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2020

Volume 33, Issue 32

Closures, increased testing follow spike

By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor Both the State of Texas and Williamson County have seen a June spike in COVID-19 cases, leading to new directives from Gov. Greg Abbott and local decisions to be considered by county and city officials. Confirmed COVID-19 cases in Texas increased 150 percent in June, and Williamson County cases have more than tripled, but it is the numbers since the middle of the month that have created the most concern. Mayor Rick Hall reported Monday that there have been 40 total cases in Liberty Hill, with 15 of those reported as recovered. Active cases in Williamson County have more than quadrupled in two weeks, jumping from 297 to 1,247, far outpacing the recoveries that now stand at 904. Hospitalizations in the county have eclipsed 100, with more than 30 in intensive care. Hospitals are reporting 27 percent capacity available in beds and only 12 percent in intensive care units. Statewide, the number of hospitalizations have risen from 2,326 on June 15 to 6,533 on June 30, causing Abbott to suspend elective surgeries in a number of counties to preserve hospital space. Festivities canceled The City of Liberty Hill announced through social media Friday it was canceling the Independence Day Spectacular slated for July 3. “With the recent spike in COVID-19 cases, new orders from Governor Abbott, and concern for our citizens and visitors to Liberty Hill, we have made a very difficult but necessary decision to cancel the Independence Day Spectacular events scheduled for July 3rd at City Park,” the statement said. The fireworks show will go on at 9:30 p.m. July 3 and will be done from the field between the Intermediate and Junior High schools,

See COVID, Page 4

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July 2, 2020 | 50 Cents

Safety of new splash pad in question

By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor When former Building Inspector Jonny Ubelhor issued the certificate of occupancy for the Wetzel Park Splash Pad last week, he quickly began to regret the decision to sign off on the project. Safety concerns over the splash pad were the focus of the June 22 City Council meeting, where staff and the Council worked through the timeline of events and discussed potential remedies for a missed inspection that would have guaranteed the pool decking on the splash pad, but even after corrective action was taken and LH INDEPENDENT PHOTO the CO was issued, Ubelhor – While the City received a Certificate of Occupancy, which allows the splash pad at Wetzel Park who was abruptly terminated to be opened, former Building Inspector Jonny Ubelhor says he questions its safety. Ubelhor said he ultimately signed a CO last week after a third-party inspection because he feared losing See WETZEL, Page 5 his job. He was fired Tuesday.

to the subsequent report, the termination was found to be justified. But neither the investigator or the Council ever considered or discussed the lengthy statement from Campbell included in the grievance. The Independent has obtained a copy of the grievance, which outlines in detail alleged efforts by Hall to get involved in the operations of the police department, dating back to when he was campaigning before he was elected mayor in 2018. While Campbell said he initially appreciated what he considered greater interest and support for the department, he said the behavior and actions began to change as Hall spent more time with the department and its officers. Campbell claimed that Hall asked, and later made threats over Campbell’s job, demanding to be sent through the police academy, and even asked that a light bar be purchased for his vehicle -- requests that Campbell said he refused. The statement claims Hall began going on regular ride alongs with officers, as often as three times a week and at all hours. Despite the department having a policy for ride alongs, Campbell said Hall

By ANTHONY FLORES Staff Writer As the 2020 Day of Giving reached its end June 26, the Liberty Hill community had reached deep in their pockets, coming up with a total of $24,760 for seven local charities. While in previous years, the totals have been higher, this year’s event faced the COVID-19 pandemic hurdle, but barely skipped a beat. The charities involved committed themselves to creating multiple videos and using social media to reach the public quickly in a situation where up close and personal messages were not possible. Leading the pack this year was the Liberty Hill ISD Education Foundation, with a total of $8,900 raised. The Foundation is the youngest organization of the bunch and donations exceeded their expectations. “This was a great showing, and we’re so proud of the community coming out for us. Liberty Hill is such a great community,” said Foundation President John Newberg. “We’re so happy and proud to be a part of the Panther Nation, and they came out and supported us. We’re all ecstatic that we’re going to be able to do the things we want to do like grants for teachers and scholarships.” Not far behind was L4 Cares, which raised $5,400, followed by Operation Liberty Hill, which brought in $3,710. “It went pretty well considering that everything was online,” said Operation Liberty Hill Executive Director Susan Baker. “Normally in years past, I would have a bunch of signs made and placed in business’ windows. I didn’t do it this year because I would have had to order them when so many businesses were closed. I’m not going to complain at all. We still did almost $4,000.” With the almost $4,000 that OLH brought in, they’ll be funding their Summer Snack Program -- a program that is already off and running. “We’re not even halfway through the summer yet, so we’ll be spending a lot of that money right away,” said Baker. “We’re handing out a lot of snack bags. During the ﬁrst

See GRIEVANCE, Page 9

See GIVING, Page 4

Grievance alleges City terminates two interference, pressure more employees

By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor A pair of Liberty Hill planning department employees were the latest City staff members to be surprised with a letter of termination this week. City Planner Sally McFeron, who led the Planning Department up until last fall when David Stallworth was hired and placed in charge of the department, along with Building Inspector Jonny Ubelhor were provided with notices of termination citing “unsatisfactory” job performance and specifically assigning blame to them both for the missed inspection that caused delays and concern over the safety of the new Wetzel Park Splash Pad. Both have defended their actions on the project, and both said they had not previously received any notice or reprimand regarding poor job performance. Both received what they identified as positive reviews – Ubelhor in March and McFeron in May – with McFeron receiving a salary increase. “I just got a performance review in May and a 4 percent raise over how great a job I was doing, done by David Stallworth, my direct supervisor,” she said. But in her termination letter, McFeron was told, “The grounds for this termination are your insufficient knowledge for the basic duties of

your position, poor project management skills, and lack of communication.” McFeron and Ubelhor join former Police Chief Maverick Campbell and former City Secretary Barbara Zwernemann – as well as former City Administrator Greg Boatright and former EDC Executive Director Lance Dean who both resigned under pressure – as casualties of what has turned into an overhaul of City staff by Mayor Rick Hall. For Ubelhor, the termination came out of the blue and he said it all points to the issues with the splash pad. “This just all happened at the end when this splash pad thing came up and they needed somebody to take the fall,” Ubelhor said. McFeron, who worked for the City ﬁve years, said trouble has been stewing for months with Hall, and that the problem with the splash pad was nothing more than an excuse. In a twist that raises questions on who was involved in making the decision to terminate McFeron, when Human Resources Director Becky Wilkins and Chief Operating Ofﬁcer Lacie Hale showed up at the Planning Department Tuesday to terminate her, McFeron’s supervisor, Planning and Development Director David Stallworth,

See TERMINATIONS, Page 5

from Mayor Hall

Editor’s Note: After obtaining a copy of a grievance ﬁled by Maverick Campbell, the decision was made to publish a synopsis of the allegations because the City refused to deal with the issue either by providing the document to The Independent or addressing the very serious accusations publicly. Mayor Rick Hall denies all allegations in the grievance, and the City Council has chosen to not respond in what appears to be an effort to keep the accusations from the public.

By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor In early April, former Police Chief Maverick Campbell filed a grievance with the City of Liberty Hill in an effort to be reinstated after being terminated a month before. In filing that grievance, Campbell argued he was terminated not because of the incident at a New Jersey conference cited by the City Council in its final decision in March, but because of growing differences between himself and Mayor Rick Hall over a lengthy list of alleged meddling and questionable actions by Hall in his involvement with the department. The City hired an independent investigator at the request of Campbell’s attorney Tiger Hanner to review the termination, and according

2020 Day of Giving nets almost $25,000

Two sides are worlds apart on Confederate monument

By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor GEORGETOWN -- In front of the backdrop of national tension over race relations, two groups gathered – only a few feet apart – in protest of one another near the base of the Confederate memorial at the County Courthouse in Georgetown. Despite their physical proximity, their take on history and what it means could not be farther apart. The group protesting to have ©2020 The Liberty Hill Independent

the memorial relocated from the Courthouse grounds has pledged to be on the square in protest each Wednesday until a change is made. Colonel Shelby Little, a Commander of the South Texas Sons of Confederate Veterans, said as long as there is a group present advocating for removal, his group will be present defending the monument. “The statue is just like it says,” Little said. “It’s in memory of the soldiers and sailors. It’s a generic veterans memorial to honor those men – and frankly women – who served in the war. We have over 1,000 Confederate veterans buried here in Williamson County. There were almost 2,000 who

served either in the regular Confederate army or in the Texas state troops. Just about every able-bodied male was involved physically in the effort during those four years.” Each group had about a dozen supporters in attendance, and the opposition to the monument calls it misguided praise. “The real problem is that it praises people for evil acts,” said speaker Brian Register who organizes and attends similar protests in Travis County. “When it was erected everyone knew that. There was no question about the white supremacist intention with this thing when it was erected.

See STATUE, Page 3

MIKE EDDLEMAN PHOTO

About two dozen protesters gathered June 25, half in support of moving the Confederate Memorial at the Williamson County Courthouse, and the other half in support of keeping it. Both groups have pledged to show up each Wednesday for a peaceful protest over the issue.

Page 2

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

Thursday, July 2, 2020

Increased evictions not yet an issue in County

Our caring, professional staff is focused on keeping your family healthy. And like you, we live in Liberty Hill and are working to make a difference in our hometown. From coaching youth sports teams, sponsoring community events and contributing to local causes, your hometown pediatric clinic is investing in Liberty Hill.

By ANTHONY FLORES Staff Writer A worry for many as communities across the country have worked to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 is the status of their living situation. Many states – including Texas – which placed a hold on the eviction process in the early stages of the pandemic are lifting those holds and allowing evictions. With the freeze on evictions lifted in Texas as of June 1, the process is free to go forward and Justices of the Peace are beginning to hear eviction cases once again. “We’ve had a little more than a dozen cases heard virtually in JP1,” said Williamson County Pct. 1 Judge Karl-Thomas Musselman, adding that the focus in the county is addressing eviction cases ﬁled pre-pandemic. “These are cases originally ﬁled before the COVID shutdown but caught up in the Supreme Court’s orders. “We haven’t heard any new-

ly filed cases yet. We may not for some time as apartment complexes, which make up the bulk of our evictions, tell us they are going to hold off until late July or August.” Precinct 2, which includes Liberty Hill, is reporting a total of 34 evictions since Texas allowed proceedings to move forward. The JP office in Pct. 2 says these are numbers in line with the average number of evictions they see, and there is not an increase yet. Like Pct. 2, the office of Justice of the Peace Evelyn McLean in Pct. 3 reports no increase in the number of evictions since reopening, with only six cases filed since reopening. Judge Stacy Hackenberg of Pct. 4 says her office has yet to see an uptick in evictions. The number of cases filed varies from 15-30 a week. “We see around 15-30 filed

with a good number dismissed before the court each week,” said Hackenberg. “Nationwide is our big management company, which files a lot of evictions for the majority of complexes in JP 4. They have not filed anything yet, so I am unsure if it is related to the Cares Act, but I know when they start, it will be big because they normally file 20-30 cases every two weeks.” Because of how contagious COVID-19 is, in many cases, hearings are being held through web conferencing. “All courts are currently under the Texas Supreme Court’s emergency orders, using the guidelines of the Office of Court Administration,” said Pct. 2 Judge Edna Staudt. “The order states we are to refrain from in-person hearings and conduct court via web conferencing, unless unable to do so. Any hearings held must follow

the strict guidelines of the Office of Court Administration as ordered by the Texas Supreme Court.” For those facing COVID-19 related hardship, McLean’s office offers some suggestions for working through the issue. “First, (people should) communicate with their landlord when they are having financial issues,” said a representative from McLean’s office. “They may be willing to work with you if you communicate with them. Second, try to seek out resources to take care of it. Go through the Salvation Army, Caring Place, Williamson Burnet County Opportunities, or other non-profits.” Residents can seek aid through the WilCo Forward Phase III plan. The plan is allocating $5 million for utilities, rent or mortgage assistance. Details on how to apply for aid will be available soon.

