City Council holds regular meeting, June 14th; visitors attend with special presentation to the San Saba Police Department

  • City Council holds regular meeting, June 14th; visitors attend with special presentation to the San Saba Police Department
    City Council holds regular meeting, June 14th; visitors attend with special presentation to the San Saba Police Department
  • City Council holds regular meeting, June 14th; visitors attend with special presentation to the San Saba Police Department
    City Council holds regular meeting, June 14th; visitors attend with special presentation to the San Saba Police Department
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June Employee of the Month Jesse Gonzalez, Golf Course employee, displays an Employee of the Month plaque with his name engraved for selection as the City's Employee of the Month for June. He also received a gift certificate to a local restaurant. On Jesse's right is Mayor Ken Jordan, and on his left is Michael Whitley, Golf Director, taking part in the formal presentation. (Staff Photo) Supervisor of the Quarter Jesse Hunt, Water/Wastewater Plant Superintendent, displays a Supervisor of the Quarter plaque with his name engraved for selection as the City's Supervisor of the Second Quarter. He also received a gift certificate to a local restaurant. On Jesse's right is Mayor Ken Jordan, and on his left is City Manager Scott Edmonson taking part in the formal presentation. (Staff Photo) Outstanding Recycling Efforts Award Rachel Hering with Keep Texas Beautiful presented the 2021 Outstanding Recycling Efforts Award to the City of San Saba. At Rachel's right is Mayor Ken Jordan, and on Rachel's left is Juan Montoya, Sanitation and Recycling Plant Supervisor, receiving the award on behalf of the City of San Saba. (Staff Photo) Bruce Raymond, a motorcyclist from Killeen, Texas, is shown giving Certificates of Appreciation to Officer Steven Newkirk and Sergeant Charlie Boyce for helping him as he was suffering from heat exhaustion while recently traveling through San Saba. These Certificates of Appreciation stated the San Saba Police Department “stands up for the community and makes sure the citizens are being watched and taken care of. They exhibit service and dedication of excellence and professinalism.” See storyline below. When Bruce Raymond and his friends were riding motorcycles through San Saba on Sunday, May 28th (May was National Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month), he became disoriented but was able to pull over to the side of the road. Thanks to the observance and diligence of the San Saba police officers, Bruce was able to get the medical help needed. The officers contacted EMS, and Mr. Raymond was transported via ambulance to Lampasas. He described the San Saba Police Department as selfless and stated they were a good crew. (Staff Photo)

The San Saba City Council held a regular meeting on Tuesday, June 14, 2022, in the City Hall Chambers. Mayor Ken Jordan called the Council to order at 6:00 p.m. and welcomed everyone. The Mayor gave the invocation and led everyone in the pledges to the American flag and the Texas flag.

The following Council members were in attendance: Mayor Ken Jordan; Robert Whitton, Mayor Pro-Tem; Marcus Amthor, Alderman; Shawn Oliver, Alderman; Michael Nelson, Alderman; and Oleta Behrens, Alderman. Others present at this meeting were: Sabrina Maultsby, City Secretary; Charlene Lindsay, Finance Director; Scott Glaze, Public Works Director; Jesse Hunt, Water/Wastewater Plant Superintendent; Jason Vogel, Animal Control Officer; Michael Wadsworth, Code Enforcement Officer; Chief John Bauer, San Saba Police Department; Sergeant Charlie Boyce and Steven Newkirk, Officer, San Saba Police Department; Juan Montoya, Sanitation Department Supervisor; Evelyn Montoya, Juan’s daughter; Norman Pierce, Shop Maintenance; Michael Whitley, Golf Course Director; Jesse Gonzalez, Golf Course Employee; Rachel Hering, Keep Texas Recycling Association Director (Keep Texas Beautiful); Brian Rogers, Citizen; Bruce Raymond, C. Gonzalez, and Amy Jo Miller - Visitors with the San Saba Police Department Recognition; and Djuana Payton, Reporter with the San Saba News & Star.

Public Comments:

Bruce Raymond, motorcyclist from Killeen, Texas, was present at the meeting to commend the San Saba Police Department. He awarded them a Certificate of Appreciation, as well as tokens from his motorcycle organization. Accompanying Mr. Raymond to the meeting were fellow riders, C. Gonzalez and Amy Jo Miller. They also presented Police Chief Bauer with a t-shirt in appreciation. (To see more of Bruce’s story, see the picture at left.)

Ceremonial Presentations/ Presentations:

1. Rachel Hering with CTRA (Central Texas Recycling Association) was in attendance to present the following awards to the City of San Saba’s Recycling Center: Outstanding Recycling Efforts in 2021.

Ms. Hering noted that Coca Cola Southwest Beverages approached her organization last year and stated they wanted to improve recycling and help keep trash off the roads. Keep Texas Beautiful has chosen 10 cities to do recycling education outreach on recyclable items to hopefully get cleaner products to recycle. San Saba is one of those cities. Ms. Hering stated that in 2021, San Saba had a 50,000 pound increase and had 200,000 pounds of recyclables. For that accomplishment, she presented the Outstanding Recycling Efforts in 2021 Award to the City Council.

2. “Employee of the Month” award for June, 2022:

“Employee of the Month” Award for June of 2022: Jesse Gonzales, Golf Course employee, received recognition as June’s Employee of the Month. His supervisor, Michael Whitley, stated Jesse is one of his go-to-guys and gets things done. Jesse’s name was engraved on a dedicated “Employee of the Month” plaque. In addition, he received a gift certificate to a local restaurant.

