[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6382244,"mediaKeyId","2127366-4f18aab74f9b4c527d81d2e910246485","parentId",2127366,"title","Keene council appoints city attorney, rejects GPS tracking and time clocks; military leave updated","audioSeconds",671,"startMs",15385000,"endMs",16056000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2127366-4f18aab74f9b4c527d81d2e910246485&start=15385&end=16056","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2127366-4f18aab74f9b4c527d81d2e910246485/thumbnail_15385000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6382244/Keene/Johnson-County/Texas/Keene-council-appoints-city-attorney-rejects-GPS-tracking-and-time-clocks-military-leave-updated","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6382244-2453da9bcefeb280fde9dafbd3290766/orig.mp4?Expires=1775217152&Signature=aAeTeYUGyKufat1oeyTZ0DUnuQYABt-XOduFT9jSKiQBR3eIv-~wGNpM6Owy6ZfjLkHLqpXDjaYxlhVL~R~iXRwUKkU2Yt9jlRSCIggqZJiFwfYVj4j8ZQYqBjZNhRJfWvhSTUZPEwk3cCzM3rY56Zh~0B2CXKaIyq0-HnWsgr9n8R-mRaA~Ur9qrG~RBBPgzZoIevvv3CIHhPV6Swqq5qspJVsk18FoRy4T2zp2~G7be5zcZ5IkDWNcA2G7zB~d73jMLlpn6ORpiremwVmCZ-RtTHvwreoxYx-1Lkd3F70X4XcViz3DnOiy30-sgJsCnBp89M4uFF1ODzByxPknGw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Keene TX","date","2025-01-17T04:46:35Z","article","The Keene City Council on Jan. 16 took several formal votes affecting personnel, privacy and internal policy.

In a unanimous vote after executive session, the council appointed Ann Fort as city attorney. The transcript records a motion to select “mister Ann Fort” and a second; council recorded the motion as carried unanimously. The action followed an in‑camera interview process that council said had produced two finalists.

The council also voted on three operational items raised during the staff reports:

- GPS tracking on non‑police, non‑fire city vehicles: After staff outlined options and costs, the council voted 5–1 to decline adding GPS tracking to non‑emergency city vehicles. The staff report noted that Keene already uses vehicle tracking for police, animal control and many public‑works vehicles through a vendor; staff provided a low‑end equipment estimate of about $385 per vehicle and said low‑end upfront costs for a full fleet could run into the mid‑four figures. Councilmembers said the city is not yet the right size to justify full fleet tracking and expressed concern about morale and public‑records implications. The motion to not add GPS tracking devices was made by Councilmember Foster and seconded by Councilmember Chapman and carried 5–1.

- Time‑recording mechanism for city staff: After a multi‑speaker discussion that included the city’s fire chief describing morale and operational impacts of strict punch‑in systems, the council voted 5–1 to decline adoption of a new time‑recording mechanism. Chief Dan Warner, recounting his experience in a larger city, warned that time clocks can reduce shift‑change communication and require additional administrative staff to manage corrections. The motion to not adopt a time‑recording mechanism was made by Councilmember Foster and seconded by Councilmember Shaw and carried 5–1.

- Personnel manual: The council voted unanimously to update Chapter 5, Section 5.4 (Military Leave) of the City of Keene personnel policy manual to add the single word “work” where staff recommended it; HR Director Sandra Overstreet said the committee revising the manual expects to complete a broader update by April and recommended the minor change to prevent an adverse impact on a reservist employee.

The consent agenda — two items not discussed on the record — was approved unanimously earlier in the meeting.

Why it matters: The council’s votes preserve existing local practice on vehicle tracking and payroll oversight; they also finalize a new city attorney appointment and make a limited personnel‑policy change recommended by HR. Council directed staff to provide cost estimates if the GPS decision is revisited and HR indicated a fuller personnel manual revision will come back to council by April.

Quotes from the meeting include the fire chief’s experience with time clocks and staff cost estimates for GPS technology. “It can work, but it created a morale issue,” Chief Dan Warner said of time‑clock systems he observed. City Manager Don Seitz summarized vendor pricing ranges for GPS hardware and services and noted basic packages can cost in the low hundreds per vehicle while more comprehensive options are several times more expensive.