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Week of June 22-28, 2020 The Liberty Hill Police Department responded to or self-initiated a total of 471 incidents resulting in seven cases, 31 citations, 100 warnings and two arrests. Weekly Highlights: - On June 22 at approximately 9:58 AM, officers responded to the 13000 block of W. SH 29 for a traffic complaint. - On June 22 at approximately 5:00 PM, officers responded to Taylor Smith Drive for a theft complaint. - On June 22 at approximately 6:31 PM, officers responded to

Sandhill Piper Street to assist the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office. - On June 23 at approximately 2:02 AM, officers arrested a male adult for evading arrest, as the result of a call regarding a traffic hazard on US 183. - On June 23 at approximately 10:13 AM, officers responded to the 14000 block of W. SH 29 for an accident. - On June 24 at approximately 12:03 AM, officers responded to Sundance Trail to assist the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office. - On June 24 at approximately

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1:40 AM, officers responded to CR 204 for a suspicious incident. - On June 24 at approximately 11:47 AM, officers responded to Carson Avenue for a stray animal complaint. - On June 24 at approximately 7:31PM, officers responded to Rusk Bluff Lane to assist the Liberty Hill Fire/ EMS. - On June 25 at approximately 12:21 AM, officers responded to the 13000 block of W. SH 29 for a suspicious incident. - On June 25 at approximately 2:36 PM, officers responded to US 183 to assist the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office. - On June 25 at approximately 7:20 PM, officers responded to Hillcrest Lane for a disturbance. - On June 25 at approximately 9:46 PM, officers responded to the 13000 block of W. SH 29 for suspicious activity. - On June 26 at approximately 2:20 AM, officers responded to Quarry Lane to assist the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office. - On June 26 at approximately 9:36 AM, officers responded to the 13000 block of W. SH 29 for a burglary complaint. - On June 26 at approximately 10:14 AM, officers responded to the 13000 block of W. SH 29 for an accident. - On June 26 at approximately 1:36 PM, officers responded to the 2000 block of CR 287 for a fraud complaint. - On June 26 at approximately 5:23 PM, officers responded to the 10000 block of W. SH 20 for an accident. - On June 26 at approximately 7:51 PM, officers responded to 12000 block of W. SH 29 for suspicious activity, resulting in the arrest of an male adult for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. - On June 27 at approximately 11:32 AM, officers responded to W. SH 29 and RM 1869 for an accident.

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Thursday, July 2, 2020

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

EDITORIAL:

City makes the right decision to cancel event

It was a decision no one wanted to make. The Liberty Hill Independence Day Spectacular became the community’s signature celebration over its first four years, and the City of Liberty Hill was focused and determined to make this year even better. But sometimes there are outside forces that nudge us into a corner and leave us nothing but difficult, unhappy choices to make, and COVID-19 pushed communities across the country in that corner when it came to how to celebrate Independence Day. Liberty Hill decided last Friday to cancel its event this year, originally slated for July 3, working to the bitter end to find ways to make it safe and keep it going to give everyone something to enjoy in

these most stressful of times. It was surely a hard decision, and we are glad we were not the ones having to make it, but we should all agree the City made the right one. We should applaud the City for deciding that risking the public health amid so many unknowns was not worth it, even for a party we all know has become one of the best in Central Texas. We are thankful for the hard work that went into planning the event, the careful thought that went into the decision to cancel it, and the message that sends about the City’s priority of public health and safety. It is the responsibility of us all to try and make decisions that keep ourselves, our families and our neighbors safe, and the City decided that as enjoyable as it might be, a gathering of a few thousand at City

Park simply came with too many risks. We will all miss the Spectacular, just as we have missed school, sports, dining out and just being together. But these difﬁcult decisions now will help bring us all together again sooner rather than later as we try to get past this virus. We want to soon be able to gather for community events, cheer on the Panthers in the gym and on the ﬁeld, shop, dine and work the way we did only three long months ago. So help the City of Liberty Hill help us all. Wear a mask to protect others, observe social distancing practices, continue to dry your hands out with that sanitizer and keep your focus on that future when next July we all gather at City Park for a celebration that will be long overdue.

Wilt Cutter says you can still love Jesus and America while wearing a mask

By WILT CUTTER Columnist

Sincerely, Grandmam’s a W-C STAN

Dear Wilt Cutter, Sir, Grandmam and me can’t quite ﬁgure you out. She thinks you’re ZADDY but me and my squad believe you to be CRAY & SALTY. Sometimes it seems like you are FR, other times, not so much! DAMN GINA tell us BIBLE, to mask or not to mask?

STATUE

Dear STAN, Howdy! And get yourself to the nearest, coolest damn sentence diagram instructor before you send off that college application or apply for a job. Now my Urban Dictionary only goes up to 1976 but I think I get your overall drift. Please wear your mask, it’s important to you and your grandmother. It could save her life and might save yours

Continued from Page 1

Anybody who wants to know that can ﬁnd it out very easily. Anybody who doesn’t want to know it will say you can’t show me anything.” He also argued that not only was the monument misguided praise, but wasn’t history at all. “One of the main issues about these monuments is that people don’t know what history is,” Register said. “History is a whole bunch of past events and the study of those past events. This is a monument in honor of someone, to praise them, it’s not history. It’s not an artifact from the Civil War, it is not state information about the Civil War, it is not a historical document and it has no historical value at all.” Little said he did not see the other side of the argument regarding what the monument symbolized for those who wish to see it moved. “It’s a smokescreen and it’s unfortunate,” he said. “Soci-

ety at large, but these folks in particular are consumed with hatred and they are ﬁlled with ignorance. This is really basic stuff where all they have to do is look up some reputable source and see that they are in the wrong, but they all are fueled by emotion. The answer to everything for them is slavery.” Those opposed to the monument do see it as a symbol of racial oppression and slavery, but are not advocating for the destruction of the monument. “We deﬁnitely don’t want it destroyed. I know this means a lot to the gentlemen here,” said organizer and Round Rock resident Michael Petino, gesturing toward the Sons of Confederate Veterans in attendance. “We would like it either relocated to the (Williamson County Museum) or the Odd Fellow Cemetery nearby, rather than being in front of a place that is supposed to represent justice for all.”

as well. Let’s don’t ignore the science from people who’ve spent their entire lives attempting to anticipate, prepare and help defeat a pandemic like this one. It’s easy to understand how some folks feel physically uncomfortable in a mask. They are clumsy, conﬁning and create heat where no one wants it. For the record it is difﬁcult to wear mine all the time when I am interacting with the public. BUT I do wear it and without fail. I don’t want to

The slavery issue has been a roadblock for the two sides of debate over this particular monument for years. “Whenever you start talking about stuff, they cannot help themselves, they always come back that it was about slavery,” Little said. “That is certainly wrong. Was slavery an issue? Absolutely. Was it the issue that caused fellows like this to go away and risk their lives to give up house, home and family to risk their lives for somebody else’s slaves? It doesn’t even make the common sense test. It’s ridiculous. They are just very shallow thinkers.” The Sons of Confederate Veterans contend that legislative efforts like the push to pass the Corwin amendment prior to the start of the Civil War demonstrate that slavery was not the issue leading to war, arguing that if passed the amendment would have ensured slavery continued in slave states. Had those states

get sick, certainly don’t want to die but just as important, I don’t want to cause someone else harm. So, I wear one every single time I enter a public area. And I absolutely practice social distancing, a term that could only come from a government bureaucrat, a class of employment that the Cutter family has always attempted to avoid as an occupation. Believe me, we all have the same physical convenience

See CUTTER, Page 4

been ﬁghting for that issue, Little said, they would have accepted that compromise. But scholars have long-since debated whether the Corwin amendment would have provided the guaranteed longterm legality of slavery among slave states, and also did not address another core issue in the slave debate, which was the expansion of slavery. Contrary to the argument made by those who claim the states didn’t secede and the Civil War was not primarily fought over the issue of slavery is the fact that in the letters of secession from the various states, slavery was listed as a cause, and a letter from Texas addressed the issue further. “(Texas) was received as a commonwealth holding, maintaining and protecting the institution known as negro slavery-- the servitude of the African to the white race within her limits-- a relation that had existed from the ﬁrst

Clawson Disposal, inC.

Send news to: News@LHIndependent.com LIBERTY HILL AREA COVID CLOSINGS Cross Tracks cancels VBS

Cross Tracks Church has announced it is canceling its Vacation Bible School, which was previously scheduled for July 13-16. “Due to unfortunate circumstances our city, state, and even our country is going through right now, we thought it best for everyone’s safety to cancel our VBS. We’re very sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused anyone, and we’re hoping to see everyone next summer for VBS 2021,” said Teri Ford, Cross Tracks Church, VBS Director.

Oatmeal Festival canceled

BERTRAM -- The 43rd Annual Oatmeal Festival, which was previously scheduled for Labor Day weekend, has been canceled. Organizers posted the news on their Facebook page Tuesday. “After careful consideration, it is with heavy hearts we have decided to cancel this years 43rd Annual Oatmeal Festival. We hope everyone comes back and brings their Sugar for next year’s 44th Oatmeal Festival.” Organizers said they will be contacting sponsors in the coming days.

Letters to the Editor Send Letters to the Editor by email to news@LHIndependent.com

‘Since when is it threatening to matter?’

Dear Editor: I would like to praise Mike Eddleman for his thoughtful article in last week’s Independent (June 18, 2020). The few who tried to demonize the peaceful protesters were called out, as they needed to be. Thank you, Mike, for your understanding of this problem and your suggestion that we all can do better. It’s time. Marvin Morse

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settlement of her wilderness by the white race, and which her people intended should exist in all future time. Her institutions and geographical position established the strongest ties between her and other slave-holding States of the confederacy. Those ties have been strengthened by association.” On the issue of moving the monument to another location, Little said his organization has no interest considering such a plan. “We are not compromising on this, at least from our perspective,” Little said, referencing a proposed compromise on the issue from ﬁve years ago. “The compromise I was in favor of was if they wanted to put up, at their expense, another monument – not adjacent to this one but on another side of the courthouse – we’re okay with that.” Little said the group suggested a statue of former physician

Dr. James Dickey, who was a prominent Black community leader in Taylor. “He was a fellow who was a bridge builder,” Little said. “He did more for race relations during that time than anybody. The response I got was that was not enough. They needed something more aggressive. They wanted the statue from Barbados with the half-naked African American man with his chains and shackles broken, lifting his eyes to heaven. That is not going to ﬂy here in Williamson County. It is not part of the Williamson County experience. It is the thought process of some with an agenda they want to force on everybody else.”

