Shenandoah council approves new body armor purchases, fills MCAD seat, approves settlement and names interim administrator

Shenandoah — The Shenandoah City Council on Oct. 8 approved several personnel and procurement measures, including authorizing an open-ended purchase order from the equipment replacement fund for up to five combined duty/active-shooter body armor vests, nominated Joe Summerlin to one of the city’s seats on the Montgomery Central Appraisal District board, approved a settlement with Kathy Ryar and appointed Joseph Peart as interim city administrator.

The meeting opened with recognition of two police promotions. The Police Chief introduced Sergeant Eric Bauer and Lieutenant Courtney Pullen, saying, “It’s my honor to introduce our department’s newly promoted sergeant Eric Bauer,” and asking council and attendees to join in congratulating both officers.

On procurement, city staff requested authorization to use the equipment replacement fund to establish a purchase order that would allow the department to obtain up to five combined soft-plate/active-shooter vests to outfit new hires without returning to the council for each individual purchase. City staff described the vests as rated to stop .308 rifle rounds and said unit cost has historically averaged about $2,200. The Police Chief said the combined vests weigh about “25, 30 pounds” depending on size and that the design distributes weight across the torso rather than shoulders. Councilman Robinson moved to approve the purchase authorization; Councilman Pollard seconded and the motion carried.

The council then considered a resolution to nominate up to two candidates to the Montgomery Central Appraisal District (MCAD) board. An unnamed councilmember nominated Joe Summerlin; the nomination was seconded by Councilman Robinson. The council approved the nomination by a recorded vote of 4 to 1.

During administrative updates, staff reported that Republic Services began collections under the city’s new contract and that the initial rollout appeared largely successful, with a few service calls being handled on a case-by-case basis. Staff scheduled Public Services to give an update at the council’s next meeting on Oct. 20.

After a closed executive session citing Texas Government Code 551.074 for personnel matters, the council returned to address items discussed in executive session. Councilman Pollard moved to approve a settlement agreement with Kathy Ryar; Councilman Bratt seconded and the motion passed by a recorded vote of 4 to 1.

The council also appointed Joseph Peart as interim city administrator, giving him authority to execute purchasing and contract actions. Councilman Robinson made the motion to appoint Peart; Councilman Summerlin seconded. The motion carried with no opposition recorded.

The meeting adjourned at 6:32 p.m.