BRENHAM CITY COUNCIL DISCUSSES POTENTIAL CHARTER AMENDMENTS TO TERM LIMITS, COUNCIL PAY, ORDINANCE READINGS

  

Brenham City Councilmembers held a work session on Thursday to debate on proposed changes to the city’s charter document ahead of a possible charter amendment election next May.

No action was taken, but the council gave its thoughts on potential adjustments to several aspects of the charter, including term limits for councilmembers, what serving members are paid, and how many readings are required for an ordinance to go into effect. 

First up for discussion was council term limits.  Members currently serve four-year terms, but are not restricted on how many terms they can serve in office.  However, the consensus among the councilmembers was that term limits could be positive, and several indicated that a three-term limit – or 12 years – would be a favorable number. 

City Secretary Jeana Bellinger noted that unexpired terms would not count towards that total, so councilmembers who are appointed to fill those terms serve longer than 12 years.  She also said further consideration will be needed to determine, upon passage of a charter amendment, if the 12-year timer would start retroactively for current councilmembers or once the winners of the May 2025 council election take office.

Next up was the salaries paid to serving councilmembers.  Presently, the mayor receives $275 per month, while councilmembers are paid $225 per month.  The city has not raised the council’s compensation since 1993.

Data presented by Bellinger showed that currently, the city falls below what several cities of comparable size to Brenham pay its councils per month.  Examples given included:

• Addison (population 17,012) - $800 for the mayor and $400 for councilmembers;
• Bay City (population 17,882) - $600 for the mayor and $300 for councilmembers;
• Kerrville (population 23,831) - $500 for the mayor and $250 for councilmembers;
• Manor (population 18,285) - $875 for the mayor and $625 for councilmembers;
• Boerne (population 19,019) - $200 for the mayor and $150 for councilmembers;
• Seagoville (population 18,805) - $30 to all members on a per-meeting basis. 

After debate, the council seemed to be agreeable to doubling the existing pay, which would make the compensation $550 per month for the mayor and $450 per month for the council.  Councilmember Albert Wright gave a reminder that this increase would need to be approved by voters before going into effect, so it is possible that the pay scale in place now would remain, should the public not be in favor. 

Lastly, the council talked about the possibility of reducing the number of times an ordinance must be read before it is passed from two readings to one.  Of the six aforementioned cities, four of them only require an ordinance to be read one time. 

The discussion on ordinance readings was mixed, as councilmembers had varying opinions.  Some were in favor of reducing to one reading in order to speed up the process for certain items that could be considered routine, while others preferred the stronger checks and balances that two readings allow for.  Ultimately, the group asked for more time to consider before providing a recommendation. 

Also at Thursday’s meeting, the council recognized and thanked Debbie Gaffey for her years of service in the City of Brenham as the General Manager of Public Utilities.  City Manager Carolyn Miller said Gaffey originally planned to retire in 2021, but she decided to stay on for a few more years. 

A retirement ceremony for Gaffey will be held on May 30^th from 4 to 6 p.m. in Morriss Hall at The Barnhill Center.  The ceremony is open to the public.

In other business, the council:

• Consulted with the city attorney in executive session concerning a demand letter and notice of contemplated litigation received by the city.  Councilmembers will also discuss the Brenham Municipal Airport.  No action was scheduled to be taken. 
• Approved two professional services agreements between the city and Strand Associates for engineering services, one for chlorine room upgrades at the surface water treatment plant, and the other for the Industrial Boulevard pumping station replacement project.  The cost for the engineering agreements is not to exceed $22,600 for the surface water treatment plant and no more than $70,000 for the pumping station.
• Approved a resolution between the city and TxDOT for the temporary closure of state right-of-way in connection with the Hot Nights, Cool Tunes summer concert series in downtown Brenham, to be held on July 6, 13, 20 and 27.
• Approved a municipal maintenance agreement between the city and TxDOT for the maintenance, control, supervision and regulation of state highways within city limits.  Public Works Director Dane Rau said some language has changed from the previous document in 2009, but the duties and responsibilities remain the same.
• Accepted a bid for mowing, maintenance and clean-up services for various city buildings, public properties and parking lot areas.  Gene’s Services was the lowest bidder at a maximum of $158,096 annually for three years, with the option for two one-year renewals.
• Accepted a bid from Miller Bros. for $44,813 for a gas main line pressure test.
• Appointed members to serve on the Brenham Community Projects Fund Board of Directors.  The board oversees the activities of the fund, which provides a process for the city to receive, accept, hold, invest, reinvest or administer gifts.  According to City Secretary Jeana Bellinger, the board has met twice since its inception in 2016.  Mayor Atwood Kenjura and Councilmembers Clint Kolby and Adonna Saunders were appointed.

Click here to view the agenda packet for Thursday's meeting.