January 28, 2016 - During the January 25, 2016 meeting of the Tenaha City Council, Mayor Orinthia Johnson announced he would not be seeking re-election as mayor this election. The announcement was not something which was on the agenda, and although it appeared the mayor already had an announcement prepared, it seemed the announcement was possibly spurred forward by one councilman suggesting leadership was absent and another not trusting his ability to handle additional financial responsibility.
During conversations over strife between city department heads, Councilman Tommy Rinkle stated he believed some of those issues were Johnson's fault and were due to a lack of leadership. When discussion was had during the meeting in reference to increasing the purchasing threshold of Mayor Johnson for necessities of the city, Rinkle suggested it be raised to $1,500 while Councilwoman Natalie Harris preferred the amount to not exceed $750, to which Johnson took to mean there was a level of distrust in his ability.
"So, y'all think I can't make good decisions about if we spend? I know common sense of coming to the council," said Johnson.
A motion made by Michael Baker seconded by Tommy Rinkle, carried and was approved allowing the mayor discretion of approving purchases of $750 to $1,500. Rinkle then made a motion, in reference to paragraph 2 of 2.11 purchasing, to raise the limit from $25 to $500 to read "$2,500 to $750." This is a motion which may need to be corrected at the next council meeting.
Claudine Howard, representing the Tenaha Economic and Development Committee (EDC), addressed the council and asked that they consider the recommendation of the EDC to accept the offer of $250,000 from BNSF for the closure of Railroad Street, which according to Howard would be paid within 45 days. There was the possibility if the city waited until 2018, the receipt of $300,000 was possible; however, according to Howard the mediator of the deal suggested this was a risk and might leave the city receiving nothing if they were to wait.
Following a brief discussion of the available options a motion carried and was approved to accept the $250,000 offer.
Tenaha City Marshal Jimmy Wagstaff gave his report for the City Marshal's office. He stated the total number of citations for November and December is 173, and 30 calls for service. Rinkle asked about an update on break-ins which have been occurring recently in Tenaha as he heard someone had been apprehended. Wagstaff confirmed an individual was arrested in Longview and it's believed the individual could be part of the break-ins, but there was not 100% proof at the time of the meeting.
Stacy Cranford gave the report from the water department and he updated the council on the alleged violations against the city regarding the water system. A letter was received from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) stating no further action is required concerning the investigation. Cranford explained this letter was the product of the last inspection of the water department by TCEQ.
A second letter from TCEQ, referencing the reason Cranford was hired after the city had been penalized over $38,000, stated the only remaining issue is the city must have three consecutive months of discharge monitoring reports reflecting compliance at the wastewater plant. Cranford stated once the wastewater plant reached that point, the inspector can begin the process of closing the case.
Cranford gave a report on loss of water for the city, in the month of October, the city was showing a loss of 6 million gallon loss per month of water. By November the city was able to cut that back to 3.4 million and in December 2.9 million. Cranford stated he feels part of the reflected loss can be attributed to metering issues.
Two issues which were to be discussed in executive session under personnel matters were the weekly hours of Judge Jenny Hicks and an "incident" of January 14, 2016. When the council returned from executive session into the main meeting room, before the council returned to open session, Clark questioned Rinkle the result of the council's discussion of the incident as she expected to be included on the discussion. Rinkle stated the council did not discuss the incident because the other party was not present.
Agenda items approved include: 1. Accept the $250,000 offer from BSNF for Railroad Street closure. 2. Minutes from the regular meeting held on November 16, 2015. 3. October 19, 2015 meeting minutes correction. 4. Financial Statements for the months of November and December 2015. 5. Permit KSA to study the City’s WWTP capability to receive the Pilgrim’s Pride feed mill waste stream. 6. Authorize Elizabeth Swint to participate in collections for the Municipal Court. 7. Rate of pay amendment to pay for overtime, over 40. 8. Non-hourly employees to turn in time sheets. 9. Update the water deposit process applied to water customer accounts that have been turned off. In the event a customer water meter is cut off they have to get current with deposit rates. Tabled: 1. Establish PO process to comply with handbook.