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THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

CUTTER

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and social objections to this bizarre scenario. Except that I do not believe for one damned second that this is fake or designed for the government to take over my freedoms. That’s CRAY CRAY, as we very cool people like to say. If you’ve ever attended a Flat Earther rally, you won’t like wearing a mask. If you believe motorcycle helmets were invented by Democrats in New York City to limit your constitutional right to skid along the pavement until your thought pumpkin explodes, you won’t like wearing a mask. If you believe seatbelts don’t save lives and should be cut out of cars

and all airbags should be disabled, you won’t ever wear a mask. If you’ve registered and attended a convention where you presented your own personal sketches of the school book depository building and the grassy knoll, you deﬁnitely won’t be masking up. If you think your great-granddaddy was right to gather in the woods, wear a robe and burn crosses to protest against “big guvmint” you no doubt will see this whole occurrence as an affront to your God-given freedoms. We Cutters were so poor they wouldn’t even let us in Boy Scouts. However, in our rational

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minds we all know this isn’t fake and we also know that those asking us to wear a mask are only doing so to try to stop the disease from spreading to others. It’s a real global pandemic that has crippled the world’s economy. And we don’t have anyone to blame or to hang or shoot. It’s an incredible tragedy. We can only control how we handle the crisis from today forward. Please wear the uncool, un-

COVID

comfortable mask. Please make the sacriﬁce for the health of others. Wearing the mask makes you an unknown hero. An American Patriot with a selﬂess agenda. You are this world’s future. (Let me try to stop hyperventilating as I type those words.) Please send my highest regards to Grandmam, she sounds like a person of superior intellectual interests and tastes.

Continued from Page 1

but spectators will not be allowed onto the ﬁeld. Impacted businesses In the last week, two additional Liberty Hill businesses reported they would temporarily close due to COVID-19 cases. Dairy Queen temporarily closed after one of its employees tested positive but has since reopened. Jardin Corona has closed because of the increase in cases, and an employee at each of two different locations outside of Liberty Hill tested positive. There are no state requirements for publicly reporting cases of the virus among employees, but these two as well as Winkley’s shared information on their situations, sanitizing efforts and reopening plans. In an online social media poll conducted by The Independent Monday, respondents were asked “Should businesses be expected to inform the public when an employee tests positive for COVID-19?” Of the 1,009 votes cast, 86 percent said yes, businesses should inform the public. Mask debate While the State and County have encouraged the wearing of masks through sharing Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines and public service announcements, they have left it to local authorities to determine whether people in local businesses should be required to wear a mask. Monday, the cities of Round Rock, Cedar Park, Georgetown, Leander, Hutto and Tay-

lor all issued local orders that employees and customers inside businesses and nonprofits must wear a mask. When asked if Liberty Hill planned to consider a similar order, Hall responded by saying “not at this time.” A second poll, conducted Tuesday by The Independent on social media, asked, “Should the City of Liberty Hill require employees and customers to wear masks in businesses in Liberty Hill with an order similar to those issued Monday for six other Williamson County cities?” There were 791 votes in favor of an order to wear masks, representing 68 percent of the 1,153 total votes. Local testing The Williamson County Office of Emergency Management, in partnership with the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) and the Texas Military Department, will be hosting free COVID-19 testing in Liberty Hill July 9 and 10, with locations in Hutto (July 6) and Jarrell (July 7-8) as well. Testing locations will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and local testing will be at Liberty Hill Junior High. No appointment is necessary and the sites are walk-up with testing at no charge. Those interested in being tested will be asked to park and line up for their turn. County officials said that due to demand there may be long wait times and those waiting are urged to bring a water bottle, a chair, and a form of shade to cover

Thursday, July 2, 2020

GIVING

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distribution, we ran out, and we never run out. I can see that the snacks are dwindling, so we’ll be shopping with this.” The Panther Pit Crew raised $2,750, Liberty Hill Public Library raised $2,113, Hope House raised $1,500 and Spirit Reins raised $372.50. For Hope House, donations were less than expected. Still, Hope House Development Director Erland Schulze understands the situation that most citizens are facing. Despite

the limited amount, Schulze expects an additional $6,000 donation from two supporters. “We didn’t do as well as we usually do, and I think that’s just a sign of the times,” he said. “I believe that Doug Frazior and Virginia Jackson are going to add another $6,000, so with their help, we’ve almost met our goal of $10,000.” The Day of Giving, which is organized by The Independent, is in its third year.

from the sun if necessary. There is no screening required and no symptoms are necessary to be tested. “Demand for COVID-19 testing is increasing, so Williamson County is determined to make COVID-19 testing more accessible, especially in areas of the County where available testing sites are farther away,” said County Judge Bill Gravell. The County’s Ofﬁce of Emergency Management coordinated with elected ofﬁcials, local police departments, Emergency Services Districts, and the Independent School Districts in each area to arrange for the mobile testing locations. COVID-19 tests at these locations are available for anyone, whether they are Williamson County residents or not. For more information, visit the Williamson County website at www.wilco.org. Closed again The positivity rate among those tested in Texas increased above 10 percent last week, one of the indicators Abbott previously stated would lead to further preventative action. “As I said from the start, if the positivity rate rose above 10 percent, the State of Texas would take further action to mitigate the spread of COVID-19,” Abbott said Friday. “At this time, it is clear that the rise in cases is largely driven by certain types of activities, including Texans congregating in bars. The actions in this executive order are essential to our mission to swiftly contain this virus and

protect public health. We want this to be as limited in duration as possible. However, we can only slow the spread if everyone in Texas does their part. Every Texan has a responsibility to themselves and their loved ones to wear a mask, wash their hands, stay six feet apart from others in public, and stay home if they can. I know that our collective action can lead to a reduction in the spread of COVID-19 because we have done it before, and we will do it again.” The directives in the executive order are based on links between certain types of businesses and services and the recent rise in positive cases throughout the state, according to Abbott. The order issued June 26 includes the following: • All bars and similar establishments that receive more than 51 percent of their gross receipts from the sale of alcoholic beverages were required to close June 26. These businesses may remain open for delivery and take-out, including for alcoholic beverages, as authorized by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. • Restaurants may remain open for dine-in service, but at a capacity not to exceed 50 percent of total listed indoor occupancy, beginning June 29. • Rafting and tubing businesses must close. • Outdoor gatherings of 100 or more people must be approved by local governments, with certain exceptions.

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Thursday, July 2, 2020

TERMINATIONS had been asked to come to City Hall to meet with Hall. According to McFeron, Stallworth returned after the meeting unaware she or Ubelhor had been terminated. Stallworth declined to comment to The Independent on the matter, asking that all questions be directed to Wilkins or Hale. Alleged intimidation Echoing the general allegations leveled by Zwernemann and Campbell, McFeron said Hall has created a hostile work environment, and she corroborated allegations he has been seen carrying a gun at City Hall, drinking to excess and being belligerent toward City staff. “The guy carries a gun,” she said of Hall. “He’s intimidating, he is a liar and I’ve watched him do all this. What am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to deal with this? My bad is not reporting him when I talked to the Texas

WETZEL

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

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Rangers in late April, when I called and asked what I do about this guy. They said the problem is I did not call law enforcement when something was happening. He’s my boss, he has control of the Council, he carries a gun. What am I supposed to do?” In spite of that, McFeron said she is now focused on standing up for the taxpayers in Liberty Hill and making sure the truth comes out. She said she has been gathering and preparing information to expose the problems in city government for some time. “There is a history of this guy wanting to discredit me in the community,” she said of Hall. “He is discrediting my ability to get a future job and now I’ve been terminated. I’m not going to stand for this and I’m not going to lay down over it. I know so much and I’m done.” She recognizes that she could be ﬁred in Texas for virtually any reason, but she said like

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by the City Tuesday – has reservations. On June 22, the decision was made by the City Council to create new deck bonding on the splash pad since there was no veriﬁed third-party inspection report conﬁrming the work had been done. The new bonding would be accomplished by accessing the rebar from four edges of the pad and clamp the bond wire around the outside to achieve proper grounding. This would eliminate the need to cut into or break the slab to check for clamps and is work that could be done by City Public Works employees. When Ubelhor was summoned to the park June 24, he said Liberty Hill COO Lacie Hale, Council members Kathy Canady and Liz Rundzieher, City Attorney Tad Cleaves, Planning Director David Stallworth, and Public Works Director Wayne Bonnet were all there, as well as Gerald Marinik who was hired to do a third-party inspection after the corrective action. Ubelhor said the deck was still not bonded properly, claiming it was only bonded

halfway around the deck, and the work was done with number 10 wire, not the number 6 Ubelhor had said previously should be used. “I saw Gerald walking and said ‘Dude, this isn’t right’ and I said I’m not signing off on it and he said he’d initial it,” Ubelhor said, who added he was then asked to leave the site. The report from Marinik dated June 24 does say the splash pad passed inspection for the bonding, but did note that number 10 wire was used. “I told them at the Council meeting (June 22) what it would require for me to pass that,” Ubelhor said. “If they ran a bond wire around the whole deck and bonded it to the steel. Then on Tuesday I went and did my ﬁnal inspections on the building, and everything was corrected, and I saw (Public Works Director) Wayne Bonnet there going around the splash pad of the deck. He only went like halfway around and I told him you have to go all the way around the whole splash pad and bond it in four places.” But Ubelhor did ultimately

Page 5

the key employees terminated before her, this is a process issue. “This notice of termination they gave me, I can rebut every single sentence in this notice,” McFeron said. “They can still fire me, in the end they can still fire me. They can fire Lance (Dean), they can fire Maverick (Campbell), they can do whatever they want, but the point of it is that there is a pattern by which they are doing it and the Mayor is not being held accountable for his negligence. This is about right and wrong. I love this community.” There was also a concern raised by McFeron regarding her retirement benefits as she was required to work one day in July to be vested, but she was terminated June 30. She said Wilkins and Hale assured her in the termination meeting she would not miss that vesting to receive her benefits. McFeron has asked for written documentation affirming

that fact, but has yet to receive confirmation in writing. Who paid contractors? A critical sticking point in the timeline of actions and determination of who is ultimately responsible regarding the splash pad project was who approved payment to the various contractors on the project prior to the job being completed satisfactorily. Hall denied he authorized the payment, but would not say who did. “I am still looking into where the communication came from to approve the final payment of the project,” he wrote to The Independent. Hall verified last week that all monies had been paid to the architects, engineers and contractors on the project, something Ubelhor said is not common practice. “You do not pay a contractor without building finals or a CO,” he said. “That does not happen anywhere. Ask any

contractor or home builder if they’ve ever been paid in full without getting their CO. They will all tell you no. (Hall) paid them in full. And I know Sally sent the Mayor and Lacie Hale an e-mail in March not to pay the contractors because I told her ‘these guys aren’t playing and you need to make sure they don’t get paid because they aren’t going to ﬁx this.’ This could have been straightened out in March.” McFeron echoed Ubelhor’s comment about who authorized the payment. “Usually it would be me and the City Administrator, but the Mayor took me off all projects in November,” she said. “We had no clear direction or communication from the Mayor. He told me I wasn’t involved in all of it.” The issue boils down to who released the funds, as far as McFeron is concerned. “The Mayor didn’t do liquidated damages and he released

