Gainesville City Council

Six Council Members are elected by the qualified voters in six wards within the city. Residency within the ward is required for Council Members. The Mayor is elected at-large by all qualified voters in the city. The Mayor and Council members are elected for staggered two-year terms. In even numbered years, Council Members are elected in wards three, five, and six. In odd numbered years the Mayor is elected at-large, and Council Members are elected in wards one, two, and four.

FORM OF GOVERNMENT

The City of Gainesville is a political subdivision of the State of Texas, incorporated in 1873. It is a home-rule city, and as such its City Charter serves as its constitution.

Gainesville’s first charter was granted in 1909. The most current City Charter was approved by the voters on August 10, 1996. The City operates under the Council-Manager form of government. The Mayor and six Council Members formulate the operating policy of the government, and the City Manager serves as the Chief Administrative Officer. 

Mayor & City Council

City Council Ward Map (PDF)

OPEN MEETINGS

The City Council of the City of Gainesville is committed to its meetings being open to the public. The Texas Open Meetings Act (Texas Government Codes Annotated Chapter 551) provides that meetings of governmental bodies must be open to the public, except for authorized executive sessions, and that notice of the time, place, and subject matter of meetings must be posted at least 72 hours in advance, except in authorized cases of emergency. Notice of meetings of the Gainesville City Council and all City Boards and Commissions are posted on the official City of Gainesville bulletin board outside the entrance to the City Hall building at 200 South Rusk Street, Gainesville, Texas, which is accessible to the public 24 hours each day.

EXECUTIVE SESSIONS

Executive sessions of the City Council may be held for the purpose of consulting with the City Attorney; deliberations regarding real property, deliberations regarding gifts or donations; personnel matters; deliberations about security devices; and deliberations regarding economic development. All final actions about a matter discussed in an executive session must be made in an open meeting. The law requires minutes of all open meetings be taken and made available to the public upon request in accordance with the Texas Public Information Act (Tex. Govt. Code Ann. Ch. 552). A certified agenda must be kept of all executive sessions, but is not available to the public except by a court order.

PUBLIC DISCUSSION

The Open Meetings Act provides access to governmental meetings in order to provide a means for the public to keep informed, but it does not entitle the public to choose items to be on the agenda or to discuss any items on the agenda. The Gainesville City Council permits public discussion and retains the right to limit or terminate any discussion and limit the number, frequency, and length of presentations before it as it may deem necessary. Deliberation of non-agenda items may not take place except to calendar them for future discussion.

Request to address City Council

Ordinance No. 671-12-95 Section 3.3(c)
Any persons desiring to address the council by oral communication on a non-agenda item shall first secure the permission of the presiding officer, provided, however, that preference will be given to those persons who have notified the City Secretary by 5 p.m. on the Monday immediately preceding the Tuesday council meeting of their desire to speak in order that their name may be listed and they will be recognized by the presiding officer without further action. Any person desiring to address the council on a non-agenda item who has not given such notice may do so upon the majority vote of the council only.

To comply with the Open Meetings Act, the City Council may not deliberate on items presented under Citizens Comments. The Council may direct that the subject matter be formally placed on a future agenda.

To address council, you must complete the Request to Address Council form. 

• Complete the form online. 
• View and print the form click this link:  Request to address City Council 
  • You may return it in person, by mail or email. 
  • Contact information is provided on the right-hand menu of this webpage.

This request must be returned to City Secretary, 200 South Rusk, by 5:00 p.m. on the Monday immediately preceding the Tuesday Council meeting,

Regular meetings of the City Council are the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m.