The City Council in Bridge City met together for the first time since the Coronavirus pandemic at the Community Center Tuesday night. The Community Center allowed for more social distancing than the Council Chamber at the City Hall.
The main order of business was approving the tax rate for next year. A public hearing on the tax rate was held prior to the start of the regular meeting. There was a time for citizens to comment, but none did, either in person or via teleconference.
The City Council unanimously approved the tax rate for next fiscal year of $0.54058 per $100.00 valuation. This represented a slight decrease in the current tax rate for Bridge City.
Being the last meeting of the current fiscal year, the council took care of other business. Appointments were made to fill the few positions that were expected to be vacant on four boards and commissions for the city.
The contract with the Bridge City Police Association was approved effective October 1, 2020 through September 30, 2021. City Manager Jerry Jones said changes were minimal from the existing contract with the police.
The Orange County Hazard Mitigation Action Plan was amended by the City Council. Jones indicated one change would be the digging of a new water well for Bridge City will be moved from Sunnyside to another location.
Approval was given to apply for a Community Development Mitigation Block Grant. This will allow for the posting to begin the 14-day public comment period as required by the Texas General Land Office.
Final action by the City Council was to extend the Emergency Declarations of Local Disaster for the COVID-19 pandemic and for Hurricane Laura. Both disaster declarations were extended for another 30 days.
Mayor David Rutledge thanked the Bridge City community for its response in its reaction to Laura. “The citizens stepped up and did everything that they needed to do. They took care of themselves, they took care of each other again, and it was a good thing to see that our community is still a cohesive community and just neighbors helping neighbors here. I can’t tell you how much that does my heart good to see that, so I want to thank all the citizens of Bridge City for weathering through this storm,” Rutledge praised.
-Dan Perrine, KOGT-
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