$100,000 in retainage,” she said. “If the Mayor had not released $100,000 in retainage, which was in the contract with J2, then the City of Liberty Hill would not be paying for bonding that project. Taxpayer dollars should not be spent on fixing this project. What should be taken to fix the problem is the retainage and making that contractor do it.” Signs of trouble The termination may have come for McFeron without any official warning in terms of formal reprimand, but she said there have been plenty of instances over the last 12-months and longer of what was to come in what she called an increasingly hostile work environment. McFeron said she was told explicitly in October, in an episode where she said Hall “blew up” over another issue and yelled at her prior to a

sign the CO, citing the need for his job. “I did do the CO based on Gerald Marinik’s deck bonding report, which is not to code,” Ubelhor said. “It was my bad, but I didn’t want to get ﬁred. I needed the job. “What they did was not to code, it is not even close to code,” Ubelhor continued. “I’ve been freaking out all weekend. I’ve been laying awake at night. If they open this somebody could get hurt and I’m going to be responsible. That deck is not bonded to code, it is not safe, according to the National Electric Code.” In a written response to e-mailed questions from The Independent, Mayor Rick Hall wrote Wednesday morning that “the splash pad is safe, we have had two third-party contractors validate everything is correctly done and up to code and have had a commercial building inspection performed and it was passed and deemed safe and the city has issued the CO for the park.” He did conﬁrm that the grand opening planned for July 3 has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but

added that the City is considering when to open the park for use prior to a grand opening event. When asked about the City’s response to Ubelhor’s claim the splash pad wasn’t safe for use, Hall initially declined to address the safety question, saying only in an e-mail “So you are stating that Johnny{sic} issued the CO for the Splash Pad improperly because there was still issues with the project, that is interesting.” In a subsequent statement, though, Hall referenced Ubelhor’s comments from the June 22 meeting on what action needed to be taken to get the CO issued, saying, “We did just that and also had a different inspector come and validate the work that was done along with Johnny{sic} and the project was deemed correct and ﬁnished and the CO was issued.” Ubelhor said at the June 22 Council meeting he ﬁrst addressed the deck bonding issue with contractors in October 2019 when he stopped at the site because he saw cement trucks present.

“I noticed there was no bonding in the pool deck they were fixing to pour,” he said. He said he then called a representative of the contractor for the work to let them know the bonding had not been done and the contractor indicated it would be taken care of. “When I got back to the office, in October, I sent an e-mail to Sally (McFeron), the owner of the pool company and the engineers and I told them I went by and saw the deck wasn’t bonded and they needed to make sure they got a third-party inspection report for it because I didn’t see it,” he said. “In February, they called for a building final inspection and I failed all their building final inspections and I put in there that there was no bonding in the splash pad.” Ubelhor said he believed Hall knew of the issue at least by February, but Hall said he didn’t know that early, saying he could not recall the exact date but it was sometime in late May. With the lack of an inspection report, leading up to the June 22 discussion, the City had resorted to grounding tests and

ground-penetrating radar to try and determine if the work was done. Even though everyone involved agreed the work was likely done properly, no one was willing to sign off on the issue guaranteeing it was done correctly. A grounding test for Ohms was conducted and read a 1.5. According to building code, a reading of nine or below is acceptable. In addition to the later tests done to try and verify the bonding had been done, Hall, Hale and Stallworth tested the splash pad and had no issues or concerns after. Hall asked each of the ﬁve Council members in turn June 22 whether they were comfortable opening the splash pad if this work was done and a certiﬁcate of occupancy was received. Each answered yes, with Tony DeYoung adding that he’d like to see more regular cleaning and sanitizing in the bathroom under the current situation with the COVID-19 virus.

See MCFERON, Page 9

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SPORTS

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT Thursday, July 2, 2020 Page 6

ALEX RUBIO FILE PHOTOS

Ashton Dirner (#8) will take a solid bat and glove to Angelo State University to begin her college Rowen Guerra (#3) is one of three Panthers baseball players who will compete at the college level career. next season.

Seniors light up spring sports on the diamond Shortened final season still provided plenty of bright spots for Panthers

By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor The spring sports season will always be known as the campaign that was cut short due to a global pandemic. However, for this group of seniors, the time they did have on the field was still worthy of recognition, as the Panthers baseball and softball squads were only beginning to see the fruits of their labor when the plug was pulled on their respective high school careers. Baseball Head coach Steve Hutcherson’s Liberty Hill baseball team had a large contingent of seniors – with nine on the roster – including a trio that is headed to play at the college level. Ryan Flake will play collegiately at New Mexico Military Institute after posting

a 3-2 record, to go with 15 strikeouts in 14 1/3 innings on the mound and batting .395 with two home runs and 23 runs batted in over 15 games his senior season. Hutcherson praised Flake not only for his play, but how he carried himself at all times. “Ryan is a guy that was our leader both on and off the field,” he said. “He did things the right way, worked hard and was a great player to add to all of that. He will do amazing things at the next level and we’re all excited to see where he will go in life.” Rowen Guerra had a 2-1 record with a 1.00 earned-run-average his senior season, including 27 strikeouts in 21 innings and will play at Brookhaven College. “Rowen is one of the most competitive players I’ve had

the pleasure of coaching,” said Hutcherson. “He worked hard every day and was that special kind of player that refused to be beat.” Dillon Pogue will take his game to McMurry University after hitting .295 with eight runs batted in over 15 games during his senior season, anchoring the Panthers’ defense behind the plate. “Dillon is definitely a guy that looked like a different player from one year to the next,” said Hutcherson. “He worked his tail off and was having a great year that is now leading him to a college baseball opportunity and he deserves all of the good coming his way.” Gabe Diaz used his speed in the field and on the bases, hitting .263 on the season, but it was his dedication to conditioning which set him apart,

said Hutcherson. “Gabe is the only guy I know that runs five miles every day before he starts baseball practice,” he said of Diaz, who also starred for the Panthers’ cross country and track teams during his high school career. “He worked himself into being a starting outfielder and became one of our leaders by example for our entire program.” Jackson Tolbert was a pitcher-first baseman and a role model for the Panthers’ younger players, said Hutcherson. “Jackson was the living example of his advice to our future players,” he said. “He stuck it out and played a critical role for us this season and was doing a great job. His willingness to work without knowing the end result will carry him a long way in life.” According to Hutcherson, Jo-

vannie Bautista was a player who others could look to for inspiration with a willingness to battle through adversity. “Jovannie is the player that exemplified perseverance the most in our program,” he said. “If things didn’t go his way he didn’t pout, he just went to work. Loved having his example on our team for others to follow.” Ty Caswell brought intelligence and versatility to the squad, said Hutcherson. “Ty is undoubtedly the brainiac of the 2020 squad and has a bright future ahead of him,” he said. “He embraced his role and definitely gave us an advantage in performing that role, was a great teammate to everyone and a fun guy to have on the team.” Mason Stearns was unable to join his teammates on the

Sports collectibles provide meaningful memories

By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor Recently, we had the privilege of being invited out to the lovely piece of land in Florence longtime Liberty Hill and lifetime Williamson County resident James Wear and his family have called home for generations. Among the various buildings scattered across the 6.8-acre swath is one simply called “The Library.” Upon stepping inside, one is immediately overcome by the smell of old books – you know, that kind of musty one that takes you back to one’s younger days when much time was spent in the local public library surrounded by thousands of tomes? Or, maybe that was just me. Anyway, it’s the kind of stimulus that brings back all kinds of cool memories when an insatiable thirst for knowledge and adventure on the pages of books was never quite completely quenched. Breathe deep – and enjoy. Over the course of his life, Wear – who is a local historian and contributes a column to The Independent on a regular basis featuring trips back in time to when the Liberty Hill area was a vastly different – some would say better – place, has collected thousands of titles featuring every imaginable subject. More books than any individual could ever hope to read in an entire lifetime. But, what we were most enthralled with was Wear’s collection of sports publications and other various memorabilia. Stacks upon piles of publications such as Sports Illustrat-

ed, Sport, The Sporting News, Texas Football – the list goes on and on, including countless copies of sports sections from local newspapers down through the years. Baseball cards. Did we mention baseball cards? Must be what Indiana Jones felt like whenever he happened upon yet another treasure trove buried deep within a tomb. Just watch out for the spiders. As a youth growing up in a much smaller, much simpler San Diego – which was back then still a big city, but one with a small-town feel – baseball was our life as far as sports was concerned. Almost daily trips to a neighborhood shop would produce that moment of truth – opening up a fresh pack of trading cards hoping against hope to get those last few players you needed to complete a team – or even an entire collection from a particular season. Well, that’s what we felt like all over again as we perused the piles of sports history preserved forever in a building Wear and his late father built on the family land. Instant time travel back to the age of innocence, when the biggest problem in your life wasn’t paying the rent or putting food on the table, but what flavor ice cream cone you wanted or which player you were going to try to emulate that day on the sandlot. We’re not sure if youngsters collect baseball cards anymore. There’s probably just an app for that, like everything else these days. For some reason, we kept all of our cards in a kitchen drawer right next to the refrigerator – maybe for easier access compared to all the way down the hallway in our

room. Must’ve been around the 1978 season when we were at the peak of our card-collecting powers, for it was the one year we had almost a complete collection of every player on every team. Don’t know what happened to all those cards, but if all of us who collected knew the answer to that question, baseball cards wouldn’t be worth so much. Anyway, what we’re getting at here is the amazement of how a small piece of cardboard with a photo on one side and statistics on the other can do so much more for the senses – and memory banks – than all the digital wizardry and technology of the modern age combined. Lastly, there have always been trading cards for all sports, but there’s simply something special about baseball cards. Maybe it’s because they were the first to be around all the way back in the 1860s – that’s right, the 19th Century. Perhaps it’s due to the fact each one represents a physical strand of an emotional connection to a game so near and dear to one’s heart while growing up. Or because it’s like seeing a group of old friends you haven’t seen for a very long time, which stirs up pleasant memories from a long-ago time in one’s life. Probably all of the above. What we came away with more than anything else from our visit to “The Library” was the profound sense of preservation in the form of physical items which was on display. Something that will always remain as long as there are those willing to be custodians of days gone by. Nothing like nostalgia.

