 5 to 1 to appoint Cecil Chambers to Place 2.
In November 2021, the member occupying Place 5 resigned. In an effort to be transparent, the City Council decided to draw on the candidates previously interviewed for Place 2. This appointment followed the appointment for Place 2 by appointing someone already familiar to the residents after the process in May 2021.
The City Council voted unanimously to appoint Zahnd Schlensker to Place 5.
Transparent City Government
I am passionate about the residents of Forney having the final say in how their city government is run. A series of Proposed Charter Amendments were on the November 2023 ballot. These amendments would only go into effect if there is a majority vote for them, by the residents of Forney. ALL BALLOT MEASURES PASSED in 2023! The governing of Forney rests solely in the hands of you, the residents.
Prop. A and B
Term Limits and Term Length for City Council Members
Proposition A and B went hand in hand. Living in Forney for many years, I saw the vulnerability our City Council with the previously structured terms. There are seven members on the City Council. Four are up for re-election every other year. This made it possible to “flip” the majority of the council every other year. This has led, in the past, to instability and much volatility in our local politics. With the voter approved change of terms, we will never again have the possibility of a majority of council being changed in one election. With longer terms, we now have staggered elections. There would be two seats up for re-lection one year, two the next, and three the next year. I view this as a critical protection for our city in the future, along with term limits. Term limits for all city council seats, including the mayor are now set at a 3 term limit.
Prop. C
Mayoral Vote
Previous to 2023, all seven members of the council vote on every item that comes before us. This proposed amendment would make the Mayor the “tie breaker” if the other six members of the council are split 3/3 on a vote. This prop. passed in November 2023.
Prop. D
No Special Appointments
The City Charter previously allowed the City Council to fill any vacancy by majority vote of the council. I was passionate about only putting that power in the hands of you, the residents we represent! I am against special appointments.
The City Council proposed: Any vacancy occurring 120 days or more before the next general election, will be filled ONLY by a special election that the residents vote in. Any terms vacated with 120 days or less would be filled by the City Council. This prop. passed by voters in November 2023.
Prop. E
Recall Petition
Residents should have the option to easily recall any elected official. To petition for a recall, the charter previous to 2023 required 20% of registered voters who voted in the last election or 400 (whichever is greater). This was CHANGED in 2021 to make it HARDER to recall elected officials.
The City Council is proposed the following (to make it easier) to recall elected officials: 10% of registered voters who voted in the last general municipal election, or 200 votes, whichever is greater. This passed by voters in November 2023.
Prop. F.
Board Members
𝑹𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒗𝒂𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝒃𝒐𝒂𝒓𝒅, 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒓 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒘h𝒐 𝒇𝒂𝒊𝒍 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒒𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝑪𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑪𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒍 𝑹𝒖𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒄𝒆𝒅𝒖𝒓𝒆.
This amendment allows the City Council to remove board members who are failing to maintain a variety of standards such as: regular attendance at meetings, following ethics rules, taking required training classes, etc. This passed by voters in November 2023
Uncontrolled Growth
The number one concern I hear from most citizens regards our infrastructure. The roads into and around Forney are lagging behind the explosive growth we have seen. There are many projects "in the works"- our city council works with our county and regional representatives regularly to bring these projects quickly enough to alleviate the traffic.
Kaufman county issues "transportation reports" monthly to update residents on the roads. Please see the most recent updates below, as of January 2026.
First Responders
New Police Chief and Fire Chief
The hiring of Chief Carrie White in 2022 was a major milestone for Forney. Under her leadership and direction, our department has grown and expanded in new ways to serve our residents.
The Forney Fire Department welcome Chief Holcomb in 2025. He has long standing experience with the FFD and continues to lead with vision as our department expands to meet the needs of our residents.
New Hires for Police and Fire Departments
Since May 2021, the City Council has approved the hire of
16 new Police Officers. Fully staffing both our police and fire are a top priority for me, as a member of the City Council.
Since May 2021, the City Council has approved the hire of
36 new Firefighter positions.
Fiscal Responsibility
STEPS TAKEN
May 2021-Now
ensuring continued Fiscal Responsibility at City Hall
FORENSIC AUDIT
The 1st ever Forensic Audit of City of Forney's finances was conducted in 2021. By a vote of 4 to 3, Council Members approved moving forward with the forensic audit.
$1.6 Million in illegally awarded funds uncovered.
ARPA FUNDS
In November of 2020, the City of Forney received almost $1.4 million dollars in COVID-19 relief funds. The receipt of, and expenditure of those funds were never made public until a local news agency alerted residents to the purchase of 22 new city vehicles. This purchase was made outside of guidelines given to the City of Forney by state and national agencies.
The American Rescue Plan of 2021 distributed a $6.7 million dollars to the City of Forney to support its response to and recovery from the COVID-19 public health emergency.
In an effort to be transparent, and involve resident input, a survey was conducted in August 2021 inviting residents to give the City Council input into how to spend the $6.7 awarded to our city.
A resident based survey was a complete departure from how COVID-19 relief funds were spent in 2020.
The Forney Small Business and Nonprofit Grant Program distributed one-time grants of $1,500 to eligible small businesses and The Forney Household Grant Program distributed one-time grants of $500 to eligible households disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.
Fourteen eligible applications for small business/nonprofits were approved to each receive $1,500 for a total of $21K. and 162 eligible applications were approved to each receive approximately $705.
TAX RATE
I have voted to keep the tax for City of Forney residents among the lowest in Kaufman County. The City of Forney tax rate is 47% lower than the City of Kaufman and the City of Terrell, 44% lower than the City of Mesquite and 38% lower than the City of Crandall.
