McDougal’s job safe — for now
Published 4:08 pm Wednesday, November 8, 2017
By David Ball
The main news at the regular meeting of the Port Arthur City Council on Tuesday night was that there was no news pertaining to the status of employment for City Manager Brian McDougal.
An item on the executive session agenda read the council was to discuss the duties, responsibilities, discipline, or dismissal of the city manager. Harold Doucet Sr., District 5 councilman, requested the item be placed on the agenda.
An announcement was made after executive session that no action was taken.
A letter from Cory Crenshaw, an attorney in Beaumont, said McDougal has retained his firm and it requested public deliberations to occur at a future date.
That date has not been set.
Police chief Patrick Melvin gave a presentation regarding the Louis Manor Task Force. The manor has been the site of several shootings this year.
He said he met with the apartment complex management and police and other law enforcement agencies began a joint effort to patrol the complex beginning this month.
Mark Bernard, a master electrician spoke regarding electrical safety.
He said he has been hearing “chatter” the city will have its own licensing department for electrical work.
He said an electrician must be a master before they can get their contractor’s license. Likewise, they must be a contractor before they can get insurance.
He said would not be fair for journeyman electricians to pull permits without the schooling and time on the job of a master electrician. Bernard added it’s not fair to let this slide at the expense of the citizens of Port Arthur.
Willie “Bae” Lewis Jr., District 5 councilman, said the journeymen would require a $1 million license and insurance liability. The city had its own licensing in place from 1998 until the state changed the rules in 2003and they had no problems.
The code enforcement department, furthermore, inspects everybody’s work so the city is not liable.
The council, however, failed to establish an electrical advisory board in the city as a preliminary step after the vote was tied four to four with Doucet, Lewis, Cal Jones, District 2 councilman and Raymond Scott Jr., District 1 councilman voting to approve the board. Mayor Derrick Freeman, Thomas Kinlaw III, District 3 councilman; Charlotte Moses, Position 7 councilwoman and Kaprina Frank, Position 8 councilwoman voted no.
The council approved a worksite agreement with Workforce Solutions of Southeast Texas for the Disaster Relief Temporary Employment Grant Program for Tropical Storm Harvey. National Disaster Workforce funds are provided to create temporary employment opportunities to assist with clean up, recovery and humanitarian efforts in the Southeast Texas area.
The council extended by 30 days a contract between the city and Statewide Traffic Signal Company of Houston for the installation of a traffic signal at Ninth Avenue and Lake Arthur Drive.
The extension is required due to the impact of the Harvey flooding event causing manufacturer delays and hotel shortages.
Lastly, Finance Director Andrew Vasquez told the board the city spent $26,140,674 on vehicles, debris cleanup, rentals and equipment due to Tropical Storm Harvey flooding.
