CITY & COUNTY
News fromMontgomery County and Oak Ridge North
Montgomery County resolution declares it a ‘gun sanctuary’ county MONTGOMERY COUNTY Community response to a resolution that would declare Montgomery County a “gun sanctuary” was mixed at the Nov. 19 Mont- gomery County Commissioners Court meeting. Commissioners ultimately passed the resolu- Montgomery County joins the more than 200 “gun sanctuary” counties in the U.S. Riley said in an interview with Community Impact Newspaper that the resolution will not change any existing laws or law enforcement
Oak Ridge North adopts 5 international code updates OAK RIDGE NORTH City Council unanimously approved several updates to the Oak Ridge North technical building codes that officials said would improve safety at its Nov. 13 regular meeting. During a presentation on the code updates, Building Official John Beisert said the city had been in the process of reviewing and updating its code for several years and recommended the council adopt the 2018 versions of the international plumbing, fuel gas, mechanical, energy conservation and pool and spa codes. The last wide-ranging code update occurred in 2012. The codes regulate new construction in the municipality, and Beisert said the new updates would benefit general safety and business. Following Beisert’s comments, the council unanimously adopted the five new code versions with no changes.
procedures in Montgomery County but rather rein- forces the county’s existing stance on gun control without giving it new powers. “This resolution ... tells the people of Montgomery County that we’ve got your back,” he said. “We are supporting the law-abiding citizens for legal gun ownership, and we are not going to enforce any kind of orders or directives ... from the state or federal government [such as if they say] on such and such date, you need to go out and start counting guns.” Residents supportive of the declaration at the Nov. 19 meeting said the resolution reinforces their constitutional rights, while those against the reso- lution pleaded for more “common sense” gun laws.
tion, which recognized citizens’ rights to keep and bear arms and states Montgomery County will not authorize or appropriate government funds or resources “that infringe on the right ... to keep and bear arms,” except in instances such as if a person is convicted of a felony. With the passage of the resolution, which was offered by Commissioner Charlie Riley, “THIS RESOLUTION ... TELLS THE PEOPLE OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY THATWE’VE GOT YOUR BACK.” —CHARLIE RILEY, MONTGOMERY COUNTY PRECINCT 2 COMMISSIONER
ETHICS COMMITTEE MEMBERS APPOINTED Montgomery County commissioners approve 10 appointments and nominees for county ethics commission MONTGOMERY COUNTY Mont- gomery County commissioners appointed 10 nominees to the consideration by the court. “If you notice on this list the Ten people were named to the county ethics committee inNovember.
Five of the 10 ethics commis- sion board members appointed Nov. 12 were named by the com- missioners and County Judge Mark Keough. The remaining five members were nominated by several county agencies prior to receiv- ing commissioners’ approval. Bill Dornbos and Tony Fuller were nominated by the Civil Service Commission, and Francis Bourgeois and Charles John McBride were nominated by the Dispute Resolution Center. The Montgomery County Bar Association, which can nominate only one member for the ethics commission, submitted two names—Adam Looney and Janet Speilvogel—for
first four they have sent to us, so we accept those,” Keough said. “There’s a choice between the bottom two, and in my opinion, I would nominate Janet Speilvogel from the Montgomery County Bar Association.” Commissioners unanimously approved the selection of Speilvogel and the first four submitted nominees to fill out the 10-seat ethics commission board. The new commission members’ terms will run from 2020 through 2021. According to the Oct. 8 resolution approving the nominations, the commission will hold its first meeting Jan. 6.
board of the county’s newly established ethics commis- sion during the regular court session Nov. 12. The establishment of the county ethics commission was made possible by the passage of House Bill 1495, which was authored by state Rep. Steve Toth, R-The Woodlands, and signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott in June. County commissioners approved the creation of the new ethics commission, which will oversee the county’s ethics policies and procedures, at the Oct. 8 meeting.
AmandaWhittington Nominated by Mark Keough
NancyMikeska Nominated by Precinct 1 Commissioner Mike Meador Casey Loring Nominated by Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack Francis Bourgeois Nominated by Dispute Resolution Center Bill Dornbos Nominated by Civil Service Commission Janet Speilvogel Nominated by Montgomery County Bar Association
Tony Fuller Nominated by Civil Service Commission Charles JohnMcBride Nominated by Dispute Resolution Center Brian Stanley Nominated by Precinct 4 Commissioner James Metts) Anne Sundquist Nominated by Precinct 2 Commissioner Charlie Riley
SOURCE:MONTGOMERYCOUNTYCOMMISSIONERSCOURT/COMMUNITY IMPACTNEWSPAPER
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