BREAKING NEWS LHINDEPENDENT.COM

field for his senior season, but still found ways to be there for them, said Hutcherson. “Even though an injury sidelined Mason for 2020, he found a way to contribute every single day,” he said. “His energy and attitude was infectious and he kept our dugout charged up and locked in every pitch. He was willing to put his personal circumstances aside and focus 100 percent on the team.” Garrett Shull was perhaps the Panthers’ most well-rounded player who could fill a variety of roles, said Hutcherson. “Garrett is an extremely versatile guy that was a Swiss Army knife of a player for the past two years,” he said. “He was a leader on the team and a guy that got the most of his

See BASEBALL, Page 9

Ryan Flake (#21) will play college baseball at New Mexico Military Institute after leading Liberty Hill in wins (3) and runs batted in (23) his senior season.

ALEX RUBIO FILE PHOTO

Flake to play baseball at New Mexico Military Institute

By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor Ryan Flake doesn’t have overpowering stuff when he takes the mound, but one thing he does have is the knowledge and craftiness to get batters out and it’s that ability which will see the recently-graduated Liberty Hill left-handed pitcher play college baseball at New Mexico Military Institute. For Flake, the chance to play at the college level is something that has always been on his radar, he said. “Playing college baseball has been a lifelong dream of mine and I’m truly blessed to have the opportunity to continue playing at the college level,” said Flake, who hit .395 with two home runs and 23 runs batted in over 15 games his senior season. “I chose New Mexico Military Institute because it seems like a great fit for me and it will be a great experience.” Flake was equally as effective on the mound as he was at the plate with the Panthers, posting a 3-2 record, to go with 15 strikeouts in 14 1/3 innings. Liberty Hill head coach Steve Hutcherson said Flake’s intelligence is what makes him most valuable on the mound, in addition to his prowess at the plate and in the field when he’s not pitching. “Ryan’s ability to know how to pitch is what makes him a prospect on the mound –

knowing how to set hitters up with certain pitches and pitch them backwards from what they expect they’ll be getting,” he said. “Also, he’s a great offensive player as well as a good defensive first baseman.” Hutcherson attributed Flake’s rapid improvement during his junior and senior seasons to a growth spurt, in addition to intangible maturity. “Ryan has matured physically, which has helped all areas of his game,” he said. “He also embraced the leadership role this year and was a vocal leader at times and a leader by example other times.” As far as what Flake needs to do in order to continuing his success in college, he simply needs to continue what he’s already doing, remaining vigilant and aware of how college hitters are more likely to punish a pitcher for mistakes, said Hutcherson. “Just continuing to mess with hitters’ timing and the ability to keep them off balance is probably the most important thing for Ryan,” he said. “The margin for error gets smaller with each competition level you move up.” Flake is certainly not intimidated by what awaits him – instead he embraces the challenge. “College baseball is a completely different playing level compared to high-school ball,” said Flake. “So making that

transition will be fun.” Much hard work will be required when Flake takes the field for the Broncos, but no worries, said Hutcherson. “Ryan was one of our hardest workers that showed what can be accomplished when putting all of your effort towards your goals,” he said. “The one word I would use to describe him is ‘leader’. Ryan was our ultimate example of how to be both on and off the field.” Flake said his time in Purpleand-Gold has provided many things for him – not the least of which is how camaraderie and brotherhood translates into not only success on the field, but lasting memories of the relationships built in and around the game. “Liberty Hill baseball has made me realize team chemistry and constant perseverance will take you a long way,” he said. “I was blessed to be able play with my best friends for four years and spend our best moments together as a team. Talent will come and go, but ultimate success can’t be achieved without that bond with your team. I’ve learned to take charge and lead by example, become more of a team player and never take any of it for granted. I have the best coaches in the world and I can’t thank them enough for not only making me a

See FLAKE, Page 9

The Right Direction?

Thursday, July 2, 2020

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

Page 7

Unexplained changes, lack of public information raises questions about City’s future

Things with the City of Liberty Hill have changed rapidly since the election of Mayor Rick Hall in May 2018. Hall campaigned on change, and quickly moved to begin making changes, and while he often sparred with the former City Council prior to May 2019 over the direction of the City, rapid change followed

the 2019 election. Since that time a number of projects have been canceled and replaced with others, and some projects – such as the swim center – have yet to get off the ground. But an attempt to consolidate direct authority over staff and control of City business has raised the most questions and left many un-

Powers of the Mayor (May 2018)

On three occasions in the past upon the election of a new mayor, the City Council has passed ordinances “expressing the powers and duties of the mayor and curtailing some of those powers and duties.” The ordinance was adopted with mayors Michelle “Mike” Murphy, Jamie Williamson and Connie Fuller. While it was on the agenda for the first meeting after Mayor Rick Hall’s election, Hall asked that it be moved to after the executive session for consideration. Following an executive session lasting just over an hour, then-Council member Liz Branigan made a motion to adopt the ordinance, but the motion died for lack of a second with no discussion. Hall said he asked for the item to be moved to after the executive session to seek clarification from the city attorney. For four consecutive meetings the issue was placed on the Council agenda, and each time Hall asked that the issue be shifted to executive session, with Hall appearing visibly frustrated at a July 2018 meeting, saying “I would like to table this for review,” he said. “I believe this impacts the core foundation of my duties as mayor according to Texas Government Code, and I’d like to table this to submit to the Attorney General for an opinion.” The issue never came up for a vote and did not appear on the agenda again.

Supervision of police chief (May 2018)

An item on a May 2018 Council agenda, “Discuss and consider change and amendment of employment contract for Chief Maverick Campbell; providing for Chief Campbell to report directly to City Administrator Greg Boatright effective immediately” in an effort to shift that authority away from the Mayor’s position and back to the City Administrator. It had been shifted to the Mayor under Connie Fuller. When the council reached the item on the agenda, Hall asked that the item be moved to after the executive session so it could be discussed. This issue appeared on multiple agendas until it was decided in July 2018 that the police chief would report directly to the City Administrator.

Zwernemann complaint (September 2018)

Former City Secretary Barbara Zwernemann sent a letter to the City Attorney and City Administrator alleging verbally abusive behavior and an angry outburst by Mayor Rick Hall at City Hall. She claimed he was wearing a firearm at the time. The letter was made public in a March 2020 article in The Independent.

showing more than half of their time in session has been kept private. The timeline that follows pieces together each step taken by Mayor Rick Hall and the City Council that has led city government to where it is today. The lack of public discussion during Council meetings

Roundabout nixed

opponent.

(April 2019) One week before the 2019 Liberty Hill municipal election, the Council appointed Tony DeYoung to fill the remainder of the term of Wendell McLeod who had passed away. DeYoung was up for reelection in the current election cycle, but did not draw an

(Independent: April 25, 2019)

Pezold resignation

City Council election (May 2019)

Current Council members Steve McIntosh and Gram Lankford were elected to the Council, and Liz Rundzieher was reelected. All three were endorsed by Hall, and campaigned together on the need for change and eliminating alleged unethical practices and deals within the City. (Independent: May 9, 2019)

(June 2019) Following the election, then-Chair of the Planning & Zoning commission Chris Pezold, a local developer, was identified as one of the individuals Hall and the newly-elected Council members suspected of being involved in unethical dealings regarding City projects. Despite the promise to look into and resolve the issue, after Pezold confronted the Council and resigned from the Commission – challenging members to prove the allegations – the issue was never discussed or investigated further. During one of the June Council meetings where Pezold spoke, Steve McIntosh requested that police get involved after the two men exchanged words outside the building. Police Chief Maverick Campbell verified that there was an incident and there was a request made for police involvement, but that it did not go beyond a discussion outside with Pezold.

(Independent: June 13, 2019)

Mayor’s authority

(June 2019) By a 3-2 margin, with Council members Liz Rundzieher, Steve McIntosh and Gram Lankford voting for and Ron Rhea and Tony DeYoung voting against, the Liberty Hill Employee Handbook and related ordinances were changed to provide Mayor Rick Hall more supervisory authority. According to the change in the Handbook, the “City Administrator, City Secretary, Municipal Court Administrator, Finance Director, Chief of Police and Code Enforcement Officer shall be directly supervised by the Mayor.” Rhea, and former Planning & Zoning Board Chairman Chris Pezold, both alleged at the meeting the change was an effort to consolidate authority over staff under Hall, with Pezold suggesting during the public comments portion of the meeting that it was an effort by Hall to take a salaried position within the City.

Boatright resigned

Open Records Requests (January 2020)

THE INDEPENDENT sent seven Freedom of Information requests to the City on Jan. 2, 2020, most of which were intended to gather information on budget procedures, expenses before and after the current budget was approved in September 2019. A few of the requests were made in an attempt to clarify a pay exception for then-Police Chief Maverick Campbell made in June 2019: • “Notes, emails, memorandums, text messages and other correspondence relating to establishment of the August 2019 City of Liberty Hill budget process and budget discussions shared between City staff and members of the City Council with any other staff or Council member between the dates of 06/01/2019 and 10/01/2019.” The response to this request from the City was that no such documents exist. The City sent approved minutes from two Council meetings and agendas from three others as the only documentation of correspondence regarding the budget process. • “The current annual salary for each City of Liberty Hill employee by name and title or position, to include all Police Department staffing. Include date of hire and salary at time of hire.” The response to this request was a list of employees by name with current salary, but did not

Council term limit extension

(January 2020) The City Council unanimously approved a ballot measure for voters to decide whether Council terms should be extended to three years or be left at the current two years. Council members began discussing the issue during the August 2019 budget process where they also approved salaries for the Mayor and Council members. If approved in November, the terms would be extended to three years for Council members currently on the ballot – Place 2 Kathy Canady (unopposed), Place 4 Tony DeYoung (unopposed) and Mayor Hall. The other three Council places would be extended following the 2021 election for those spots. (Independent: Jan. 30, 2020)

Council salaries

(Independent: Sept. 12, 2019)

(Independent: Aug. 15, 2019)

THE INDEPENDENT sent four Freedom of Information requests to the City on Feb. 19. These requests centered on purchases by the City following the passage of the budget in September 2019: • “A list of all items (hats, shirts, coats and any other clothing items) authorized for purchase with City logo or name embroidery, to include number purchased of each item, cost per each item, who authorized the purchase, which business was contracted to provide the items and how they have been distributed.” Response: The City informed THE INDEPENDENT there would be a $2.70 charge for the 10 pages of documentation regarding the requested information. The check was delivered April 24, but later returned when the information was provided that same

(Independent: July 25, 2019)

(September 2019) As part of the approved 2020-2021 City of Liberty Hill budget, an annual salary of $40,000 was included for the Mayor’s position, and $12,000 annually for each of the five Council members. The new salaries become effective once each position comes up for reelection, meaning the Mayor’s post and those of Place 2 Kathy Canady (unopposed), and Place 4 Tony DeYoung (unopposed) will begin receiving the salaries after the November election.

