NEWS
Legal issues top Bowie City Council meetings
By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
The Bowie City Council took no action on a pair of executive session topics this week involving legal consultation on a personnel issue and a lawsuit.
A called meeting took place at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 9, just prior to the regularly scheduled 6 p.m. meeting. The agenda listed consultation with an attorney regarding the termination of Randy Hanson.
The veteran Bowie police officer was released on Sept. 6, 2022 for what was called “a violation of city policy.”
Neither Police Chief Guy Green or City Manager Bert Cunningham would elaborate on the release. Hanson had been with the department since January 2013 and was a lieutenant in the criminal investigation division.
Hanson filed a grievance with the city following the termination. Per city policy, a grievance committee was formed. City Manager Bert Cunningham recused himself due to family connections. Finance Director Pamela Woods and Public Works Director Stony Lowrance handled the process along with three other employees.
The manager explained Hanson wants to be paid for the time he didn’t work (the period between his termination and the hearing) and he also wants to have his F5 status on his police officer certification changed from general to honorable.
Cunningham said the committee upheld the firing. Hanson now is moving forward with an F5 hearing and also continues the push to be paid. That hearing is expected to be scheduled very soon.
The council also received an update on the McCarn vs. City of Bowie on the lakefront property on the Bowie Reservoir site of Amon Carter. No action was taken on either executive session item.
Read the full story on the council meeting in the weekend Bowie News.
A major crash on East Wise in front of the Second Monday parking on July 11 shut down traffic for several hours in the morning and sent two people to the Bowie emergency room.
The accident occurred at 9:53 a.m. Thursday at 1616 E. Wise involving a large sign installation truck and an SUV.
Briana Rollison, Bowie, was driving a 2001 Ford Expedition east in the 1600 block of E. Wise and the large truck from Turner Signs System of Richland Hills was traveling west on East Wise driven by Joshua Thompson.
The preliminary accident report states Thompson lost control of the vehicle crossing the double yellow line striking the SUV in front of the Parker Properties and Farm Services Building. The SUV was knocked into the ditch and later made it back on the roadway.
The truck rolled on the passenger side and slid about 50-100 feet west of the incident location. Skid marks from the truck were observed to start approximately 300-350 feet east of the crash location.
See the full story in the weekend Bowie News.
By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
Bowie City Councilors this week got their first look at the 2024-25 proposed budget seeing a balanced plan with a total operational budget of $23,296,885 in expenses, which is a little more than $1.4 million above the previous year’s budget.
Mayor Gaylynn Burris said Monday night the budget looks “eerily familiar” to last year, despite adding a few equipment purchases. City Manager Bert Cunningham said he had already slashed more than $300,000 from the department requests in order to get a balanced budget.
The utility fund is balanced with expenses of $12,595,995 and revenues projected at $12,601,000. In the general fund revenues are projected at $10,705,568 with expenses at $10,700,890. Total budget expenses are $23,296,885 and overall revenue projected at $23,306,568. Cunningham said it leaves a small margin to set forth a balanced budget.
Read the full story in the weekend Bowie News.
Top photo: New chip and seal was laid on Elba and Lamb this week repairing well-worn roads near the Nelson/Mill drainage project. (Photo by Barbara Green)
By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
Few additional details have been released in connection with the Tuesday theft arrest of 97th District Attorney Casey Hall, and in a statement to the media the DA called the allegations “unfounded.”
The Montague County Grand Jury issued an indictment for Hall following the presentation of evidence in the case Monday by Assistant Attorney General Matthew Shawhan. The indictment is the result of an investigation initiated by county officials.
The indictment is for theft of property $2,500-$30,000 in value. Sheriff Marshall Thomas served the arrest warrant Tuesday afternoon. Justice of the Peace Two Jack Pigg arraigned Hall at the jail after her arrest at 2:33 p.m. She was released on $5,000 bond, which was set by retired District Judge Jack McGaughey on Monday.
Read the full story in the weekend Bowie News.
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