These abstention affidavits are required under the city charter. They are a tool in a system of checks and balances that emphasizes transparency in government. It requires elected city officials to declare a possible conflict of interest.
The 47 affidavits include items before the Council such as a defunct quarry that could reopen, a zoning change for the Bird Creek Crossing development, municipal court renovations, numerous road projects and work at the Airport Business Park.
It takes three yes votes for a council motion to be approved. This means with two abstaining, which happened during a recent vote, it takes support from the other three council members to carry a motion. A simple 2-1 majority loses.
Jones said 18 times in seven years is not a lot of abstentions because they all had to do with his quarry and trucking business. He believes City Council members doing business with the city is good for both parties.
“It’s a matter of the city wants to buy from us because it’s good for the citizens and good for the city. We’ve got the right price, and we’ve got material that they need ... it’s in stock and it’s in Temple.”
Councilman Russell Schneider, co-owner of R.T. Schneider Construction in Belton, abstained on issues regarding the 27th Street waterline, Sammons Community Park swimming pool, Lions Park athletic field and parking lot, Ferguson Park renovations, phase two of the outer loop, the Lago Terra subdivision and almost two dozen others, mostly because he would either be a contractor or sub-contractor on these projects.
Schneider said city staff spearheads the direction the city will grow, not the council. A council member on the sidelines during votes and discussion doesn’t indicate a councilman is not doing his job.
“That’s what staff is hired to do. They know the system. They know where projects need to be grown,” Schneider said. “They recommend the projects as to the extent of the project, location of project, what needs to go first. We don’t really even see the plans, what it looks like, where it’s going.”
Councilman Tony Jeter said his two affidavits had to do with a contract he had through an advertising company that was signed with the city before he took office. A posting on his blog says the total work came to $23,678. He said he hasn’t done any work for the city since 2006.
Council members abstaining can be a big deal, Jeter said, if they happen on “significantly large projects, that could be strategic, that could be precedent setting.”
These frequent abstentions upset Marvin Hurd, a fixture at Council meetings for more than a decade. He gets a personal copy of the budget and has gone over it with council members.
There’s often someone on the council who can’t cast a vote because of the conflict of interest, he said.
“I don’t think they ought to be doing all this work for the city. It’s in the charter, they can do it, so they do it,” Hurd said. “I don’t think there’s much anything people can do any more. I quit going near as much as I used to.”
Temple City Manager David Blackburn did not return a phone message and e-mail questions for this story.
