The West Orange City Council approved Tuesday holding a joint election in May with two other entities. The council agreed to hold elections with the West Orange-Cove School District and the Orange County Navigation and Port District at the West Orange Community Center.
The City of West Orange will be electing three members to the City Council, but there are no contested races according to Mayor Roy McDonald. The council members will all be elected by acclamation which could have allowed West Orange to cancel the election, but the mayor indicates the charter review committee has put four items on the ballot. McDonald stated, “There are simply charter change amendments that need to be settled and the public needs to do it.” (see below)
Incumbent council members Shirley Bonnin, Dale Dardeau, and Mike Shugart will all retain their seats.
A couple from West Orange addressed the City Council last night concerning the actions of their neighbor. Jay and Liz Guidry live on Bonham Street. The Guidrys complained that their neighbor allows his pit bull dogs to run free which they believe is a safety hazard to the neighborhood.
Liz Guidry also complained about an obtrusive fence erected by the neighbor and his spraying an herbicide that killed all her azaleas she planted after Hurricane Ike. Afterwards, they spoke to West Orange Police Chief Mike Stelly who attended the meeting.
Economic Development Corporation (EDC) Executive Director Jessica Hill gave a presentation to the West Orange City Council Tuesday. Hill updated the council on the restructuring of the EDC in the last year which now includes some commercial entities and other new members. Hill showed a brief video she plans to use for promoting Orange County to prospective businesses.
Hill mentioned some economic development in West Orange. An existing business in West Orange is looking to expand, and Hill has been working to identify sites to keep them in West Orange. The business wants to grow to about a hundred thousand square feet. Suez has recently moved to the West Orange area. “They’re currently planning to add a small tank farm to some additional property that they recently purchased,” Hill pointed out.
Tuesday’s meeting was postponed a week from the normal second Monday and the fact that the third Monday was a holiday for President’s Day. March’s monthly City Council meeting in West Orange will be held on the first Monday, March 5.
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The text in black is how the Charter currently reads. What is shown in red is what will be placed on the ballot.
PROPOSED CHARTER AMENDMENTS
(votes shall be “for” or “against”)
ARTICLE IV. OFFICERS AND THEIR ELECTION
Section 6. Judges of Election.
The city council shall be the judge of the election and qualification of its own members and of the mayor, subject to review of the courts in the case of contest. The city council shall, as soon as possible after the election either at a call meeting called for that purpose or at its next regular meeting date of said council, after each regular or special election, canvass the returns pursuant to the Texas Election Code and declare the results of such election.
Shall the sentence in Article IV, Section 6. (Judges of Election) in the City’s Charter which addresses canvassing of an election be amended to read “The city council shall canvass all election returns pursuant to the Texas Election Code, followed by an official declaration of results of said election?”
ARTICLE V. DUTIES AND POWERS OF OFFICERS
Section 11. Judge of the Municipal Court.
The judge of the municipal court shall preside over the municipal court as provided for herein. He shall be a qualified elector and be a resident of the city.
Shall Article V, Section 11 (Judge of the Municipal Court) of the City’s Charter be amended to remove the requirements that the judge must be a resident and qualified elector of the city?
ARTICLE XIII. MISCELLANEOUS.
Section 7. Franchises and Special Privileges
(c) No franchise shall ever be granted until it has been approved by a majority vote of the members elected to the city council, after having been read in full at two (2) regular meetings of the city council, nor shall any such franchise, grant or privilege ever be made unless it provides for adequate compensation or consideration therefore to be paid to the city.
Shall Article XIII. Section 7 ( c ) (Franchises and Special Privileges) of the City’s Charter be amended to remove the requirement of having a franchise application read in full at two meetings before it may be passed?
(e) No franchise grant shall ever be exclusive. (remove entirely)
Shall Article XIII. Section 7 (e) which states that “no franchise grant shall ever be exclusive” be deleted from the City’s Charter?
PROPOSITION
(votes shall be “for” or “against”)
The reauthorization of the local sales and use tax in the City of West Orange, Texas at the rate of ¼% to continue providing revenue for maintenance and repair of municipal streets. The tax expires on the fourth anniversary of the date of this election unless the imposition of the tax is reauthorized.
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