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City manager, consultant on Clute agenda
Published October 24, 2009
CLUTE — City Council is set to affirm Mayor Calvin Shiflet’s decision to hire the former city manager as a consultant — a week after she started on the job.
The agenda for a special meeting for 6 p.m. Monday calls for council members to discuss the appointment of an acting city manager and consultant to the city manager. Compensation for the two positions also will be discussed, according to the agenda.
Council had planned to take action on the matter at its regular meeting Thursday, but the decision was put off because the closed session wording on that meeting’s agenda, which simply said “city manager,” was not descriptive enough, Shiflet said.
Currently, Police Chief Mark Wicker and Shiflet are sharing the responsibilities of the city manager. Shiflet also hired former city manager Barbara Hester to work as a consultant at a rate of $45 per hour.
Hester’s work for the city had not appeared on a council agenda until the one set for Monday, and council had taken no formal action on hiring or considering her. City Attorney Wallace Shaw thought it was necessary to make the hire official with a city council vote, Shiflet said.
“State law allows the city manager to hire professional services,” Shiflet said. Since Shiflet is acting city manager, he has that authority, he said.
Former city manager Kyle McCain resigned Oct. 10. His resignation letter stated one reason he resigned was because of City Council’s intention to fire him. Council members would say only they lacked confidence in McCain, but would not say why.
Shiflet said City Council directed him in a closed meeting to talk to Hester and Texas First Group, a professional services company serving Texas cities.
Wicker says he could be named acting city manager officially Monday and Hester said she also plans to be at City Hall a little while longer.
“She certainly has a lot more experience at city manager than I do,” Wicker said.
Hester was Clute’s city manager for 15 years before retiring in 2007, ascending to the job after being the city secretary and finance director.
“My heart’s always been with the city,” Hester said. Though she is happy to act as a consultant, she does not plan on being named interim city manager or staying longer than a few months, she said.
While Wicker is able to handle personnel matters, Hester is available to make sure meeting agendas and all city processes are being done correctly, he said.
Because Hester still is retired, she can only make a certain amount of money a year, Shiflet said, but because it is so late in the year, she likely will work 40-hour weeks, he said.
She will be making $1,800 a week, which is equal to $93,600 a year.
In other business Thursday, City Council:
APPROVED: Allowing Brand Industrial Solutions LLC and Bureau Veritas North America Inc. to access the right of way connecting Johnson Cook Road and the frontage road of Highway 332 to conduct soil and groundwater testing.
The right of way is platted to be a roadway but is unbuilt and unused, Wicker said. Brand Industrial Solutions LLC owns property to the east and west of the property.
Sandblasting was done on the property, and if the company cleans up the resulting grit, it will be able to receive a certificate of completion from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
APPROVED: Obtaining a real estate appraisal of the fair market value of the right of way connecting Johnson Cook Road and Highway 332 to allow the city to sell a portion of the right of way to Brand Industrial Solutions LLC.
There are no plans to do anything with the property, said Randy Moore, representative of Brand Industrial Solutions LLC. However, owning the right of way will allow the properties to be sold together and potentially improve their value.
APPROVED: Having a joint public hearing at 7 p.m. Nov. 10 with the planning and zoning commission for the public-use permit for an RV Park at 330 Dixie Drive.
Katlynn Lanham covers Clute for The Facts. Contact her at 979-237-0150.
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