Citizen voices  concern over Council flipping on Freedom Act vote

By Kyle Mooty

LPR Editor

The Lockhart Freedom Act, Proposition A on the Nov. 5 ballot, was voted in favor with 78 percent by residents. After hearing of possible lawsuits from Texas Attorney General, Ken Paxton, to cities choosing not to fully enforce state law, the council reconsidered and voted 4-3 against including the Freedom Act in its City Charter during its Dec. 3 meeting of the Lockhart City Council.

At the Dec. 17 meeting of the City Council, Pat Stroka voiced his displeasure with the council’s actions.

“Council voted on Dec. 3, and it passed, then went into closed session on their urging by the city attorney,” Stroka said. “After the closed session was concluded, and contrary to Robert’s Rules of order, council revisited the earlier vote and Proposition A was defeated.

“Of the many things council should rely on with their city attorney, one of them is making sure the council operates in a way that gives no impression of acting improperly. Another is knowledge of the rules of order. To me, it seems obvious that Mr. (City Attorney, Brad) Bullock’s initial attempt to kill this item by watering it down into many different items, and when that failed, it seems like he wanted to give it one more try. He did this by advising you to act in a way that didn’t follow established rules of order. The path you followed to vote this down, certainly appeared deceptive and improper from the view of nearly 70 percent of citizens who voted in favor of this. Based on the way Prop A was handled by the city, I certainly don’t have confidence that your current city attorney is the right individual for this position. This whole thing stinks. He asked the council to revisit the item at the next council meeting.”

Mayor Lew White asked if the City Charter was mandated “anywhere in the City Charter” for city council to follow Robert’s Rules of Order.

Mayor White asked Bullock if it was stated in Lockhart’s City Charter if city council was mandated to follow Robert’s Rules of Order.

Bullock advised the city had adopted Robert’s Rules of Order as a guideline, but added it was not a statutory requirement.

“That night, (City Manager) Steve Lewis and I consulted, and the copy of the rules specifically provide for reconsideration. For any item that has once been considered, a member of the body may make a motion for reconsideration.”

A statement is being worked on by the City of Lockhart for its actions on the council’s vote and re-vote on Prop A and should be available before the Christmas holiday.

In other business:

* Council confirmed the reappointment of Worlanda Neal to a 3-year term on the Civil Service Commission. She has previously served on the commission for 18 years.

* Councilmember Juan Mendoza has reached his 10-year limit as a member on the board of Community Action, Inc. of Central Texas, and Mayor Pro Tem Angie Gonzales-Sanchez has agreed to join the board as the City of Lockhart’s representative.

* The city will have live Christmas tree recycling through the end of January. The Public Works Department can be notified at 512-398-6452. It requests to have all ornaments, lights, and other attachments cleared from the tree, which can be placed on the curb.

* Councilmember John Castillo asked the Public Works Department if it could put arrows on the one-way streets (with the Downtown Revitalization Project) because, he said, some people were continuing to drive the wrong way.

“It’s just an aid for some as we go through the construction,” Castillo said. “It may provide a safer driving experience downtown.”

* * *

The city’s 2024 Comprehensive Plan has been published online and the report as well as its appendices can be viewed at can be viewed by visiting www.lockhart-tx.org/page/2024CompPlan.