At Monday night’s meeting of the Rockdale Municipal Development District, the board voted to name Uryan Nelson of the Central Texas Council of Governments as the district’s interim manager and then later after an executive session charged him with firing the current executive assistant for the district.
Earlier in the meeting, MDD board President Michelle Larkin read a prepared statement detailing why the members were about to act on 25 items that the board had taken action on last year:
“I would like to take a moment to make a comment about this agenda item number 5.A. The agenda item number 5.A. in today’s agenda is in response to a lawsuit currently pending against the City of Rockdale, Texas as well as the Rockdale Municipal Development District. Kara Clore has filed a lawsuit against the City of Rockdale, Texas and the Rockdale Municipal Development District alleging violations of the Open Meetings Act. The Rockdale Municipal Development District as well as the City of Rockdale, Texas wholly deny those allegations and have filed such proper denials with the court. The Rockdale Municipal Development District’s position is that any of the actions challenged by Ms. Clore were proper and in full compliance of the Texas Open Meetings Act and that Ms. Clore’s claims are without merit.
“Out of an abundance of caution, and as recommended by the Texas Attorney General when an action is challenged, the Rockdale Municipal Development District will again consider the agenda items that are being challenged and take any action as necessary effective as of today. Today’s actions on agenda item 5.A. are simply to once again consider and approve the challenged actions. The actions were proper when they were originally considered and approved.”
“With that statement, we will proceed to consider agenda item 5.A. and any actions taken on this agenda item will be effective as of the time of the action,” Larkin said.
Then the board voted to reapprove actions it had taken in meetings last year prior to a Nov. 16 temporary restraining order stopping it from acting on behalf of the development district. The order was issued after Clore’s attorneys had sought a due-process hearing in October.
The board voted Monday night to hold a due-process hearing for Clore on March 11 at 5:30 p.m.
Clore, was contacted Monday night after the meeting and responded Tuesday saying that no one from the MDD board or city had yet told her of the hearing.
Larkin, under the advisement of her attorney had no further comments about the board’s actions concerning the lawsuit filed by Clore.
Rhonda Wagner, who was the MDD executive assistant, was contacted by cellphone, but did not respond by The Reporter’s deadline.
Mayor John King read a similar statement during the City Council meeting that preceded the MDD meeting. The only difference was the agenda item number in the statement.
The council then voted to reappoint Belinda Hillhouse, Jason Barcak, Doug Calame, Larkin, Richard Coppedge, Denise Wallace and King to the MDD board as it had done in September of last year when it recalled six of the seven board members and replaced them with council members.
Lin Perry, who is currently filling the council seat that Calame held, chose to abstain on the vote since he was not on the council at the time when the action first occurred.
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