City Operations
Under the direction of the City Council, and under the leadership of our City Manager, many important changes have been made to how the City of Forney operates. Several important staff positions have been added; each with the goal in mind of increasing transparency, being more prudent with our spending, and improving the day to day operations of the city. New initiatives have been put in place to increase safety and improve every day life.
New Positions
New City Manager (Hired Dec. 2021)
New Assistant City Manager (Hired July 2022)
First Ever Human Resources (HR) Director (Hired Sep. 2021)
New EDC Director (Hired June 2021)
Purchasing Manager and updates to Purchasing Policies (Hired May 2022)
New Initiatives
Outdoor Warning System (Operational October 2022)
Twelve towers have been placed strategically throughout city limits to notify residents in the event of an emergency. The City Council approved the building of the outdoor warning systems to alert nearby residents who are outside of their homes, or buildings in the event of a public emergency. Three specific trigger points for activation of the outdoor warning system: A confirmed tornado or tornadic activity, 1.25” hail, or sustained winds of 70 mph.
See here for more:
https://www.forneytx.gov/1002/Outdoor-Warning-System?fbclid=IwAR0Wtbk2-VraDnlQ01g_PcsiA-mkUIzZ_vC4rZIIA8FWgzDzC3fyyhyOrS4
Paving Index Study (August 2022)
Many residents have expressed to me their frustration with the state of city owned roads. As a City Council, we listened! In December 2019, we authorized a Paving Index Study. Using resident input via a survey, and a professional survey of our city streets, a list of roads in need of repair was created. This list helps our city staff evaluate the timing and urgency of road repairs around our city.
Please see the full list of roads here:
My Forney App
Have you downloaded this app yet? I have used it multiple times, and it is a fantastic way to communicate issue to our city staff. This app provides residents an easy and convenient way to report city issues directly to the staff.
See here for more info on this new initiative!
COMMUNITY TIES
Promoting relationships within our city and county have also been a focus for me as I have served on council.
I have four children who attend Forney ISD schools, and a working and stable relationship with our school district is beneficial to everyone! Attending ground breakings, dedications, open houses, Forney ISD sponsored events, and meeting with Forney ISD officials have all been key in keeping an open dialog between our two entities. I am grateful for the progress that has been-allowing us to work jointly and cooperatively together.
Partnering with county officials has also been part of my work on council. Attending meetings to discuss the state of our roads, potential city/county partnership projects and more have all been part of my term on council.
Transportation Updates
FM 548 North: Phase 1
From north us US 80 to Windmill Farms Blvd
Construction completion: May 2028
FM 548 North: Phase 2
From Windmill Farms Blvd to SH 205
Ready to Let Date: December 2026
FM 1641
From FM 548 to FM 148
Ready to Let Date: December 2027
FM 741
From US175 to FM 548
Ready to Let Date: June 2031
US 80 Widening
From Lawson Road to FM 460
Construction Complete: September 2026
Housing Moratorium
While on the campaign trail in 2021 and during my time on city council, I have met hundreds of Forney residents exhausted with the unchecked housing growth and strain on our infrastructure. Not a single resident has told me they are happy or content with the way, void of any overarching plan, that Forney is growing.
It has been my intention, and will continue to be, to work to fix the way our city is growing. This doesn’t mean stopping growth. Rather, it means ensuring that growth is being managed with an eye toward what sort of community Forney will be ten years from now.
𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙮’𝙨 𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙚𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙣?
· Developer led. The reality is that Forney has not approved or denied development based on a strategic growth plan until February 2022.
· From January 1, 2017 to May 2021, the City Council approved single family and multi-family homes for over 13,000 residents.
· 75% of the approved homes received ordinance variances, allowing them to be smaller lots that our city’s standard.
· To date, only homes for roughly 2,000 of those residents have been built. Most is yet to come.
· Forney will be adding roughly 11,000 more residents in coming years
In August 2021 I represented our residents. I voted to approve a temporary PAUSE on housing development, so that we can start to develop a well thought out strategic plan and vision for Forney.
I am not anti growth. I am not anti development. I am under no delusions that a 120 day moratorium would fix all our city’s problems. A temporary moratorium was a needed pause for staff and council to smartly grow our city.
The vote to approve a temporary moratorium did not pass by a vote of 3 to 3 (1 vacancy)
New Housing Approved May 2021 to Now
· From January 1, 2017 to May 2021, single family and multi-family homes for over 13,000 residents have been approved.
Since May 2021, when I was elected to council, we have only approved 166 new homes. The homes will be in the Buffalo Reserve development. These homes, unlike homes approved in the past, will not be on small lots. No variance was granted for smaller lot sizes.
These 166 homes will add approximately 544 new residents to Forney. This is quite a contrast to the 13,000 residents added from January 2017 to May 2021.
Due to the current economic climate, this development is currently on hold, and no new homes in this development are expected to built in the near future.
We have heard our residents, and have listened. We are slowing the rate of new homes approved, while we work to get our infrastructure up to speed.
Comprehensive Plan
Growing our city in a smart and sustainable way requires a viable plan. City Staff, the City Council, and any developer wishing to locate to Forney need an approved plan to operate on.
The last comprehensive plan for our city was approved in 2016. It has been long overdue for an update. An updated comprehensive plan will help all invested parties properly plan for the growth that will continue to come to Forney.
Under the direction of the City Council, Halff Associates was hired to help develop a new plan and vision for our town. Halff Associates has used community engagement sessions, open houses at city hall, surveys, and input from staff and the City Council to develop this plan.
This comprehensive plan will include a plan for future land use development-this will give the City Council and city Staffa direction for the growth of our town. The final product of this plan was presented to the city council on March 21, 2023. This will be the blueprint the City Council and City Staff use going forward to grow our town in a smart way.