City appoints Linden 2025 committee members

By Bobby Horn Jr.

Sun Editor

LINDEN-- During the December city council meeting, a committee was created to oversee implementation of “Linden 2025” (a 10-year civic improvement plan) and make regular reports to council.

In making the motion to create the committee, Alderman Sue Lazara specified its make-up as “1.) city administrator (as non-voting chair), 2.) two members appointed by council, 3.) two members appointed by the LEDC, 4.) two members appointed by the Linden Heritage Foundation, 5.) two at-large members appointed by the members listed in #2,3,4 above.”

That committee is now starting to come together.

City Administrator Bob Swisher said that that Kay Stephens, Carla Surratt, Catherine Knapp and Ruth Halleck had already been appointed. The LEDC appointed Stephens and Surratt while the foundation chose Knapp and Halleck.

City Council also named its two members to the committee, but not without some heated discussion.

Swisher noted that in order to avoid “Open Meeting Act” complications, he recommended that only one more member of the committee be a sitting member of council since Halleck is also a council member.

Under the Texas Open Meeting Act, anytime a quorum of a governmental body wishes to meet, 72-hour written notice must be given. According to the Act, “(a) quorum of a public body is a majority of the number of members fixed by statute.” 

Swisher recommended that Mayor Clarence Burns be one of the council’s selections because of his background. Alderman Mike Berry was also nominated.

This nomination sparked a conversation about Burns’ eligibility to serve on the committee. Lazara said that since Burns had the authority to vote in the event of a tie, she believed that legally he was a voting-member of council and it would cause Open Meeting issues. Swisher countered that he contacted the Texas Municipal League and was told that Burns did not quality as a voting member.

Lazara disagreed and nominated Jeanie Stephens to the committee. In order to avoid complications, Berry said he would remove his name from consideration.  Alderman Kenny Hamilton said that he wanted to see something in writing from the state which would settle the matter.

In a series of individual votes, Stevens and Burns were appointed to the committee.

Request for Proposal

Joe B. Lovelace, representing the Linden Heritage Foundation, submitted a Request for Proposal (or RFP) to the council. Once accepted by council, the foundation can then provide the RFP to potential investors for the firehouse and/or the 1934 water tower.

Lazara made the motion to accept the RFP. Her motion was “(I) move to approve this RFP plan as submitted, but to add the legal description of the recent firehouse deed of conveyance to the Linden Heritage Foundation and the final legal description and plat of the remaining city ownership in Lot 5, Block 2 Linden OT, in order to more fully describe the land available to development under this RFP.”

Lazara said it was important that the legal descriptions be added so that potential investors would have as much information as possible when making their decisions.