BRENHAM CITY COUNCIL REJECTS BOEKER SETTLEMENT OFFER
(courtesy City of Brenham)
After over an hour in executive session, Brenham City Council voted unanimously to reject the settlement offer from fired Fire Chief Ricky Boeker Wednesday afternoon. Boeker was suddenly fired by City Manager James Fisher on April 7th.
Boecker was originally offered by the city that if he retired April 15th, he would be paid through June 23. The city would also pay 100 percent of his medical insurance costs through the end of the year, 50 percent in 2022, and 25 percent in 2023 and 2024. Boeker had rejected this offer saying he had worked for the city since 2008, and has never had anything negative put in his employment file. He stated that the city should pay him a year’s salary plus retirement and the other things they had offered. The city countered with an offer to pay Boeker though August 18th if he retired April 15th. Boeker never replied to this offer, and it expired April 6th. He was fired by City Manager James Fisher the next day.
As a lot of people are not aware, Texas is an At-Will state. They don’t have to have a reason to let you go. If the city or whoever feels you are not doing a good job, they can let you go-no reason. The fire department is way behind on things, and has been for some time. The good ole boy, or local system has to change. You eventually have to move forward, and with the city growing, things need to change. People are always so afraid of change, but sometimes change is good for the better. Let’s just give it a chance and see what happens. There have been many guys leave the fire department, has anyone asked why they are leaving? Go talk to them and find out. Things always look good on the outside, but most of you people don’t know what is going on in the inside. This change needs to happen.
Having been on the end of an questionable firing… I have to say this settlement offer is suspect, as is Boeker’s firing.
He was fired the day a story about passing state inspection was done.
And what was this new settlement offer? The story refers to the one before he was fired.
I feel there will be a suit over this because when a person has clean reviews for years, but someone then suddenly gets a bad review, one questions the receiving person’s motives.
I say this because I had a new-ish superior do this to me (not in Brenham) to have his top three hires in the top positions. I wound up with the last laugh as HIS boss kept me on two more months at a higher rate – even going down to PT with another job.
Should point out said lower level boss did get his wish… but his hires (who I had to train – and I was OK with it as I respected the good boss) it affected the company for years.
So, the stupid council is going to get tied up in a wrongful lawsuit? Wind up paying way more that if they just settled with him.
Don’t know if they understand? You can’t fire someone in your driveway!!???
The city manger is the one that needs to go!
Everyone PLEASE vote these new candidates in and send a message to the city!!!
It is better to get fired from Forney Tx than Brenham Tx. Especially, back in 2017, sometime in September. I hear Forney Tx gives big payouts even with less than a year of service.
He will still be paid and Brenham taxpayers will be the ones doing it. Never ever should have happened to him. If only Fisher had turned off his water and drained his pipes we wouldn’t be hearing about this. Shame on Mr Fisher.one question “WHY doesn’t our mayor ever have any input?” He knows this was wrong and how Brenham residents would react. The worst mayor we’ve ever had. I don’t know how Tate or Fisher sleep at night. Neither of you are welcome here anymore.
Brenham has a council-manager form of government. The city manager is appointed by city council as an administrator of the city. The mayor is an elected position but is really only a figure head or ribbon cutter. There is no direct accountability from a city manager to the public. If you want to change the city manager, it has to be done by influencing the sitting city council, or by voting for new members of city council who will incite change.
Why was he let go?
How can the city even offer that? If he started in 2008, then he is not eligible to retire until 2028 by TMRS rules. And to offer insurance until 2024? What about the others that lost their job, or even the ones that retire, don’t get it that good. I know someone that got terminated after he was hurt on the job, but could not make it back to work within the city’s rules and policies, and they didn’t get that offer. City seems to do what they want, when they want. No consistency whatsoever. City should go back and offer all the others that left, by termination or retirement and offer the same deal. What a joke!
I have a feeling there is a bunch of lies on the City side of things.
What a mess. A Big black eye for the City of Brenham.