Letter to Bastrop City Council Members

LIV Logo

June 24, 2025

Dear Members of the Bastrop City Council: Mayor Harris, Mayor Pro-Tem Kirkland, Council Members Fossler, Meyer, Plunkett and Lowe:

Yesterday (June 23rd) District Court Judge Mauzy issued a Summary Judgment Order (Les Carnes, Jim Camp, Cathy Ramsey, and Gabrielle Moore v. Hays County Judge & Commissioners, Cause No. D-1-GN-25-002049, 126th District Court, Travis County, Texas) for a Hays County Taxpayers’ Election Contest. The ruling killed the $439 million Hays County Road Bonds due to Open Meetings violations. The violations, as stated by the plaintiff’s attorney, Bill Aleshire, were for inadequate meeting notice and unreasonable restriction on time for public testimony. (See Community Impact News report here.)

According to Aleshire, this is a huge win for enforcement of the Texas Open Meetings Act. This case is the first time a TOMA violation was the basis for a successful Election Contest and comes on the heels of Aleshire’s victory before Judge Gamble last August enjoining the City of Austin from putting Mayor Kirk Watson’s Charter Amendments on the November ballot due to violations of TOMA’s meeting notice and public testimony requirements—the same provisions applicable to Hays County.

I am sharing this with you to point out that your June 10th Executive Session Notice, Item 4B, I’m told by Aleshire, is a TOMA violation. 

4B. City Council shall convene into closed executive session pursuant to Texas Government Code Section 551.071 regarding contractual agreements and ballot initiatives.

Based on Aleshire’s advice, the City is obliged to tell us which “contractual agreements” were under discussion and which “ballot initiatives” you were discussing. The City is obligated to provide this information to the public now.

Thank you for your consideration. 

Linda Curtis, Advisory Board

League of Independent Voters of Texas

LIVTX.org • 512.657.2089

PS I would appreciate someone sharing this letter to the Bastrop City Council with your City Attorney as no email address appears available on your website.

Cc: City Manager, Sylvia Carrillo

      Esmeralda Casarez for Interim City Attorney at Denton, Navarro, Rodriguez, Bernal, Santee & Zech, P.C.