The council did not provide a new timetable for reconsidering GPS tracking; it asked staff to return with firm cost figures if the item is to be revisited.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City of Keene, Texas | Council Meeting | 01/16/2025","oneSentenceSummary","At its Jan. 16 meeting the Keene City Council unanimously appointed a new city attorney, voted 5–1 against GPS tracking on non‑emergency vehicles and against a new time‑recording mechanism, and approved a minor change to military leave language in the personnel manual; the consent agenda also passed unanimously.","taxTitle","Keene, Johnson County, Texas","taxId",69538,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6382251,"Keene resident says utility crews damaged driveway, council pledges follow-up",986,178000,1164000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2127366-4f18aab74f9b4c527d81d2e910246485&start=178&end=1164","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2127366-4f18aab74f9b4c527d81d2e910246485/thumbnail_178000.jpg","/articles/6382251/Keene/Johnson-County/Texas/Keene-resident-says-utility-crews-damaged-driveway-council-pledges-follow-up","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6382251-332a09a51c27715e96001c562aa9d85e/orig.mp4?Expires=1775217152&Signature=dKg7EOphJSF6Ko5h3HCQH5cewXs0Kaxltj-tIzJrCyM8Hk~6GL0FyW3FtS3AgA9B4RdBUjMpNJOfw1M90~xGYw7QF-tHR-RQ9o0GxodkIymxXa-IB-kfP~whefxm5BJPWN2E8wO3pc4~a8E65HMR4FifDY52DmJi~Qxp0WV2lgyWcEMnyqb6hlFv-e3rSTjViPcUd8v4O4DYEVJPmq9nQcxUDNL5QvefK58nZ0ERJdZsl-4KXKbt2LKqGpiH9K1ZiAM1TEVxepV94rQGwyjLYVNq3TAWeCX90Zvj8VhA~JhlCJQRRvJ5d5sBTcwx6Kb78K97jNRM6MrjpzCZcrx~Jg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Leonard Ridge, a Keene resident, told the City Council on Jan. 16 that crews drilling near his home damaged a sewer line and later a clean water line and that temporary patches have collapsed multiple times since late December.

Ridge said the first repair was on or about Dec. 29 and that crews returned four separate times to patch the area, but “it keeps collapsing” and he worries someone could hit the holes at night. He also said work by an AT&T crew damaged his U-verse internet line. “When do you guys are gonna fix it? The right way,” Ridge said during public comment.

The report matters because Ridge said the site is on an active driveway used daily by family members, including a daughter who requires vehicle accommodations, and because repeated collapses may create a safety hazard for residents and damage vehicles. Ridge said he has been texting the mayor and sent photos to document the problem.

Mayor and city staff responded in the meeting. The mayor acknowledged ongoing contact with Ridge and said she had forwarded his photos and messages to the city manager and that the city would work on improving door‑hanger or other notification to residents when work will leave temporary openings. City Manager Don Seitz said his office had been tracking the issue and that staff would follow up to confirm whether the contractor or the city is responsible for a permanent repair.

Council members and staff described the visible problem as more than a simple surface patch: staff said settling under the filled area has caused repeated failures and that proper backfill and compaction are necessary to stop the collapse. Ridge told the council the first repair occurred before Christmas, that the site collapsed again on Jan. 6, and that crews returned multiple times but the repairs have not held.

The council did not take a formal vote on the public comment item, but the mayor and city manager said staff would investigate the work, make contact with the contractor where possible, and follow up with the resident. Ridge said he wanted the city to either repair the driveway correctly or reimburse him if he contracts the work himself.

Council members said they would consider more systematic outreach when crews are working at residences — including a proposed door‑hanger or contact information on site — to alert homeowners that temporary work is in progress and when a crew will return to complete final restoration.","During public comment on Jan. 16, resident Leonard Ridge told City Council that utility work near his home broke sewer and water lines and that repeated temporary repairs have failed; city leaders said staff will follow up.","actionData","errors"]

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Keene council appoints city attorney, rejects GPS tracking and time clocks; military leave updated

Keene resident says utility crews damaged driveway, council pledges follow-up