Trouble in My Little Town

[theotherwaldo]

It all started when they changed the length of service for the city council members from 3 years to four years - without putting that change in the city's charter.
That got folks hackles up.
Then rumors went around that the FBI and/or the Texas Rangers entered the offices of some un-named official or officials and removed selected papers, lap-tops, hard drives and cell phones.
Next, a city council meeting was called, with agenda items that called for the firing of the city's manager and lawyer.
The council was then served with a restraining order, and the council meeting was abruptly ended in an abrupt way that probably was not following proper procedure.
Meanwhile, it's budget time, the old budget is frozen and in serious deficit, all projects are sliding to a stop and chaos reigns.

I'm glad that my position isn't particularly political...

 

[LiveLife]

Yikes.

 

[theotherwaldo]

Now the gentleman that is both the city's finance officer and the head of human resources is quitting and has already landed a position at a neighboring city.
-And he certainly looks happy about the change...

 

[theotherwaldo]

The restraining order is being extended for another two weeks.
Meanwhile, a departments head budget meeting was called.
Lots of fake smiles, except for the gentleman that's moving on.
His smile is real.
-And my department is the only one that's operating within my budget...

 

[theotherwaldo]

And now, of course, everyone involved is calling everyone else a liar.
Now THIS is entertainment, as long as you are watching from the cheap seats...

 

[theotherwaldo]

The next meeting will be considering funding for the acquisition of bullet-proof vests...

 

[theotherwaldo]

Now they've figured out a way to give us a raise without giving us a raise.
There is something called 'longevity pay' that is guaranteed to all full-time employees on the completion of each year of employment.
The amount in question is $500 per year or roughly $2 per day.
They got around this increase by reducing everyone's base pay by 25 cents per hour... .

 

[LiveLife]

They sure are sneaky/cunning.

 

[theotherwaldo]

The city has finally fired the person that they had moved in to one of my meeting rooms from the police department.
She had been noted for ignoring any rules that she found inconvenient, even trying to turn a non-profit organization into something that brings her money.
When that came to the attention of the chief of police, this person claimed that she was being sexually harassed.
That's how she wound up in my best meeting room.
I'm glad to get the room back...

 

[theotherwaldo]

All of the city fathers went to an out-of-town conference.
During this confab, the head of the Housing Authority got picked up for cocaine possession.
I wound up notarizing my old boss's paperwork that allowed him to step into that job...

 

[theotherwaldo]

-And now one of the city council members has had a stroke.
Tensions are pretty high... .

 

[theotherwaldo]

Well, the city charter was finally updated to accept what the voters wanted for over three years.
According to the local paper,
"In 2021, Donna voters approved of two charter amendment propositions to extend the amount of time that elected officials can serve in office.

Proposition A, which passed by just under 2.6 percentage points, or 733 votes to 695, extended the terms of the mayor and city council from three years to four.

Four-year terms are the longest terms allowed under state law.

Similarly, Proposition B, which passed by an even narrower margin of less than 1.5 percentage points, extended the term of office of municipal judge from three years to four.
A voter-approved charter amendment does not take effect until a governing body “enters an order in the records of the municipality declaring that the … amendment is adopted,” according to Title 2, Chapter 9 of the Texas Local Government Code.

Further, the city must then certify the amendment by sending “an authenticated copy” of the amendment to the Texas Secretary of State, the statute further states.

But somehow, for more than three years — and under the supervision of several different city attorneys — the measures went without being formalized by the city council."

Meanwhile, the current city manager was moved over to manage another department (which already has a manager) and an interim city manager was hired... .