My last post about City of Bastrop officials’ actions violating the citizen-adopted Home Rule charter was pretty long. But that doesn’t mean those are the only violations of Charter provisions.
Voters adopted the Charter making the City a “Home Rule” city. Voters have to approve all changes to the Charter. At least, one would think so. But apparently, this City Council thinks it can modify and waive provisions of the Charter whenever it wants to do so.
First example is waiving the provision that the City Manager live within the City limits. “The City Manager need not be a resident of the City at the time of appointment but shall reside within the City while in office.”
The City Council waived that provision, somehow, allowing Sylvia Carrillo to live in the Colony. According to Bastrop CAD records, she and her husband purchased their house in the Colony, outside City limits, in April 2024. By that time, Carrillo had been City Manager for almost two years, since late 2022. Clearly, she was aware the Charter forbade her from living outside City limits.
Thinking they could codify their actions, the City Council put a Charter change on the ballot in November: “Shall Section 4.01 of the Charter be amended to remove the requirement that the City Manager must reside within the City Limits?” But their action wasn’t codified. In fact, it was resoundingly defeated.
Has the City Manager complied with this provision? Carrillo is still showing as the owner of the Colony property, and no other in Bastrop County.
Second example is requiring the Mayor to have Council permission to perform duties assigned to him/her under the Charter. No such authority is granted under the Charter, yet in April 2024, the City Council unilaterally targeted the Mayor, stripping him of duties and city obligations to the position.
At a Special Meeting, the City Council voted to not reimburse his expenses for events and functions. They voted to remove his office space in City Hall. They voted to force him to get their approval to speak at city or city-sponsored functions, which they refused when asked. They voted to remove his contact information from the website, preventing citizens from contacting him. They voted to change the level of authority on his access credentials. They revoked all of his appointments to City boards, commissions and authorities. Some of these targeted actions were in conflict with actual ordinances and with the City Charter. All disenfranchised the voters who put him in office.
More sloppy government. Item R2024-49 was submitted by Mayor Pro Tem John Kirkland. At the meeting, it was moved by Councilwoman Meyer and Mayor Pro Tem Kirkland seconded. However the minutes from the meeting are below and are wrong. They name no second. And, note the comment that Council Member Lee was absent.
Simply viewing the meeting video proves Councilwoman Lee was there, and in fact spoke on this issue. And, if she were absent, how could the vote have been 5-0? There would have been only 4 voting Council members present. The actual vote was 4-1, with Councilwoman Lee voting “no”. (Wonder now why there’s a vendetta against her?)
But hey, what difference does that make anyway? When this City Council decides to target someone, what difference does the law make? Based on the record, it doesn’t seem to matter at all to John Kirkland, his gang of three, and the City Manager.