Board changes (December 2019)

Over the course of two months, the City Council moved to place Council members on the Economic Development Corp., Parks & Recreation Board, and Planning & Zoning Commission. Prior to October 2019, there were no Council members serving as voting members of the three boards, but are now represented through four of the 19 total positions. (Independent: Dec. 5, 2019)

include the date of hire, title or salary at the date of hire. • “A copy of the City of Liberty Hill Employee Handbook.” The response to this request was to send a copy of the handbook by email on Jan. 21, after the Jan. 17 response deadline. • “A copy of the final City budget approved by the Liberty Hill City Council in September 2019.” The response to this request was to send a copy of the proposed budget for fiscal year 2019-2020 by email on Jan. 21, after the Jan. 17 response deadline. The budget sent was the one originally proposed in August 2019, but included no changes made between that time and the official vote in September 2019. • “Notes, emails, memorandums, text messages and other correspondence relating to the process, planning and hiring efforts related to the City of Liberty Hill city administrator search between Mayor Rick Hall and consultant Powell Municipal between 08/01/2019 and 12/31/2019.” No response has been provided by the City regarding this request, but Hall said May 5 that there is no such documentation because all discussion was verbal in person or on the telephone. • “Details of who authorized the disbursement of (advance salary to a City employee). How was

Open Records Requests (February 2020)

Canady Appointed

(July 2019) K a t h y Canady was appointed by the City Council to fill the vacancy created after the resignation of Ron Rhea. She was appointed to complete the unexpired term. Canady was up for reelection in the current election cycle, but did not draw an opponent.

Increased budget passed

(September 2019) In a process that included almost no public discussion among the City Council, a budget was passed that included a nearly 30 percent increase in spending and added 18 new City positions to a staff that had been 37 employees.

(August 2019) Following months of tension and efforts to take away his supervisory authority, City Administrator Greg Boatright resigned, saying he was not surprised by the Council’s lack of support and it was not his “first choice” to leave the position.

(May 2019) The Council voted to cancel the downtown roundabout less than two months after a bid was awarded for the project. The City has since moved forward with the connected parking lot project and a new plan for the Loop 332/CR 279 intersection, but it remains unclear if the new plan is more cost-effective than the roundabout. (Independent: May 23, 2019)

(Independent: June 13, 2019)

over the past year and time spent in executive session, in conjunction with the lack of responsiveness to information requests has closed the City government off from the community it serves. For more detailed information referenced in this timeline, visit www.LHIndependent. com and search by keywords.

DeYoung Appointed to Council

- 2020 -

ecutive session during one of those meetings was not annotated in the minutes, and minutes were unavailable for two others, among the 22 other meetings the Council has gone into closed session 27 times, for a total of 28 hours and 34 minutes. The Council has met for a total of 54 hours and 10 minutes in those meetings,

- 2019 -

2018 1

answered as information from the City has been difficult to obtain any other way than through open records filings that have often taken months to resolve. The current Council, from May 2019 when it was sworn in through May of this year, posted 25 regular meetings. While the time spent in ex-

the additional payroll disbursement requested? Who authorized it? Correspondence or document authorizing the disbursement, either by memorandum or electronic mail? Verification that (City employee) received disbursement of the regular payroll amount on 06/06/2019, twice on 06/18/2019 and once on 06/20/2019, with a credit back for one of those disbursements on 06/20/2019.” No response has been provided by the City regarding this request. This was an additional request made for further information pertaining to a request submitted in September 2019. Hall ultimately provided his explanation of what happened by phone in early May, but no further documentation has been provided. • “Details of the travel (City employee) was reimbursed $1,244.30 for on July 3, 2019. What was the travel for (specific training or event), where was it located, when was it held, who authorized the travel and who authorized the reimbursement?” No response has been provided by the City regarding this request. This was an additional request made for further information pertaining to a request submitted in September 2019, but Hall ultimately provided his explanation of the travel by phone in early May.

week. • “The total price (including design, production and mounting) for the new metal, backlit sign in the Municipal Court Building hanging behind the dais. The name of the individual that authorized the project and cost. The name of the company contracted to design and produce the sign.” Response: Mayor Hall clarified in a phone call May 5 that the total for design and construction of the sign was $2,825, with installation done by City staff. • “A list of all security devices purchased and installed by the City at City Hall to include locks, key card access devices, alarms, cameras, monitors, etc. The company or companies contracted with for these devices as well as installation of the equipment. A cost breakdown by item for these devices including installation costs.”

Response: Some clarification was provided by Hall in a phone call May 5, but no other specific numbers and details have been provided to date. In a letter dated May 7, the Texas Attorney General, in response to a complaint from THE INDEPENDENT, instructed the City to provide the requested information. • “A list of all vehicles currently owned by the City of Liberty Hill, including year, make and model; date purchased; purchase price; which department the vehicle is assigned to.” Response: The City has provided a list that includes the vehicles and the department they are assigned to, but not the cost of the vehicles. The cost information was ultimately provided in late April. - TIMELINE CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

Page 8

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

17 EDC Director contract

16 15

Parks Board incident

(February 2020) New Parks Board member and City Council member Steve McIntosh lashed out at fellow board member Liz Branigan and then Board President Mary Lyn Jones following the meeting when he summoned each individually behind closed doors. The issue arose following tension during the meeting, and Branigan alleged that McIntosh threatened her and told her he would not “tolerate any criticism”. McIntosh did not comment on the incident, but two City employees served as witnesses to the after-meeting incident.

(Independent: Feb. 6, 2020)

Campbell terminated

(March 2020) Following an internal City investigation spanning roughly two weeks, the Liberty Hill City Council voted unanimously to terminate Police Chief Maverick Campbell. There was no discussion in open session by the Council and no other specific reasons given for the termination, but the City made public documentation of its internal investigation into Campbell following an incident between Campbell and his spouse in New Jersey during a professional conference. The incident did not result in any arrest or charges. Campbell and his attorney were never talked to during the investigation, which was conducted by Mayor Rick Hall and CFO and Human Resources Director Becky Wilkins. The Council met in a special called meeting March 1 where they spent more than three hours discussing the issue in closed session, emerging only to call for an investigation into the incident. Council members said at that time the March 1 discussion was the first time they were made aware of the incident, but Campbell and his attorney met with Hall prior to that meeting where he was allegedly pushed to resign by Hall. (Independent: March 12, 2020)

Mayor’s behavior questioned

(February 2020) Four different sources, who were either employed by or are affiliated with the City, came forward to share alleged questionable behavior by Mayor Hall, including allegations of public intoxication, vulgar language and belligerent behavior – often while carrying a firearm. The specific incidents cited included the 2019 City Christmas party and the January 2020 City Council retreat. After the report in THE INDEPENDENT a number of City staff members came to their boss’ defense, claiming the allegations were not true. (Independent: March 5, 2020)

Open Records Requests

(March 2020) THE INDEPENDENT sent three Freedom of Information requests in March, two of which were connected to the termination of former Police Chief Maverick Campbell: • “Body cam or police unit video and audio of former Liberty Hill Police Department Officer Farmer between July 2018 and August 2018 involving a pursuit where Mayor Rick Hall was a passenger in the vehicle.” Response: The City of Liberty Hill initially filed with the Texas Attorney General seeking to withhold the information due to an ongoing investigation, but in late May responded by withdrawing

COO hired

City Attorney change

(March 2020) The City Council voted to dissolve the professional services agreement with the Bojorquez Law Firm, then hired Tad Cleaves as the City’s full-time legal counsel. Cleaves served as counsel for the City of Liberty Hill as an associate attorney with the Bojorquez firm since last summer, replacing former Bojorquez firm attorney Dottie Palumbo. An item on the executive session portion of a June 2019 Council agenda called for the consideration of “continuation of legal services, including city council evaluation of legal team’s performance, review of duties, and discussion of preferred attorney-client communications.” No action was taken on the item in open session, but following that meeting Cleaves replaced Palumbo as the Bojorquez representative at Council meetings. (Independent: March 26, 2020)

Zwernemann terminated

(May 2020) City Secretary Barbara Zwernemann was terminated on a unanimous vote by the city Council less than two weeks after being placed on administrative leave. In her motion to terminate Zwernemann, Council member Kathy Canady said, “I would like to make a motion we terminate the employment of Barbara Zwernemann as City Secretary of Liberty Hill effective immediately for failure to maintain the city’s records accurately and in a manner required by state law and city code.” The vote was unanimous, and outside of an additional vote to forward related documentation regarding Zwernemann’s termination to “appropriate law enforcement” there was no other discussion of the decision. In a statement issued on the termination Mayor Rick Hall cited “irregular practices” in the city secretary’s office and began an audit of city records. The statement went on to say, “the City Council terminated

the employment of city Secretary Barbara Zwernemann for failure to maintain the city’s records consistently and accurately in the manner required by state law and the city code.” Weeks later, Hall said the issue was turned over to District Attorney Shawn Dick. In March 2020, THE INDEPENDENT reported on the letter submitted in September 2018 to then-City Administrator Greg Boatright and City Attorney Dottie Palumbo alleging an angry outburst by Hall and evidence of him carrying a gun in City Hall. That letter was written by Zwernemann and was one of two from city employees

because the issue was a personnel matter taken up in executive session. The explained intent was to restruc ture the contract and job description, but Dean was never approached with any changes or a new contract, and eventually resigned in March. Dean declined to comment on the issue, but had not expected the renewal of his contract to be an issue. Mayor Rick Hall refused to comment on the decisions of

the request for exception and indicating to THE INDEPENDENT that the dates the information was requested under were not accurate. Hall has never denied the existence of the camera footage or claimed to not know exactly which incident the request pertains to. THE INDEPENDENT has since filed a second request through an attorney. • “Expense receipts, reimbursement amounts, reservation dates and costs for airfare and hotel, event registration information, and purpose of trip, for a trip to Colorado and a separate trip taken to Cabo San Lucas by Mayor Rick Hall and Council member Steve McIntosh between May 2019 and the present.” Response: Information on one-day round trip

(March 2020) Despite repeated assurances from Mayor Rick Hall over the nearly seven months following the resignation of former City Administrator Greg Boatright that Liberty Hill would hire a new administrator, the decision was made in March to hire Lacie Hale in a Chief Operating Officer position, leaving the City without a staff Administrator position and Mayor Rick Hall as the direct supervisor for much of the City staff. The new job description specified that the COO reports directly to the Mayor and Council. Essential duties for the position include management of capital projects, community relations, department operations and providing assistance in negotiation and enforcement of contracts. Hall did spell out how the new COO position fit into the supervisory structure of the City. “The municipal officers, that are designated by state law – the city secretary, finance director, code enforcement, chief of police, court administrator and emergency management – will continue to report to me,” Hall said. “The director of planning and public works director will report through Lacie and then Lacie will report to me.” (Independent: March 12, 2020)

(March 2020) Liberty Hill Economic Development Corporation (EDC) Director Lance Dean was surprised in February when the Board chose not to renew his contract. In a meeting called for the sole purpose of discussing the issue in executive session, the board chose not to renew the contract – which is structured to be renewed annually – based on the desire to make changes to that contract. According to Board President John Johnston, no details of the decision could be shared

on the incident. The letter alleged verbally abusive behavior and an angry outburst by Mayor Rick Hall at City Hall. She also claimed he was wearing a firearm at the time. The letter was made public in March 2020 article in THE INDEPENDENT. “Yes, it is true I had a violent encounter against me on Thursday, Sept 13, 2018,” Zwernemann wrote in a statement following her termination. “Because I had no intent to destroy people I worked through it, but it was a serious mistake because as I was told then by a wise council member “he won’t stop this behavior if you don’t stop him.” (Independent: May 28, 2020)

Thursday, July 2, 2020

the EDC Board, saying he was unaware of the board’s plan. In May, the Board voted – as did the City Council – to name consultant Matt Powell the interim Executive Director of the EDC. (Independent: March 19, 2020)

airline tickets for Mayor Rick Hall, Council member Steve McIntosh and Public Works Director Wayne Bonnet, as well as car rental billing, has been provided to THE INDEPENDENT. No expense information was provided regarding the Cabo San Lucas trip as Hall said that trip was entirely funded by a vendor who was not identified. • “Documents and records from the internal and external investigation of former Police Chief Maverick Campbell as related to his termination March 9, 2020.” Response: This request was met the following day, March 11.

