NEWS
City of Bowie budget talks open hot
By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
No sooner had the City of Bowie budget proposal hit the city council table Thursday did the fireworks begin as Councilor Arlene Bishop told City Manager Bert Cunningham he was wrong to send out an email indicating employee salaries were “confidential” when they are “public records.”
The city council met for a noon called meeting Thursday with the budget leading the agenda.
Cunningham, on the job for just a few months, handed out copies of his notes on the budget telling the panel “two rookies put it together.” He noted Carrie Moore, finance director had done a wonderful job and a judgment of his work would have to come later.
“We’ve already found some things that are going to change. Please study it, and I expect a lot of changes. This is your opportunity to set the path for the city during the next year,” Cunningham said.
As the council looked at the notes, Bishop asked since when have salaries become confidential information as she held up papers and looked directly at Cunningham. She said he sent an email with the salary information and said it was confidential.
The city manager said he just didn’t want her to “disseminate it to everyone in the world,” because it is the personal information of the employees.
Read the full story in the weekend News.
City of Bowie officials were on hand to inspect the emergency electrical generators that were delivered last week.
Mayor Gaylynn Burris and City Manager Bert Cunningham inspected one of three emergency electrical generators purchased as part of an ongoing Federal Emergency Management Agency Hazard Mitigation Grant. They also talked with Jay Evans, head of the city electric department, and Jerry Sutton, director of the water treatment plant about the next step for installation of the generators.
This grant provides funding for one 150 kW and two 250 kW generators for use at the water treatment plant.
Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.
City Manager Bert Cunningham and Mayor Gaylynn Burris talk with the electric and water department staff about the new generators. (Photo by Cindy Roller)
No action was taken on a legal issue after members of the Bowie City Council met in a called closed session at 4 p.m. on July 12.
City Secretary Sandy Page said the council met for almost one hour for “consultation with attorney – Midwest Waste Services LLC vs. City of Bowie.
This lawsuit goes back to August 2019 when Midwest sued the city for its action requiring those who receive city water outside the city limits to use the designated waste collector, which is Waste Connections. This was shortly after the city signed a new long-term contract with WC.
The suit was dismissed in June 2020 on two points in the suit, but City Manager Bert Cunningham said a third point remained in mediation.
The Department of Public Safety has provided information on an auto vs. motorcycle accident that reportedly occurred on July 4.
James Lee Hilton, Nocona, was driving a 2019 Harley-Davidson motorcycle and Daniel Parra, Chico, was driving a 2018 Ford Fiesta. Both vehicles were north on State Highway 101 outside Sunset with the motorcycle behind the car.
Parra was attempting to turn left on Farm-to-Market Road 2265 when the motorcyclist attempted to unsafely pass to the left states the report. The bike struck the left side of the Fiesta. Both vehicles came to rest off the roadway on the northwest corner of SH 101 and FM 2265.
Hilton was transported to Denton Medical City with
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