Chaos unfolds at Von Ormy commissioners meeting

VON ORMY – An indignant crowd, a arguable town worker, a failed try to go the cheap, or even an arrest have been a part of a chaotic Von Ormy Board of Commissioners meeting Thursday morning.

The mayor and two town commissioners of the small town in Southwest Bexar County were scheduled to vote at the town funds and tax price following a public listening to at the municipal construction. However, a subject matter with the timing of required public notices supposed the vote used to be not on time for at least the second one time.

Dozens of citizens – lots of them indignant with City Administrator Valerie Naff – accrued for the meeting. But with town’s police division imposing a 35-person capability at the construction, maximum have been left out of doors and needed to cycle via as house changed into to be had.

One lady used to be taken out in handcuffs earlier than may just input the construction. A Von Ormy police lieutenant stated she used to be arrested for disrupting the meeting.

The crowd inside of used to be vocal and overtly hostile towards Naff, who sat at the desk with the board.

Several other people wore shirts studying “no salary for Valerie” and “keep Von Ormy tax free” in connection with the cheap proposal town administrator had put ahead, which has since been changed by means of one from Mayor Casey Homer.

Homer, who has clashed with Naff and the 2 different commissioners at the board, began Thursday’s meeting by means of expressing his frustration with the setup.

The board had already run into equivalent capability problems throughout a Sept. 28 try to meet concerning the funds, he stated, and “we all said we’re going to reschedule for next Thursday (Oct. 5) at the blue building with the higher occupancy threshold.”

“What changed between Thursday (Sept. 28), 8 p.m. and Friday (Sept. 29) at 5:12, less than 24 hours later, where I was informed that the two commissioners wanted to hold this meeting Wednesday morning in this location?” Homer requested.

The board heard public feedback from a number of other people earlier than going into an government consultation in the back of closed doorways. Afterward, Homer introduced they may now not continue with the general public listening to at the funds and tax price as a result of there had now not been 10 days’ understand.

The board, which is constituted of Homer and two commissioners, agreed to fulfill at a bigger within reach construction on Oct. 20 to check out every other vote at the funds.

The town funds has been a up to date supply of frustration for citizens within the famously property-tax-free town. Instead, town is determined by gross sales tax, franchise tax, fines and charges for income.

Naff filed the cheap proposal on Aug. 28 that integrated each an $80,000 wage for herself and a estate tax price of 66.95 cents according to $100 of estate price – sufficient to herald $470,000.

The town administrator stated the $80,000 determine were integrated within the proposal since the board had regarded as a demand that she and the police leader most effective paintings for town. They don’t seem to be these days bearing in mind that restriction.

Naff stated she these days makes about $57,000 via her paintings at town and will get to $80,000 via running a facet task.

“So, you know, if you want to do that, you know you’re going to pay me the difference. So that was in the original budget. But again, it wasn’t finalized. It was just for the numbers,” Naff instructed .

“It was just a conversation,” she stated later within the interview. “It was just to see if the numbers were even possible. But you have to publish it, right? You publish the highest and you come down from that.”

As for the implementation of a tax price, Naff stated there were worry from commissioners over whether or not town may just quilt the front-end prices associated with a $3 million sewer grant it won from Bexar County.

The town should spend cash by itself first earlier than the county will reimburse it the use of American Rescue Plan Act budget. Commissioners have been first of all involved concerning the town’s skill to borrow cash to hide the ones prices with no estate tax.

“It wasn’t approved or anything. It was just, we’re going to post it at this level,” Naff stated. “And the commissioners can choose any level, including zero, whatever they decide. Ultimately, they have decided to go with the 0% tax rate for our ad valorem taxes. But I think a lot of these people don’t understand that that’s what it was.”

Homer stated it used to be fallacious for Naff to position ahead the cheap and tax proposal and instructed he used to be the “state-designated budget officer” for town. He has since had Naff take away her authentic proposal and exchange it with his own.

Homer, who stated the administrator place is a up to date addition, didn’t come with any cash for the placement in his funds proposal. His plan additionally saved the valuables tax price at $0.

After pronouncing the extend at the funds vote, the board met in the back of closed doorways to listen to efficiency evaluations of Naff and Police Chief Lionel Perez Jr.

Though a dialogue of whether or not to take away Naff or dissolve her place fully, according to a citizen petition, used to be additionally at the council’s time table Thursday, the board declined to take it up.

Homer instructed {that a} fresh board vote method he isn’t allowed to make motions or vote throughout a meeting until there’s a tie between the opposite two commissioners. Though he requested for a movement to dissolve the administrator place, each commissioners, Sabastian “Sammy” Martinez and Ramon Guzman Jr., stayed silent.

The approval and signing of employment contracts for Naff and Perez additionally went undiscussed throughout the meeting. Homer stated the board must go the cheap first.