New intersection planned

(March 2020) Nearly nine months after the Council put plans for a downtown roundabout at the intersection of Loop 332 and CR 279 on the shelf, members began moving forward with an alternative plan to improve the intersection. The basic plan would alter the Loop coming from the east toward CR 279 to create a T-intersection with a three-way stop. Traffic coming into downtown from CR 279 would be able to turn right onto the Loop or continue into downtown after a stop. Drivers entering downtown from the east on Loop 332 will be able to continue right on the Loop with a yield or turn left onto CR 279 after a stop. Traffic leaving downtown will be able to continue south on CR 279 or turn left and continue on the Loop following a stop. To assist with traffic control at the intersection and designate the continued right into downtown from the Loop, a triangular median will be constructed at the intersection. The engineering services will run the City $114,482 for the project, which is estimated to have a total construction price tag for the intersection – without the adjacent parking lot – of $858,081. The City has not yet made available specific cost information for the washateria property parking lot. The City awarded a bid in April 2019 for $1,372,104 for the roundabout and adjacent parking lot project on the washateria property, but that was canceled in May 2019. (Independent: March 12, 2020)

Campbell files grievance

Council dismisses Campbell grievance (May 2020)

(April 2020) A month after his termination, former Liberty Hill Police Chief Maverick Campbell filed a grievance with the City, seeking reinstatement. Campbell’s attorney, Tiger Hanner, said that at no time did the Council speak to Campbell about the incident. Hanner did not receive a response to the grievance until he was informed by the City on April 30 that an independent investigator was being hired. The grievance not only sought reinstatement, but also outlined other alleged issues regarding the conduct of Mayor Rick Hall. “It is also to bring to light the actions of the Mayor and those supporting him,” Hanner said. “From the beginning this has been a personal agenda of the Mayor and not about any action by Chief Campbell. The termination clearly did not meet the legal basis to terminate the contract. We pointed that out and tried to make that clear and they went for it anyway.” While THE INDEPENDENT was made aware of the grievance being filed in April, no information was made available on the details until late in the month. (Independent: May 7, 2020)

Outside investigator Bruce Mills, hired by the City of Liberty Hill to investigate the decision to terminate former Police Chief Maverick Campbell as part of the City’s response to a grievance filed by Campbell in April concluded that the City Council was justified in terminating Campbell. “It is my opinion that the City of Liberty Hill followed its policies and procedures in taking the actions that it did to terminate the employment of Maverick Campbell,” Mills said in the report. In light of the report and its conclusion, the City Council did not take any official action on the grievance. Instead, the City issued a statement through Facebook calling the matter closed. The extent of Mills’ investigation did not consider the nearly five-page statement from Campbell included in the grievance, which spells out an extensive list of allegations against Mayor Hall regarding his involvement in the police department and relationship with Campbell. It instead focused on the incident at a conference in New Jersey between Campbell and his spouse that led to local police involvement. No arrests were made and no charges were filed in the incident.

Open Records Requests

(April 2020) THE INDEPENDENT sent Freedom of Information requests in April requesting a copy of the grievance filed by former Police Chief Maverick Campbell: • “Grievance document filed April 9, 2020 with the City of Liberty Hill by attorney Tiger Hanner on behalf of Maverick Campbell. The grievance was emailed to City Attorney Tad Cleaves and copied to Interim Police Chief Royce Graeter.” Response: The City of Liberty Hill responded to this request asking that it be resent with a signature. The document was signed and resent May 3, and the City then requested an exception to the Texas Attorney General to withhold the information.

For Campbell, the lengthy statement was critical to the grievance and his request for an investigation. “The reason I included all of the information about the Mayor’s behavior in my grievance was to show the pattern of abuse that I know led to my termination because of threats against my job by the Mayor,” Campbell said. “The incident in New Jersey was simply an excuse and he reacted on emotions instead of facts, making false claims of an arrest when there was no arrest.” Campbell’s statement outlines nearly two years of what he calls increased involvement by Hall in department operations, pressure on certain personnel decisions, excessive ride alongs and other accusations. Many of the comments and allegations in Campbell’s statement echo the allegations reported in THE INDEPENDENT in early March, all of which Hall continues to claim are “absolutely” false. “I can tell you this, that the comments made in there are not valid,” Hall said. “At the initial point some of these comments were made, Becky (Wilkins) spoke to every one of the employees and there was no comments from any of the employees that came remotely close to all that.”

(Independent: June 5, 2020)

Open Records Requests (May 2020)

THE INDEPENDENT sent two Freedom of Information requests in May for budgetary and investigative information: • “City of Liberty Hill Monthly Revenue and Expense Reports (audited or unaudited) from Jan. 2019 to April 2020. These are the reports previously presented to Council as recently as 2018.” Response: In a June 4 e-mail response the City said: “The City has no responsive documents to this request.” Hall later wrote in a text message that: “The request you made is for reports that used to be created by the former Finance Director. Becky (Wilkins) only runs finance reports from Encode for a finance statement to the council. If that is what you’re looking for request a monthly Finance Statement and we will send you.” The reports requested were previously provided to the Council monthly, even as recently as 2018, and the City continues to use the same software as before. THE INDEPENDENT has filed a complaint with the AG in response to the Mayor’s claim that the information is not available, seeking to force the City to provide the revenue and expense reports as requested. • “Investigative report generated at the request of the City of Liberty Hill in response to the grievance filed by former Police Chief Maverick Campbell regarding his termination.” Response: The City provided a copy of its investigative report May 29.

A screenshot of the Revenue & Expense Report from 2018 -- a report that was regularly provided to Council -- that the City now says isn’t available to the public.

Thursday, July 2, 2020

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

Downtown art exhibit shows off local talent

By ANTHONY FLORES Staff Writer The Stubblefield building located in downtown Liberty Hill is one of the oldest buildings in the community. Built in 1871, the structure is a monument to the history of Liberty Hill. The building was at one time the studio of the late sculptor Mel Fowler, who brought the International Sculpture Symposium to Liberty Hill in 1976. “This building has rich ties to the arts in Liberty Hill. I think the City Council didn’t know what they wanted to do with it,” said City Events Coordinator Katie Amsler. “They knew they wanted to tie it into the arts in some way.” Recently renovated, the historic building serves as a museum and cultural center for the community. “We knew we wanted to make this into the visitors center, but

McFeron

The Williamson County Art Guild is working in partnership with the Stubblefield Visitor’s Center to display its art to the Liberty Hill Community. an artist of the guild specializing in photography, was inspired by his time in the military and his family’s history in the armed forces. “I wanted to preserve Veterans Memorial Park and show it to people,” he said. “I have quite a few military-oriented pictures, like the Cavalry of Fort Hood. My family has had a lot of military on both sides, and we tend to relate to the

Continued from Page 5

Council meeting, saying she was no longer in charge of anything in the City or planning department. “He was mad because the engineer that was hired to do a traffic impact study for the three-way stop (at CR 279 and Loop 332) also included a traffic impact study for the roundabout,” McFeron said, adding that Hall tore up the report, threw it to then-City Secretary Zwernemann. “I went up to the dais and asked what was going on and if I could help with something and he said ‘No, you can’t help me with anything. From now on you’re not in charge of any projects that have to do with streets, water, wastewater or parks.” She also cited an incident in January 2019 involving former City Inspector Elias Carrasco, who McFeron said the City is currently attempting to rehire, when he was leaving the City for a new position in Burnet. “The Mayor called, on Bill Chapman’s phone, from an EDC event in Fort Worth on Jan. 10, 2019, and was trying to get Elias to tell him no one offered him anything to stay,” McFeron said. “At the end of that phone call, (Hall) told Elias ‘I’m going to nail Greg and Sally to the wall.’ Elias immediately came and reported it to me. He reports it to me and reports it to Greg (Boatright). I have a statement from Greg about this.” At the time, Chapman was president of the EDC Board of Directors.

Grievance

would randomly show up or have officers pick him up. Campbell said he addressed the issue of excessive and unscheduled ride alongs that did not adhere to department policy, and Hall allegedly responded by saying it would be best for Campbell’s job if he just allowed him to continue riding when he wanted to. The grievance claims officers were often called directly by Hall for rides for him or his spouse at all hours of the day. Without addressing any specific allegations, Hall has categorically denied there is any truth to the claims made by Campbell in his grievance. “I can tell you this, that the comments made in there are not valid,” Hall said in a previous interview regarding the grievance. “At the initial point some of these comments were made, Becky (Wilkins) spoke to every one of the employees

Baseball

I also wanted to include the arts. So, we decided to make it a revolving art exhibition,” she said. “I bring in a different artist or group every month or every other month, depending on what we have going on.” Amsler hopes that this exhibit can show the citizens the talent that can be found in their own local community. “We have a lot of talent in Liberty Hill, and with the ties to the arts that we have here already, I wanted a place where local artists can show their work,” she said. “Not only Liberty Hill but Williamson County because there’s a lot of artists in the county. We have a lot of people who love art, and we want to give them a place where they can walk around and see what Liberty Hill has to offer.” Currently on display are pieces provided by the Williamson County Art Guild. Wes Odell,

After the Council voted in June 2019 to give Hall supervisory authority over the municipal officers, cutting thenCity Administrator Boatright out of the supervisory chain, McFeron said she attended a meeting where Hall issued a warning to the staff. “I went to a meeting with (Hall), because Greg (Boatright) was on vacation, and he told all the municipal officers ‘I am in charge, if Greg tells you to do anything you don’t do it’,” she said. “I reported that to Greg and that’s the way the summer went. Then of course Greg gets relieved, or he resigns.” McFeron was also surprised last November when she learned that the new hire the Council approved for her department in the current budget would be her supervisor. She had run the planning department prior to Stallworth’s employment late last year. When the Council authorized the new position it was for a certified planner, but no mention was made in any action by the Council that the new hire would come in and lead the department. She said Hall directed her to get with Wilkins on creating a job posting and job description, but when she went to Wilkins she learned the posting had already been made, and she was not told until a meeting with Hall the next day that the new person being hired would be her supervisor. “The vote of the City Council

