Bandera’s City Council tackled a range of issues at its most recent meeting, including reaffirming the city’s title as the “Cowboy Capital of Texas,” reviewing budget reports, and debating the appointment of a new City Marshal.
Following public comment, the council moved to the first item on the agenda, which was to redesignate the city of Bandera as the “Cowboy Capital of Texas.”
No motion was required; the proclamation under the 89th Legislature of the State of Texas had come straight from Sen. Pete Flores’ desk to the council. The only special note was to clarify that the title applied to the city of Bandera, not Bandera County.
City Treasurer Allyson Wright presented the quarterly budget report, noting that revenue was on track and property tax collections looked strong.
She pointed out that council salaries were on the lower side and that the annual travel fund was nearly depleted, with City Administrator Stan Farmer having used most of it for conferences.
Although the council had voted on a salary increase in September 2024, there had been some confusion about when the vote should have taken place.
As a result, the surplus from the intended salary increases was redirected to the annual Christmas fund. Wright also reiterated the staffing shortage in the Marshal’s office.
Farmer clarified that while the patrol office was fully staffed, one other position still needed to be filled, though it had not yet been advertised.
The first motion presented after the quarterly report was the possible appointment of Earl Heidelberg as City Marshal.
Heidelberg was currently serving as interim City Marshal. Councilmembers Debbie Breen and Jeff Flowers expressed surprise that the resolution was up for discussion, as they had expected to wait until February to review their options and “streamline a process” following the removal of former City Marshal Nancy De Foster.
Councilmember Tony Battle explained that the resolution was brought forward earlier than expected because Heidelberg had previously been the runner-up to De Foster and had “been a loyal servant to the city for decades.”
Flowers asked whether Heidelberg had met with Mayor Denise Griffin and City Administrator Stan Farmer to discuss the appointment.
When Heidelberg confirmed that he had, Councilmember Lynn Palmer noticed an exchange between Farmer and City Attorney Natalie Thamm.
“I want to know what you’re saying,” Palmer said, prompting Thamm to request that the council enter an executive session before making a final decision on Heidelberg’s appointment.
“I have statements to share that need to be private,” Thamm said.
The council then went into executive session. After a short time, the public was called back in for the decision. The motion passed to appoint Earl Heidelberg as City Marshal, with Breen as the only opposition, clarifying that her vote was “not personal” but that she believed the position should have been advertised first.
The council also voted in favor of signing a protest against proposed rate increases from Atmos Energy.
Palmer then pointed out discrepancies in the resolution numbers on the agenda, expressing frustration over repeated errors.
She called the mistakes “embarrassing and unacceptable,” particularly since the agenda had been reviewed by the city attorney before being posted for the public.
Farmer agreed with her concerns.
The final motion of the evening was a re-adjusted resolution for the Employee Compensation Adjustment Policy.
Palmer noted that Farmer had still not included language stating that employees would not be eligible for consecutive yearly raises, an issue that had been discussed at a previous meeting.
Farmer provided the surplus amount from the previous year, accumulated from employees who did not receive raises, which totaled $4,100 and would be allocated for raises in the 2025 fiscal year.
The motion passed unanimously with the agreement that the amendment would be added before implementation.
