Things got tense at Kirby City Hall when Councilmember Susan Street, who was elected in 2025, was escorted out of a council meeting by a Kirby police officer after fellow councilmembers voted to expel her while she questioned officials about a state water grant application. The confrontation unfolded during the July 9 regular meeting and was captured on video the city posted online. The sudden move has residents and watchdogs asking whether the council followed the procedures required to remove an elected official from the meeting.
Meeting footage shows warnings and an officer on the dais
Meeting footage shows Mayor Janeshia Grider issuing multiple warnings to Street as the councilmember pressed City Manager Brian Rowland about why a Texas Water Development Board application did not list a requested amount, according to KSAT. In the video the mayor eventually turns to a Kirby police officer and asks him to escort Street from the dais, and the council then moves to vote on whether to remove her from the meeting. KSAT reports the action was recorded as a 3-4 vote, and councilmembers did not offer a public explanation before moving on.
City posts meeting video and agenda
The City of Kirby keeps agendas, meeting packets and videos on its public records page, which lists the July 9 session and links to the recording, per City of Kirby. The video runs up to the moment a police officer walks toward the dais but ends before showing the full physical removal. The July 9 agenda also included the Texas Water Development Board item that officials were debating when the exchange escalated.
Not the first showdown
The July 9 clash followed earlier friction at Kirby City Hall. In March the council scheduled discussion of a possible removal after City Manager Brian Rowland filed a formal complaint accusing Street of creating a hostile work environment, which Street denied, as reported by KSAT. Street told reporters at the time she believed the moves were retaliation for asking “a lot of questions” she said constituents want answered.
Legal questions
Under the Kirby City Charter, removal of an elected councilmember generally requires a recall election triggered by a petition signed by registered voters, not a unilateral council vote. That framework means any effort to permanently remove an elected official would likely need to go to the ballot rather than be decided by colleagues during a meeting.
What's next
The council did not offer an on-the-spot explanation during the meeting and has not released a public statement explaining the vote. Local reporting shows journalists reached out to Mayor Janeshia Grider and other councilmembers for comment, as well as to Street, but for now city records and the posted meeting video remain the clearest public record of what occurred during the July 9 session. Residents interested in challenging the action would most likely have to follow the charter’s recall procedures or seek clarification at an upcoming council meeting.
