City Council
Find your District
- Email
wacomayor@wacotx.gov
- ProfileJim Holmes has served Waco City Council since 2016. Jim brings 35 years of financial management experience to the Council, serving as COO/EVP of FirstCity Financial Corp & SVP of FNB of Central Texas. He is currently President of HOTCOG, Chairman of Waco MPO, & Board Director for Waco Sports Commission & Cameron Park Zoo. Jim is a graduate of Creighton University and attended Baylor School of Law.
- Email
ccouncil1@wacotx.gov
- ProfileAndrea Jackson Barefield was elected to the Waco City Council to represent District I in 2018 and is currently serving her third term. Improving her community’s access to economic, educational and housing opportunities is what drives Andrea.
- Email
ccouncil2@wacotx.gov
- ProfileAlice Rodriguez was re-elected to the Waco City Council on November 2, 2021. She has previously served as the representative for District II a combined total of twenty-four years beginning in 1991. In addition, Rodriguez served as Mayor Pro Tem in the years of 1992-1993, 1999-2000, 2007-2008, 2012-2013.
- Email
ccouncil3@wacotx.gov
- ProfileJosh Borderud has served on the Waco City Council since November 2020. Prior to serving on council, he chaired the Plan Commission and served as a neighborhood association president. He currently serves on the boards of the Waco Metropolitan Planning Organization, the Heart of Texas Behavioral Health Network, and the Waco-McLennan County Bar Association.
- Email
ccouncil4@wacotx.gov
- ProfileDarius Ewing moved to Waco in 2012 to attend Baylor University and has called Waco home ever since. After Baylor, Ewing worked as the portfolio manager for Rydell Real Estate, a local real estate holdings firm. While overseeing developments, Darius began interacting with various city departments deepening his understanding of the inner workings of our city.
- Email
ccouncil5@wacotx.gov
- ProfileGeorge Chase is a native of Waco who joined the council in June of 2024 after being appointed to fill the vacant District V seat. A graduate of Waco High School and Vanderbilt University, he is the President of Insurors of Texas. Since moving back to Waco in 1994, George has served on numerous city and non-profit boards.
The City of Waco establishes and administers law through a council-manager form of government. Citizens are represented on the City Council by six elected members; five from single-member districts and a mayor who is elected at-large. The council appoints one of its members as Mayor Pro Tem to chair the council in the absence of the mayor. The mayor is recognized as head of city government for ceremonial and emergency purposes and is a voting member of the council.
The City Council conducts the legislative functions of the city, sets the tax rate, approves the budget, plans for capital improvements, adopts all city ordinances, selects citizens to serve on city boards and commissions, approves major land transactions, and appoints the city manager, city attorney, city secretary and municipal court judge.
The City Council works closely with the city manager to formulate the city's yearly management goals. Council members are elected for two-year terms. Elections for the mayor and council members from Districts I and III are held in even years and elections for council members from District II, IV and V are held in odd years.
City Council Meetings
Meetings are held the first and third Tuesdays of every month. Meetings are open to the public and are held in the Waco Convention Center's Bosque Theater. There is a 3 p.m. Work Session that includes presentations from City Staff and a 6 p.m. Business Session. Public Hearings are held during the 6 p.m. Business Session.
City Council meetings are broadcast live on MyWacoTV. The audio is also being recorded. The video and audio recordings will be available to the public on the City Web Site or by calling the City Secretary's Office at (254) 750-5750.
The Waco City Council provides an opportunity for persons to speak at the City Council’s Business Session on any resolution, ordinance or public hearing. Registration to submit comments or speak on any agenda item must be received at the City Secretary’s Office no later than 11 a.m., the day of the meeting. Individuals who registered to speak on a public hearing item will be allowed to speak remotely for three (3) minutes when they are called upon.