Members of the Houston City Council in a special meeting Monday approved changes to two city ordinances that clarify employment of the city administrator and suspension of any city elected official.
It first added the word “elective” before “officers” related to suspension of city officials — in Section 2-50 (c).
The second city ordinance (amending Section 2-89) deals with the office of city administrator and allows termination to occur with four council votes.
The latter now reads, “The City Administrator shall serve at the pleasure of Board of Alderman. The Mayor may, with the consent of a majority of all members elected to the board of aldermen, remove the City Administrator from office at will and the City Administrator may be so removed by a two-third (2/3) vote of all the members elected to the Board of Aldermen, independently of the Mayor’s approval or recommendation.”
Mayor Pro Tem Don Romines presided over the meeting in the absence of Mayor Willy Walker who had a family obligation.
Romines said both will allow the city to be consistent with what is already on the state’s books.
Ward I Alderman Sam Kelley wondered what the rush was to implement the suspension issue. Ward II Alderman Michael Weakly said he had checked other towns and found nothing similar on the books. Romines responded he wanted the city to follow state law.
On the first round vote, it passed 5-1 (Kelley no). On the second and final reading, the vote was 4-2 (Kelley and Weakly both saying they wanted to do more research before voting no)
On the matter related to the administrator’s employment that first went on the books in the mid-’80s, the vote passed 5-1 on both readings (Kelley voting no). Romines admitted he was probably on the board at the time it was placed on the books originally, but he wanted to bring the city in compliance with current state law.
The council’s next meeting is 6:30 p.m. Monday at Houston City Hall.