The Brownfield City Council met Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022, and it was a quick meeting. The top agenda item was for the Council to approve the interim fire chief, police chief, and parks & recreation director. Brownfield City Manager Jeff Davis asked BPD Chief Tony Sewrbantez, BFRD Chief Dennis Rowe, and P&R Director Scott Jackson to give their recommendations of who they feel should be in the interim positions.
Chief Tony Serbantez wrote:
“I am recommending Lt. Rene Siller to be acting Chief of Police after my departure with the Brownfield Police Dept. I believe Lt. Siller has the years of experience, maturity and Law enforcement background to operate and lead the department. You will find him willing to work with others without hesitation.”
Chief Dennis Rowe wrote:
Recommendation for Captain Brit Shaw for the position of Interim Fire Chief. “I, Dennis Rowe the current Fire Chief/Fire Marshal for the City of Brownfield, would recommend Brit Shaw for the interim position as my replacement as Fire Chief after my retirement date of December 30, 2022. Brit is fully capable of running the department after my departure. She has the knowledge of all the departmental, fire and rescue policies and procedures. I have full confidence that Captain Brit Shaw would perform in a professional manner.”
P&R Director Scott Jackson wrote:
“In respect to naming an Interim Director of Parks & Recreation, I formally recommend Steven Martinez for the position. Steven has been Foreman of Parks for approximately three years and during that time has done an exemplary job of maintaining the City parks. I believe that he would continue to do good work for the City as Interim Director.”
Rowe and Jackson will be retiring at the end of 2022 and Serbantez will begin his new role as Terry County Judge on January 1, 2023. The Council unanimously approved each interim.
Next on the agenda was to hear from the city inspector Israel Limon on the fourth-quarter reports. Limon also had the full fiscal year reports as well. During the fourth quarter of the 2021-2022 fiscal year in July 2022, there were a total of 31 permits issued, 10 for electric, one for HVAC, and 20 for plumbing. There were a total of 33 permits issued in August 2022 with two being electrical, one for HVAC, and 30 for plumbing. In September 2022 there were 33 total permits issued with five for electrical and 28 for plumbing. For the 2021-2022 fiscal year, a total of 326 permits were issued, 84 for electrical, nine for HVAC, and 233 for plumbing.
The Council moved on to the quarterly report for Parks and Recreation. Director Scott Jackson was unable to attend, so the upcoming interim director Steven Martinez had the opportunity to give the P&R reports. The amphitheater and Party House are open for business. They will be painting both facilities while continuing to be open to the public. Brownfield Family Aquatic Center is closed for the season, all repairs have been completed. At the Coleman Park playground & skate park, all equipment has been inspected and is in working condition. The Skate Park is inspected and open to the public. At the Fitness Park, all equipment is inspected and open to the public. The Gillham pPond Playground equipment has been inspected and is in working condition and the pond is open to the public. The Street Department helped fix entrances and exits damaged from the rain and flooding. Hamilton Park, Jake Geron Park, and Judge Rhyne Trail are open to the public. At Cactus Park, all playground equipment has been inspected and is in working condition. Raul Franco Softball Field is also open to the public. At the ISF prison they are currently shredding, disking, removing signs, and removing tumbleweeds from the area. At Coleman Field, Ryegrass has been planted for the winter months.
The Council then approved funding for the Terry County Heritage Museum through the Hotel Occupancy Tax Funds (HOT Funds) for $5000.00. The Terry County Heritage Museum has requested funds for historical preservation and operational expenses from January 1, 2023, through December 30, 2023, in the amount of $5,000.00. Funds in the amount of $5,000.00 are budgeted annually from the Hotel Occupancy Tax Revenue Fund.
Next, the Council approved a request for funding from Jeremy Franco in the amount of $3,000.00 to host the 2nd Annual Turkey Trot Softball Tournament on November 12-13, 2022. The approval from the Council is the post-funding report for the 2nd half of funding for the tournament in the amount of $1,500.00.
The Council also granted permission for Davis to place a “moratorium” on the acceptance, agreements, permitting, and approvals necessary for distributed generation within the City of Brownfield until the requirements for interconnection and parallel interconnection and/or parallel operation are established. This moratorium or stoppage of agreements has to do with solar energy companies selling solar energy and solar panels in the City of Brownfield until the City Attorney and the Council can draft a new ordinance for future sales of solar energy.
The Council went into executive session and took no action. Councilmen Isaiah Bautista, Micheal Tackitt, and JC Tijerina were not present at the meeting. The next meeting is slated for January 5, 2022 at 7:30 am in the Council Chambers at City Hall.