3. “Supervisor of the Quarter” award 2022:

“Supervisor of the Second Quarter” award: Jesse Hunt, Water/Wastewater Plant Superintendent, received recognition as Supervisor of the Second Quarter. In Scott Glaze’s absence, Mr. Edmonson presented this award. He stated Jesse oversaw all the water tower work which was intense since it involved the City’s water supply. Jesse’s name was engraved on a dedicated “Supervisor of the Quarter” plaque. In addition, he received a gift certificate to a local restaurant.

Consent Agenda Items:

1. Minutes from the May 10, 2022 Council meeting.

2. Payment of bills presented to the City Council.

3. Approved Resolution No. 2022-15, a Resolution waving Ordinance defining noise nuisances for the San Saba County Chamber of Commerce July 2, 2022 at Mill Pond Park Gazebo for the "We The People Extravaganza."

4. Approve Resolution No. 2022-16, a Resolution which authorizes the City to enter into an agreement with TxDOT for the closure of Wallace Street for the July 4th parade on July 2, 2022 at 11:00 a.m.

5. Approve Resolution No. 2022-17, a Resolution closing the 300 and 400 blocks of East Wallace Street to parking, one hour prior and during the annual July 4th parade on July 2, 2022.

Decision: The Council voted unanimously to approve all of the above items.

Discussion/Action Items:

1. Approve Ordinance No. 2022-02 temporarily closing the 100 block of East Story Street from the hour of 12:00 p.m. on June 19, 2022 to 10:00 p.m. on June 25, 2022 for Mission San Saba.

Mr. Edmonson explained that this is a safety issue. Mr. Hunt stated there are a lot of children involved in Mission San Saba, and Storey street is a busy street. There are also delivery trucks coming and going for this event. Mr. Hunt related he has contacted all the neighbors, and they thought it was a good idea. There will be parking on one side of the street only.

Decision: The City Council voted unanimously to approve Ordinance No 2022-02.

2. Discuss and Consider approval of Resolution No. 2022-18, a Resolution of the City of San Saba, Texas, regarding the purchase of a Truck for the Code Enforcement Department.

Mr. Edmonson explained this cost was approved during this budget. The vehicle was ordered in March, and it is finally here.

Decision: City Council voted unanimously to approve Resolution No. 2022-18, regarding the purchase of a truck for the Code Enforcement Department.

3. Consider approving Resolution No. 2022-19, a Resolution of the City of San Saba, Texas, authorizing the submission of an application to the Texas Community Development Block Grant Program-2022 Downtown Revitalization Program and authorizing the Mayor and City Manager as authorized representatives.

Ken Coignet, Vice President of Public Management, addressed the Council on this item. He stated this is a $500,000 grant with a $75,000 match. It could include sidewalks, lighting, ADA modifications, and drainage issues. He noted that 50% of the money must be used for sidewalks.

Decision: The City Council voted unanimously to approve Resolution No. 2022-19, authorizing the submission of application to the Texas Community Development Block Grant Program 2022 Downtown Revitalization Program and authorizing the Mayor and City Manager as the authorized representatives.

4. Consider approving Resolution No. 2022-20, a Resolution of the City of San Saba, Texas, determining that an area of the downtown contains conditions that are detrimental to the community and constitute a slum and blighted area for the 2022 Downtown Revitalization Program Grant application.

Mayor Jordan stated the wording of the grant is unfortunate and may be misleading. Mr. Coignet explained that in our case, “slum and blighted area” means cracked sidewalks and cracks in some buildings. This grant is only for the business district and not residential.

Decision: The City Council voted unanimously to approve Resolution No. 2022-20.

5. Discuss and Consider approval of Ordinance No. 2022-03, an Ordinance of the City of San Saba, Texas, amending Ordinance No. 2017-14 to redesignate Cherokee Street as a Two-Way Street.

Decision: The City Council voted unanimously to approve Ordinance No. 2022-03 redesignating Cherokee Street as a two-way street.

City Manager's Report:

City Manager Edmonson updated the Council on the following items:

Mr. Edmonson, Mayor Jordan, Ms. Maultsby, and Ms. Lindsay visited the splash pad in Brownwood. Mayor Jordan stated it was a good trip and very educational. They learned a lot of do’s and don'ts. Mr. Edmonson stated that even though they were originally thinking about accepting bids on the work, they have found a company, Vortex, that has done great work and comes highly recommended.

On the water tower project, the City is only waiting on a punch-list item which will not affect operations.

The Golf Course’s new greens are coming along.

There was damage again to the Bounce Pad at Mill Pond Park. It was repaired, and then someone peeled off the patch to an earlier repair. It has now been repaired again. The City will mention in their weekly radio program - if you see anything that is suspicious, please call the authorities.

In regards to the American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds, there was a meeting with Jacob Martin about finishing the streets with water lines on some streets.

The EDC parking lot will be resurfaced.

There was another meeting about the future solar eclipse.

There is a continued leak at the Civic Center in the men’s bathroom. Mr. Edmonson has called someone to find a solution.

Mr. Edmonson talked about an Intern Program through Texas A&M Health Center which involves bringing young people to small cities in hopes that they will return to work here after college graduation.

The streets map with changes has been completed.

It was noted that a property with a house that had burned down now has a new owner who is working quickly to get things cleaned up.

The Butcher Shop is to open Wednesday and the Cafe will open two weeks later.

The Daily Mix (smoothies, coffees, teas, etc.) had a soft opening the day of this meeting.

The Filling Station is open Thursday through Saturday.

Mayor Ken Jordan adjourned the meeting at 6:46 p.m.