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Stephenville council approves weekly claims after brief dispute over mayoral contract signature
Summary
Councilors approved weekly claims including a $4,265.43 payment tied to a contract the mayor signed without prior council review; the council recessed to inspect the contractor's work and several members apologized for procedural lapses.
The Stevensville Town Council voted to approve its weekly claims, including a $4,265.43 charge tied to a contract signed by the mayor on May 20, after a brief dispute about whether the agreement should have been brought before the council.
Council member Sydney Brown, speaking during council comments, said the council had approved claims that night and acknowledged the board could have pulled the item for further questions: "I apologize for my mistake, and I'm working hard to better myself as a council member." The payment in question was described in the meeting packet as a contract with RTC for $4,070; the claim presented to the council was $4,265.43, which the council discussed as about 4.8% above the contract figure.
Why it matters: Council approval of claims is the primary check on municipal spending. Several council members and members of the public pressed for clearer procurement oversight after the mayor signed the agreement without prior council review.
Council discussion and public questions focused on how the charge occurred and whether it violated the town's purchasing policy. A councilor objected to the payment and asked for time to review the work in person; another councilor moved to recess for about 10 minutes so council members could tour the work site and inspect the remodel referenced in the claim. The council recessed and later returned to continue the agenda.
Gina (municipal staff) told the council the money for the contract had been budgeted and that the expenditure "was in the budget," and therefore, in her view, did not violate policy. During public comment, a resident asked clarifying questions about which portions of the payment had been previously approved and whether a down payment had been made to start the project; the mayor and staff said part of the earlier amount had been approved on May 22 and that subsequent invoices reflected additional progress payments.
Formal actions: The council moved to approve weekly claims number 19691 through 19737 and later recorded the motion as passing unanimously (4-0). Councilors also approved taking claim number 19714 up separately for discussion and voted to recess so members could view the work related to the contract. The transcript does not record additional formal penalties or rescissions related to the procurement.
What remains unresolved: Councilors noted they could have asked more questions before approving the original claim and several asked that the town's purchasing procedures be followed more closely going forward. A public commenter also asked about apparent duplicate invoices for a contracted wastewater operator (Glenn) and staff explained the split invoicing reflected the months in which services were provided.
The council moved on after recording the votes on the claims and the short recess; no additional formal disciplinary or corrective actions were recorded at the meeting.
