Smiley will interview city secretary candidates April 28

Smiley City Council will hold a special session at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 28, to interview “all the candidates” for city secretary, Mayor Mike Mills announced after a 30-minute executive session on Thursday, April 21 at City Hall.

“We're not going to hire somebody at this time,” Mills said. “We're going to interview all the candidates on Thursday before we make a decision.”

Council voted unanimously to set the special called meeting for April 28.

Mills also accused Smiley City Council member Lisa Benavidez — his opponent in the May 7 election — of violating the Open Meetings Act by calling a candidate for city secretary during the April 13 executive session.

He handed her an Open Records request for “all phone log records” of calls or texts she made that night during the time council was in executive session. Benavidez said she had no problem with supplying that information to Mills.

“I am going to turn all this stuff in that I get to the Attorney General's Office and the district attorney's office,” Mills said. “I believe things have been being discussed about what goes on in executive session, or people are having their private little meetings to go over the agendas, because when I watch the videotape, I see people looking over my shoulders, looking at each other trying to vote.

“‘Oh, you're gonna vote on this or you’re gonna vote on that’ when I'm not looking at them. They're trying to get their attention. That's got to stop.”

Former City Secretary Rebecca Mejia addressed the council during citizens comments and told them, as a concerned citizen, she is worried the city hasn’t hired her replacement yet.

“The city needs to have one, needs to hire one,” Mejia said. “One should have been hired that night as the secretary performs many duties and has many responsibilities, especially for a Type A municipality. I know firsthand what the responsibilities are for the job, and she needs. most importantly. the support of each one of you. including the mayor and each city council member.”

She also said an applicant brought in her application at the conclusion of the April 13 meeting and told her, “Well, they gave me four minutes to get here.”

“I asked her, ‘What do you mean they gave you four minutes to get here?” Mejia said. “Well, to my understanding, she said was that she was texted by a city council member. I don't know when it was, if it was during executive session or not, to bring that application in.

“If that happened, the only applications we received were the ones that were given (before the meeting). Those are the only ones that should have been looked at. So I am very concerned.”

In other action, the council:

• Approved the purchase of security equipment for Marshal Lawrence Robles’ patrol vehicle, including and AR (automatic rifle) cradle and lock and a shotgun cradle and lock.

• Approved the purchase of two sets of Stop Sticks tire deflation devices for the marshal’s office.

• Discussed the purchase of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) for the city marshal’s office and the Smiley Fire Department and the need for separate purchase orders for each department.

• Discussed the city’s nuisance ordinance as it pertains to animals running at large within the city.

• Discussed implementing the Blue Santa program for 2022.

• Discussed residential, commercial and out-of-town rates for water, sewer and trash services.

• Discussed possible changes to the city ordinances regarding travel trailers and mobile homes to include proof of age, update limit on age of mobile homes and to provide proof of age when applying for permit. No changes have been made yet to this ordinance.

• Discussed code of ethics for the upcoming election.