Gonzales City Council fails to increase council compensation

The Gonzales City Council met for their regularly scheduled meeting Thursday, Oct. 17 at city hall.

One of the main topics was regarding city council compensation.

Councilman Lorenzo Hernandez brought up this agenda item to the council and felt the council should get compensation, he said.

City Security Kristina Vega said the last time the council had an increase in compensation was either in 2015 or 2016.

“I was able to track the date and that's the date that we have. Where it was adjusted was in 2015-16. I can go back and look at the exact date, but I do have the documentation where it was adjusted at that time.,” Vega said.

The last increase the council got in their stipend was from $250 per month to $500 per month.

“I feel that with the amount of work that we do, that we should get a little bit more than what we're getting. I have a number in mind. I'm not asking for a whole bunch, but I think that it would make me feel a little better,” Hernandez said.

“This past budget, we gave the employees a substantial amount of raise, and I just felt that we deserve to get a little bit too,” Hernandez added.

Hernandez made the motion to increase the city council's monthly stipend from $500 per month to $1,000 per month and to increase the mayor's stipend from $1,000 per month to $1,500 per month, and to make optional insurance available to any elected officials.

The motion failed with a 3-2 vote; Hernandez and Councilmember Mariah Jordan voted for the increase, while Mayor Steve Sucher and Councilmembers Ronda Miller and Poochy Kridler voted against the increase.

In other news, the council approve renaming the summer youth program in honor of Martha Belle Eckols “Moochie” Turk, who initiated the program.

“I’ve heard of Moochie Turk for years. Even you know, before Linda Kay and I moved here permanently, she was sort of an icon in the community. My understanding is she was the driving force behind the origination of the Summer Youth Program, which was roughly 40 years ago, I believe. And we just, you know, the suggestion came forward, it'd be nice to name it in her honor and her memory,” Sucher said.

The council approved unanimously renaming the summer youth program in honor of Turk.

The council approved the following agenda items:

--approved the amendments to scope of work for the Gonzales 2020 CDBG-MIT Tinsley Creek.

--approved the 1 Authorizing the Appointments to the Gonzales Beautification and Design Board and Gonzales Economic Development Corporation and Gonzales Golf Course Advisory Board.

--approved the Authorizing the Mayor to execute a Cyber Liability and Data Breach Response Interlocal Agreement with Texas Municipal League Intergovernmental Risk Pool.