Council Meeting Recap

FEBRUARY 13, 2023 CITY COUNCIL MEETING

Presented a Check to Keels & Wheels in the amount of $10,000.

Received a code enforcement update from the City Attorney on a property located at 18410 Kingstown, Nassau Bay, Texas.

Received an update on EMS collections and write-offs.

Received an update from the Building Department on the construction at 2430 Baycrest, Nassau Bay, Texas.

Approved the purchase of playground equipment for Swan Lagoon Park.

Received an update on Code Enforcement plans from Chief Cromie.

Approved the first of two readings of Ordinance O2023-832 to adopt the 2021 Building Codes.

Approved the first of two readings of Ordinance O2023-833 to adopt the 2021 Fire Code.

Approved the first of two readings of Ordinance O2023-834 to update language in Chapter 8.5 of the Code of Ordinances, Provisions for Flood Hazard Reductions.

Approved Resolution R2023-2269 appointing Michelle Barecky, Neda Rajabi, Ashley Morrow, Evelyne Simpson, and Mary Nev Talbot to the Special Events Committee.

Authorized the Mayor to negotiate a contract with Brad Stafford for Interim City Manager.

Authorized the Mayor to negotiate a contract with Zina Echavarria-Tedford for Acting City Secretary.

The Numbers Police

February 16, 2023

Dear Friends, Neighbors, and Citizens,

I feel compelled to update you on a situation important to good governance and transparency. As some of you know, we have experienced an unprecedented situation in City Hall and I want to ensure all citizens are kept up to date with the facts and to be available to you if you have any questions.

The facts are this, near the end of last year, 2 employees on City Staff approached me with the information of a personal relationship between our City Manager and the City Secretary that was causing discomfort/disruption to the operation and management of City Hall. When confronted, both the City Manager and City Secretary confirmed they were in a serious consensual relationship which apparently started approximately 3 months after the hiring of our new City Manager in June. Our Human Resource Director and City Attorney have documented the relationship and after legal consideration by both our City Attorney and an outside labor attorney, the recommendation is that both employees must be separated from our employment to ensure we eliminate the potential for a toxic work environment or any sexual harassment liability, let alone set precedents that future City Councils will have to follow. As in any professional organization, a supervisor/subordinate romantic relationship is untenable and simply does not allow for unbiased management or performance appraisal. It violates our City Charter too and is why our Council voted 7-0 to accept our counselor’s advice.

Prior to a special meeting of City Council on January 16th to address this situation, council received that same day a letter of resignation from our new City Manager. Both the City Manager and City Secretary communicated they wanted to continue their relationship and while I am happy for the 2 individuals involved, it has created an unprecedented situation not only for the City, but apparently there is no precedent for us to follow under State law. With the suddenness of the resignation, we do not have a City Manager in place to perform the responsibilities as laid out in our City Charter. The danger here is that if decisions made by either me or a member of staff, the consequence of those decisions will be at the personal expense of those individuals. As Mayor, I will not let our City Staff be subject to personal liabilities or cost based on the choices of these individuals. City Council has approved the ability for me to interface with the directors to allow our city to function bounded by the restrictions of our Charter.

Since the special City Council meeting on January 16th, Mayor Pro Tem Sandra Mossman, Councilman James Abbey, and I have worked hard to find a qualified and immediate short-term replacement for our City Manager. We have 5 candidates, one internal and 4 external candidates with extensive city manager experience available to serve. This group has now been narrowed to the top 2 candidates, which I believe will result in the employment of an Interim City Manager imminently.