January 20, 2023, 2:12 PM
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Godley councilwoman seeks temporary restraining order against mayor in latest city drama
Amanda McCoy/amccoy@star-telegram.com
A staffing shortage and mass resignation has forced the shutdown of Godley City Hall.
On Thursday, a series of white signs hung on the municipal building’s doors on West Railroad Avenue. One cites the closure as a result of a staffing shortage. Another requests packages be taken to the fire department across the street. The third tells residents with water and sewer emergencies to contact the police department, which could get in touch of the public works department.
It lists three places to file complaints: the police department, the Attorney General’s Office and the Secretary of State.
Thursday’s scene outside the building in Johnson County was silent except for the whir of passing traffic and an American flag slapping against the chilly wind.
Several city employees have tendered their resignations over the past month in the city of less than 2,000 just south of Fort Worth. The city administrator and secretary left Dec. 27, according to city council agenda documents. Jennifer Thompson, who serves on the city council, said the police chief, city attorney and court clerk have left their positions, too.
And though the positions remain unfilled, there aren’t enough council members willing to meet to fill them.
The city hall has been closed for two weeks, Thompson said, and all operations are down except for the fire and police departments.
Thompson said Mayor Acy McGehee and council members Jan Whitehead and Maryann Matthews have not shown up to the past two meetings. The next council meeting is scheduled for Feb. 7 unless council members call a special meeting.
Residents along Main Street said they had heard rumors but didn’t want to repeat them.
One resident who spoke with the Star-Telegram said she was worried about how residents were to pay utility bills. There is no one around to take or retrieve payments from a silver box posted by the city hall doors. With no court clerk, she worried how police were supposed to issue citations and keep everyone safe.
In a Facebook post, Godley police said anyone who has been issued a citation would be contacted by the court clerk once the position is filled and that citations wouldn’t go into warrant status.
Council member Michael Papenfuss told the Star-Telegram in an email that since the city is small, City Hall is often the first place residents go to fix issues or get information. He said he’s had multiple calls and texts from residents about water bills, Certificates of Occupancy, defensive driving, making pleas on tickets and water leaks.
“The City of Godley is currently going through some growing pains due to the rapid growth we have experienced; with proper land planning, transparency, adequate staffing, and updated procedures I feel this is something that we can overcome and learn from going forward,” Papenfuss said in his email. “Our community deserves open government and open doors, I truly hope that we are able to establish a quorum at our next meeting so that we can hire staffing to accomplish all of this.”
One firefighter told the Star-Telegram he didn’t know anything, and another directed questions to city hall. Matthew Cantrell, the city’s interim police chief, directed questions to the mayor, who directed the Star-Telegram to the interim city attorney.
That city attorney, Nicole Corr with Wyatt Hamilton Findlay in Flower Mound, said via email that she couldn’t comment because her practice had only recently begun its time with the city and hadn’t had the opportunity to gather and review the information the Star-Telegram requested.
Johnson County Judge Christopher Boedeker declined to comment on the situation, as did the Texas Municipal League.
Johnson County Commissioner Rick Bailey, who represents Godley, said in the email to the Star-Telegram that “The City is experiencing a little difficulty; the Mayor is on top of it.”
Whitehead, Matthews, and council member Roger Cornelison didn’t immediately respond to emails requesting comment.