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August 9, 2021

Bandera City Council discusses EDC, interim city administrator duties

By Jessica Nohealapa’ahi
The Bandera Prophet

One voice spoke out during Bandera EDC’s public hearing last week on the purchase of five vacant lots in the Bandera Range Subdivision on Hackberry Street. Randy Evans, by email, implored members to please keep as much of the land as “natural as possible.”
“They call it the Hill Country. I call it home. They aren’t making any more land,” Evans wrote.
Bandera EDC has proposed purchasing the lots for $65,000.
In a meeting that followed, Jeff Jilson, with the Bandera Fire Department, asked for and was granted a variance to allow overnight campers for the department’s annual barbecue fundraiser. Jilson said people will come in Friday to prep for main judging and the event on Saturday, Oct. 23. They will leave Sunday morning, he said.
Unsure how many cookers will participate this year, Jilson said about 30 arrived in 2019 - there was no event last year.
In other matters, Bandera City Council Member Toni Kunz said while the new EDC board and administration get their footing, neither city council nor the mayor should cause unnecessary work by getting involved in their day-to-day operations.
Kunz, who temporarily serves on both council and EDC, said she would remain on the EDC board through their budget process, then resign.
“I don’t want to be on there. I don’t have time to do both,” Kunz said.
Kunz also wanted to clarify the role and allowed actions Mayor Suzanne Schauman may take while acting as interim city administrator. Schauman assumed the position after Terry Bird resigned months ago. Kunz said communication needed to improve between City Hall and the council.
“It would be helpful to know when someone is out on extended leave, and when a resignation is in the house,” Kunz said. “We’ve lost several people. We, as a council, do not know things that are happening.”
She said council had no idea Schauman had taken a week-long vacation, nor that the office was closed for a day because of a diesel leak.
“Administratively, our department has been running,” Schauman said. “I can certainly see where [the lack of communication] could have been a problem. Everyone in the office knew. I attended meetings by phone and was available.”
Kunz made a motion that the mayor’s duties as acting city administrator not include personnel hiring, firing or action without council review, which Council Member Jerry Russe seconded.
Council Member Darcy Hasty said she was fine with a moratorium on hiring and firing, however she said she was concerned about placing council in an administrative position. She said it showed lack of trust to not allow a department head to discipline an employee by write up, and instead escalate the matter to council. It also forces an employee to go before an entire city council and mayor, rather than their immediate supervisor, she said.
The vote carried with Hasty abstaining.
Council unanimously approved moving forward with Franklin Legal Publishing to recodify the city’s existing code of ordinances.
“I’m very comfortable with Franklin,” City Secretary Jill Shelton said. “I think this is a very important piece that needs to be done.”
The recodification will cost $6,450, and online services will cost $395 per year. The cost for an attorney review will be $2,000.
Shelton said she has $6,000 in her budget for the services. The completed code should be delivered in printed form in four to six months and will also be provided online.
An Aug. 5 presentation from Simplecity Design on the first draft of the Comprehensive Master Plan was cancelled after a member of the Simplecity team tested positive for Covid, and others were exposed to the virus.
A budget workshop is set for Tuesday, Aug. 10, at 5:30 p.m., at Bandera City Hall.