A tense public-comment session at the Conroe City Council's Jan. 6 special meeting featured sharply divergent accounts of recent personnel changes, facility closures and city staffing practices.

At the start of the meeting a city staff member presented an extended list of alleged staff misconduct and defended recent personnel decisions. The presenter blamed what she described as "bad decisions" and alleged a wide variety of workplace problems, including mismanagement of projects, misuse of city credit cards, payroll irregularities and failures in project oversight. During her remarks she also addressed public criticism of executive salaries and said the city must be held accountable for "every dime of that tax money."

Multiple members of the public responded in the citizen-inquiry portion of the meeting. Former and recently terminated employees and several longtime community members said they were upset about the abrupt closure of the Westside Recreation Center and the firing of multiple staff members in December. Scott Perry, a former parks employee who said he was terminated Dec. 19 after nearly 20 years with the department, said staff recommendations to cut programs and close facilities were not voluntary staff proposals but were "directed" by others in the chain of command.

Speakers repeatedly raised Westside Recreation Center: one commenter said the council had approved more than $1,000,000 to remodel the facility only to see it closed with less than 60 days' notice; another said the building remained in good condition and questioned the city's explanation for the closure. Residents also raised concerns about the Oscar Johnson Junior Community Center and asked for clearer communication about electrical and construction issues that delayed use.

Several speakers asked for transparency around the termination process. One commenter said eight people were terminated six days before Christmas; another said human-resources channels were not a viable option because the alleged problems were associated with the human-resources office itself. Supporters of terminated staff emphasized years of service and disputed many of the allegations presented at the dais.

What the council said and did: Council members did not take immediate personnel action during the public meeting. Council members and the city attorney noted that some matters required executive-session discussion; the agenda included and the council held a closed executive session before voting on the Sam Houston property item. During open session council members emphasized the need for improved transparency and for staff to develop formal procedures for routing and resolving citizen complaints.

Next steps and context: Several speakers requested that the council convene follow-up meetings on facility decisions and personnel matters, including a meeting one resident said was scheduled for Jan. 7 to discuss an annexation/utility matter. Council members and staff committed to developing service-level agreements for tracking and responding to citizen concerns and to engage departments in follow-up. The public record at the meeting shows strong community concern over both the content and timing of personnel decisions and facility closures.

Sources: Extended remarks at Jan. 6 special meeting by a city staff presenter and multiple public commenters; remarks by terminated employee Scott Perry during citizens' inquiry; council responses and procedural statements during open session.