Tag: Bastrop City Council

No Hotels in Bastrop?

UPDATE: June 24 Council meeting at 1:35:46. City Manager and Mayor referenced my comments. Mayor stated that “she is in opposition of the retreat, agenda item…. it’s not an item. She is just in opposition of the retreat.”

NOT TRUE. I expressed my opposition to my estimated cost of $7,473 by doing this retreat in Rockport. My estimate was low. See the City Manager’s slide showing the actual estimated cost to be $11,730. There is NO REASON to spend that much money and hold this event outside of Bastrop County. Why Rockport? Why on a Friday? This is a taxpayer-funded boondoggle clear and simple.

If you plan meetings for any organization, you are well aware that there are plenty of locations to do so both in the County and the City of Bastrop. So, why is the Bastrop City Council meeting in Rockport?

My guess? So you can’t attend or comment. And, quite cynically, perhaps some of them want a weekend at the beach with transportation paid by you.

So much for transparency.

[Will it be broadcast live? We don’t know yet. And, when meetings are broadcast live, live public comment isn’t available so you must comment ahead of time using the Council’s online form.]

It’s very disingenuous to hold a meeting more than 3 hours, 175+ miles, each way, for an all day meeting that is allegedly open to the public.

Tell the City Council if you like (or not) spending $7,473 of your tax dollars on a Friday public meeting in Rockport.

If you don’t agree with the City Council spending this much money and holding a Friday off-site meeting 175 miles away, email them today.

Mayor Ishmael Harris
Councilman Perry Lowe
Councilwoman Cynthia Meyer
Councilman Kevin Plunkett
Councilwoman Kerry Fossler
Councilman John Kirkland

Calculating the Cost of this Offsite Meeting: $7,473

Gas cost: At 22mpg and $3/gallon, the cost each way is $24.27. Will they car pool? Perhaps a couple will but we have to assume not. If just the 5 council people, mayor, city manager, city secretary drive, that is $388.32. OR, if they use the IRS mileage rate for reimbursement, that’s 70¢ / mile or $245 per person. For 9 people, that’s $2,205 in mileage reimbursements.

Hotel cost: What’s the hotel cost for the City Council, City Manager, City Secretary, select staff, and consultant? Hotel prices according to Hotels.com run from $151 to $269 per room no including taxes and fees. Taxes? 8.25% sales tax and 7% hotel occupancy tax.

If just the 5 council people, mayor, city manager, city secretary, and consultant go, and they stay in the cheapest hotel, the room cost would be $1,208 plus 8.25% sales tax and 7% HOT tax. The meeting starts at 8:30AM so they have to stay over the night before. Drive home 3 hours afterwards? Not likely. So, for just the 9 people, taxpayers are paying $3,133 at a minimum for hotel.

[I had a summer cottage exactly 150.3 miles from my primary home, 3 hour drive. While not preferable, I periodically drove up one day and back the next, a one night stay. Preferable was driving up on Friday night and back on Sunday evening, a two night stay.]

Meal cost: Using GSA rates for meals, the allowable per-day expense is $63. Using lunch and dinner for Thursday, all 3 meals on Friday, and breakfast and lunch on Saturday, the estimated cost per person for meals is $145/person for meals. That, times 9 people, is $1,305 taxpayer dollars.

Consultant cost: Leadwell is from Austin. So, gas, hotel, meals and their fee will be paid by taxpayers. According to https://consultants.promatcher.com/cost/texas.aspx, the cost of business consulting in TX is $158.13/hour. My guess is that this contract is likely $2,000+-. When I was a business consultant, I charged half rate for travel time, client paid hotel and meals, and a flat overnight fee.

Total taxpayer estimate:
$2,205+$3,133+$1,305+$2,000=$7,473 taxpayer dollars.

Your cost if you want to comment in person?
Gas, one night hotel, 3 meals costs: $285 minimum.

But your City of Bastrop City Council plans on holding a meeting 175+ miles, each way, and calls it an open meeting with public comment.

Will it be broadcast live? We don’t know yet. And, when meetings are broadcast live, live public comment isn’t available so you must comment ahead of time using the Council’s online form.

Let them know TODAY what you think about this!

If you don’t agree with the City Council spending this much money and holding a Friday off-site meeting 175 miles away, email them.

Mayor Ishmael Harris
Councilman Perry Lowe
Councilwoman Cynthia Meyer
Councilman Kevin Plunkett
Councilwoman Kerry Fossler
Councilman John Kirkland

Turmoil in the City

Wow. The City of Bastrop attorney has resigned. And, his resignation letter should be front page reading for every City of Bastrop resident and taxpayer.

BojorquezResignation

“Given the current climate at City Hall, I have determined our present relationship is not sustainable,” he stated.

He continued, “the time has come to acknowledge that the irreconcilable
differences among the city’s leaders have placed me and my team in an untenable position.”

According to Community Impact, his seven years of service included “a period of ‘tremendous’ change, including five city managers, four chiefs of police, three judges, three mayors pro-tem and two mayors […].”

This isn’t change. It’s turmoil. This isn’t governance. It’s chaos.

His letter opines “While we continue to have confidence in our expertise as Municipal Lawyers, Bastrop is engaged in a transition that is best left to proceed without my staff’s involvement (and without me overseeing your legal matters).”

Translation: The City Council doesn’t listen to expert legal advice and goes off in whatever direction the majority sees fit whether or not it’s appropriate and to the benefit of the residents and taxpayers. In my experience, even if there are major differences of opinions and/or personality conflicts, as long as an entity is following sound legal advice, the lawyer stays on. But when a highly qualified legal advisor steps away saying they are going to “redirect [their] energies” and “allow [the City Council] the opportunity to continue upon [their] trajectory”, that should terrify every taxpayer and resident of the City.

My guess? The City Council will hire in-house counsel, a lawyer who will do what they say because his or her livelihood depends on it. That person will walk the proverbial fence, legally, trying to mold the law into the quest of this City Council majority for power. That lawyer will stay silent while the rights of the minority members, and thus their constituents, are trampled.

This is exactly how corruption takes seed. There is no one outside the circle of power minding the store. Bojorquez’ letter is a warning shot across the bow. Bastrop residents best beware.