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ability and helped others to get the most out of themselves.” Finally, Jace Andrews never played for the Panthers, but if there was a game, he was at the microphone functioning as the public-address announcer, as well as broadcasting games on the radio. “Jace is the ‘Voice of the Panthers’ and we were blessed to call him ours,” said Hutcherson of Andrews, who will attend Oklahoma State University in pursuit of a career in sports broadcasting. “His passion and love for the game and LHHS always came through when he was ‘on the call’. He has a great career ahead of him and we’ll be lucky enough to say we knew him at the start.” Softball

was only for a certified planner, not for a Senior Director of Planning and they voted that twice, not only then, but they voted it in the meeting where they hired David Stallworth as a certified planner,” she said. Minutes from both meetings confirm the new position was never referenced as a director position, both times referred to as a certified planner with no explanation of specific duties. Planting seeds of blame? Just as the City was quick to make public the results of its investigation of former Police Chief Maverick Campbell, while not turning over other requested information related to his situation, the City Council chose to publicly discuss blame over the Wetzel Park problem, rather than retreat to executive session as it has over every personnel matter that has appeared on the agenda for more than a year. During the June 22 discussion, Council member Canady talked about safety and process, but she repeatedly asked who was at fault. In a back and forth with Stallworth, Canady asked what could have happened had the issue not been discovered, how the problem could have been avoided and regularly brought up the issue of responsibility. “What I’m saying is we can point fingers and go back and forth,” Stallworth said regarding blame, with Canady interjecting, “It’s an important

Continued from Page 1 and there was no comments from any of the employees that came remotely close to all that. This is the typical thing that happens with a disgruntled employee, or ex-employee trying to divert the real things from them to someone else to try to discredit somebody else when they’re the ones in trouble.” Hall reiterated his belief that if the allegations were true they would have been made previously. “In my opinion, when you bring up something that has supposedly happened for 18 to 20 months, after you’re terminated, but nothing is said before, then to me it looks like a witch hunt,” Hall said. “If any of it, even a small piece of it has any truth behind it, why wasn’t something said before?” Ride along trouble In one alleged incident in

Lady Panthers head coach Kristen Brewer only had a pair of seniors on her squad in Cheyenne Floyd and Ashton Dirner, who are both headed for college softball careers. Floyd – or “Red,” as she was known to her teammates – was Liberty Hill’s number-one starting pitcher, racking up a 3-1 record, with a 2.10 earnedrun average and 26 strikeouts in 30 innings. “Cheyenne has developed each year of her high-school career to become the powerful pitcher she is now,” said Brewer, of Floyd, who will move on to McLennan Community College. “Each season she continuously works to better herself and her team and I know she’ll be a great asset for

Page 9

particular, which led The Independent to submit multiple Freedom of Information requests for police video footage, Hall is said to have been on a ride along with Officer Jeff Farmer during a pursuit where he used inappropriate language and was seen accessing the computer system in the vehicle. Campbell writes in his statement, “Another incident involved a motorcycle pursuit where Lt. Ringstaff was reviewing body and car camera video to make copies at the request of the FBI for their follow up investigation in a separate case. Lt. Ringstaff brought a concern to me about the Mayor’s behavior as the rider with officer Farmer. I had serious concerns too. The Mayor was seen and heard in the body cam footage using profanity toward other agencies as to why they weren’t there to help,

McLennan moving forward.” Dirner was a gritty middle infielder who batted .394 with two home runs, 18 runs batted in and 16 runs scored and added a dependable glove in the field. “Ashton has not only been a clutch hitter for us, but also a power hitter here during her high-school career,” said Brewer, of Dirner, who will play at Angelo State University. “She’s the kid that will play through any obstacle because she loves the game. I know she’ll find much success at ASU.” Brewer added both players typified what a Liberty Hill softball player should be during their respective careers in Purple-and-Gold.

military.” While visiting the Stubblefield Building during a previous art exhibit, Odell found himself drawn to Veterans Memorial Park across the street. “I was out there at a reception for the previous exhibiter, and I knew my work would be up the next time around,” Odell said. “It was still light, and I saw where it was going to be, and I thought the local Liberty

Hill people would appreciate a photo of the park. I thought it was a nice image of a vibrant town.” As a photographer, Odell’s goal is to bring a different perspective to the everyday things that people might take for granted. “We as artists like to show our work and have people see what we’ve seen,” said Odell. “A lot of times, you drive past

the park, but do you see it as an outsider or an artist? It can sometimes give the local person a different appreciation for what you have in your front yard.” The current exhibit will be on view until July 14. The Stubblefield Visitors Center is open to the public 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday.

finger.” When Stallworth tried to shoulder the responsibility as head of the Development Department, Canady refused to accept that. “We don’t know who is going to take the hit on this,” she said. “You can volunteer but that’s a Council decision.” Stallworth explained the process in more detail, recounting what had occurred since last October on the project. Some early delays came from changes in the project itself, as well as drainage issues in relation to other projects ongoing in the area. “Long story short, there were two to two and a half months of delays as a result of those actions or weather-related delays,” he said, continuing to explain the decision-making process on continuing with the project. “We had one of two options. We can either proceed based on our own judgment that these people are familiar enough with procedure and process and if they are insuring there is going to be a third-party inspection then we are going to rely on them to carry out that promise. The other recourse would have been to take a hard line approach and issue a red tag and do a stop work order.” But Canady made remark after remark about responsibility for the error, asking who the project manager was on the project. Stallworth said the project manager would have been

McFeron. “Somebody is in charge of this, right?” Canady asked. “We didn’t just have it out there for kicks and grins.” Stallworth continued to resist pointing fingers at any particular individual, instead saying the City chose to trust the contractor to do what they promised to do after being questioned by City staff, meeting basic requirements according to code. At the meeting Hall chose not to point fingers. “I feel that the City as a whole has dropped the ball in multiple cases in this,” he said. “David (Stallworth) I will say to you as head of that department, and I will say to you Lacie (Hale) as his boss that we need to tighten this process up. If a contractor ever tells us in the future that a third party will do something we red tag it. This has put the City way behind and is costing us money.” But based on the two letters of termination, the City has placed blame squarely on McFeron and Ubelhor for the missed inspection and delays with the splash pad, even after allegedly telling McFeron last October she would not be in charge of any projects and taking away her leadership of the planning department without explanation. Ubelhor’s letter stated, “the grounds for this termination was your decision of not issuing a stop work order for the Wetzel Park Splash Pad, followed by the lack of initiative

to resolve the issue.” For McFeron, the problem was cited as an example of her “deficiencies” to “include the Wetzel Park Project, lack of initiative to create policies relative to the Planning Department, including amending the UDC, and inability to properly supervise/communicate with staff.” On issues such as the updating or finalizing the Unified Development Code (UDC), McFeron pointed out that those are policy decisions that someone in her position would not be leading. “The UDC, we went through an entire thing with that and every single staff and Council retreat all I’ve said is we’ve got to amend the comprehensive plan, we have to have a land use plan and we have to deal with the UDC,” she said. “These are policies which I can’t do. These are policy decisions the Council has to approve.” Hall said the City would not answer questions regarding the discipline or termination of employees, but said, without naming McFeron, “Ultimately, the person that was assigned as Project Manager for the city was the responsible party to handle the project and also keep others in the city informed of any misses or concerns that would prevent the project from being on time and on budget.”

made some very inappropriate comments and is seen accessing the computer terminal as an unauthorized user.” The City has acknowledged the existence of the video in question but to date has not released it to The Independent. The newspaper has obtained

a number of text messages between various members of the police department that verify the concern among staff over the excessive ride alongs and Hall acting “out of line”. Campbell said Hall “bullied” him and instructed him not to release any video with him us-

ing profanity, claiming that Lt. Ringstaff was digging things up to stop Hall’s ride along privileges. The grievance states that Hall carried his personal firearm while on these ride alongs, and

Flake

Continued from Page 6

better player, but a better human being.” In fact, Flake added what he will take away most from his high-school baseball experience as he moves forward with his career is all the time spent with teammates outside the

lines. “Some of my favorite moments were playing ping pong before and after games with my teammates, staying in hotels and getting to practice with my best friends every day playing the game we all love,”

See CAMPBELL, Page 10

he said. “But, playing in the playoffs will always be my best memories as far as baseball goes – the atmosphere can’t be beat and the competition is outstanding.”

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Page 10

CAMPBELL

detailed an alleged incident where Hall had “detained” a driver on US 183. “There was a very concerning incident which I recall that later followed. I believe was last year or in 2018 where Hall called me and said he had two suspects detained possibly DWI and drugs involved on 183 north of the junction just outside city limits. I asked him what he meant and if he had called 911. He yelled at me and said no he had not and that’s why he was calling me to send an ofﬁcer. I asked Hall what he meant by detained and he said he made them sit on the side of the shoulder

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

Continued from Page 9 and explained he had stopped to do a ‘motorist assist’ when he suspected DWI and drugs were involved. I asked Hall if he was armed and he said he was.” Campbell said the ofﬁcer sent to respond was David Bonessi and the sheriff’s department was notiﬁed. Internal matters According to Campbell, Hall and then newly-elected Council member Steve McIntosh became more and more involved in police department business. “He and McIntosh began telling me how to operate my department and the Mayor kept

reminding me he was my boss and he could ﬁre me anytime. He began telling me what equipment to order, how to run my shifts, how to deploy my staff at events.” Campbell claimed that the two spent more and more time at the department, and tried to get involved in personnel and disciplinary matters. “(Hall) would tell me numerous times to get rid of Lt. Ringstaff, David Ahr and had issues with them. He and Becky Wilkins tried to interfere with the lieutenant promotion process and said I should not promote Lt. Graeter.” In one text, an ofﬁcer wrote

“....it’s crazy how deep he gets involved in things that a normal Mayor would not even consider personal involvement in.” When the department moved to take disciplinary action against Ofﬁcer Farmer, who Hall had been in a patrol vehicle with on a ride along during the pursuit cited earlier in the grievance, Campbell said Hall again tried to intervene. “Hall egregiously interfered with a department internal affairs investigation of Ofﬁcer Farmer who violated chain of command in addition to what he was being investigated for. Hall threatened me if I got rid

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of Officer Farmer, I would not have a job. His words were, ‘Be careful, remember who you work for and your policies don’t overrule city policy.’” In another text related to the personnel situation with Farmer, an officer wrote, “Mayor can’t make an educated decision about anything, not knowing the real person or quality of work.” The grievance also details previous allegations reported by The Independent regarding Hall carrying a firearm in public, being intoxicated in public, and being threatening to Campbell and other staff members.

Campbell detailed an allegation from the City staff retreat at Canyon of the Eagles in January where he claims Hall threatened his two sons, using a racially derogatory term in reference to them and telling them he would hang them both by their necks from a tree. A criminal complaint regarding this incident was ﬁled by Campbell in Burnet County in April and his two sons are awaiting a pending Child Advocacy Forensic Interview as part of the investigation. The investigation is still pending.

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