HUTTO CITY COUNCIL
HUTTO — The City Council welcomed two new members and said good-bye to its lone female representative at a special-called meeting Wednesday.
Jim Morris was sworn in to Place 3, filling the unexpired term of Randal Clark. Aaron King took the Place 6 seat on the dais, replacing incumbent Amberley Kolar.
Elections were May 3 and a runoff June 7.
In the runoff, King outpaced Kolar and Jim Morris defeated Cory Denena for Place 3.
“When I first got on council there were three women, then the next year two women and then finally myself, and now zero,” Kolar said in her farewell address.
“If you are a woman in this community ... I ask you to step up and advocate for what you believe in for this community and for the future.”
Morris and King both ran on conservative spending platforms and their candidacies were endorsed by Mayor Mike Snyder.
A full slate of items on the agenda Wednesday ensured the new candidates hit the ground running.
In a three-hour-long discussion, 15 were approved unanimously after spirited input. The other two items were passed by a 5-2 vote.
“I was pleasantly surprised at the cooperative and civil tone of the meeting. I left the meeting feeling positive,” said Mayor Pro Tem Peter Gordon. “The mayor and council member (Evan) Porterfield were able to explain in full detail what they were looking for, which enabled some productive discussions. I fully supported items designed to increase transparency and accountability and to review some policies that either need updating or assurance they’re being followed.”
Snyder said he, too, was pleased by the cooperative spirit.
“I think everyone heard with this election that the public does not want Hutto to continue to grow the way it has been growing, and they want us to prioritize infrastructure and taxes,” Snyder said.
The council, new and old members alike, reached consensus on measures regarding how the city runs, including personnel and transparency, and requiring city staff to bring back a resolution or policy for future approval.
Members on the dais all supported forming an Efficiency and Accountability Commission, which would be filled by community members.
“I heard from a lot of people in the public that wanted to have their concerns better addressed and the idea of a commission came up where they can work and give recommendations,” Snyder said.
“I think it’s a great idea. Citizens can jump in and really ‘see how the sausage is made,’” Gordon added.
City representatives also approved a measure that would eventually allow the public to create an account on the city website and access municipal documents without filing a Freedom of Information Act request.
The measures that passed 5-2 included one regarding the Economic Development Corp. and another directing City Manager James Earp to create the next budget based on a no-new-revenue tax rate and prioritizing infrastructure.
“I think what would help in the future for (the sake of efficiency) is to give the city manager clear direction ahead of time. We don’t need to spin our wheels and waste time. We need to be efficient and get things done,” Porterfield said.
Not everyone agreed. “I think without a budget in front of us, without understanding from the city manager what the needs of the city are, how much those needs are going to cost, this is extremely irresponsible of us to be deciding something like this now,” Councilman Brian Thompson said, adding he intended to vote against the resolution.
Hutto’s new City Council conducted its first meeting on Wednesday including (back row, from left) Mayor Mike Snyder, Mayor Pro Tem Peter Gordon, Jim Morris; (middle row) Dan Thornton; (front row, from left) Aaron King, Evan Porterfield and Brian Thompson. Photo by Edie Zuvanich
