Council issues Bridges requirements for specific changes and a deadline

patBRIDGES — Stephenville City Administrator Pat Bridges.

By RUSSELL HUFFMAN
TheFlashToday.com NEWS & SPORTS – FREE & LOCAL

After more than two hours in executive session Tuesday evening the Stephenville City Council returned from its third “evaluation” of city administrator Pat Bridges.

Bridges has been under fire since dismissing the city’s Director of Planning and Building Services, Judy Miller. The move was not a popular one, with many citizens speaking out in Miller’s favor and several council members upset they were not consulted prior to it happening.

The new hat pretty much says it all after Pat Bridges emerged as the top candidate for the position of Stephenville city administrator. — Pat Bridges was told he needs to make specific changes and that they need to be implemented by a city council imposed deadline.

Several members appeared weary after an executive session that included a good deal of time with just the council. City employees including Bridges, city secretary Cindy Stafford and city attorney Randy Thomas were ordered from the training room.

“After our discussion among the council and agreement with the specific content we met with the city administrator,” Mayor Kenny Weldon said. “We have reached an agreement with some very necessary changes that we are requiring him to implement and have set a time limit for that to be accomplished.”

Weldon was very deliberate in making his announcement and paused a couple of times during his announcement as he appeared to think carefully through his wording.

Mayor Kenny Weldon is seldom at a lose for words, but was very careful and deliberate as he announced actions taken in executive session last night. — Mayor Kenny Weldon is seldom at a loss for words, but was very careful and deliberate as he announced actions taken in executive session Monday night.

“And he (Bridges) has accepted that. So we are in clear agreement and communication about what those expectations are and so…..” After another long pause, Weldon did not finish his statement and Mayor Pro Tem Russ McDanel made a motion to adjourn which was quickly accepted.

Earlier in the evening, Bridges informed the council he was still researching and attempting to get the best value for a recommendation for professional services for a compliance and system analysis for the city’s planning and building services. Recent oversights, missing documents and even missing minutes from a planning and zoning meeting have raised some red flags. One estimate Bridges received had a $28,000 price tag, thus the reason he wanted to seek other options.

In other council business, no one appeared to speak at a public hearing concerning the budget for the fiscal year 2015-16, and the council received great news concerning costs cut and a balanced budget from Finance Director Walter Wood.

Stay plugged into TheFlashToday.com as we detail Wood’s work at saving the city more than $360,000, which is a tremendous help toward the Economic Development Corporation’s estimated $467,000 budget.