City Attorney Brendan Hall retires

HARLINGEN — After nearly two decades as either city attorney and/or Harlingen WaterWorks attorney, Brendan Hall’s association with public entities ended in a compromise Wednesday before an overflow crowd at City Hall.

City commissioners voted to enter into a retirement agreement, giving him six months’ severance pay, health insurance benefits until January 2010 — or less if he secures comparable employment with benefits — and other benefits of a retiring city employee.

Hall has said that he is entitled to retirement pay under the Texas Municipal Retirement System.

Items on the agenda to fire Hall and to seek legal advice regarding a possible lawsuit against the city by Hall were declared moot.

Assistant City Attorney Rick Bilbie was appointed interim city attorney and commissioners agreed to advertise the position of city attorney to find a permanent replacement.

After the meeting, Hall declined to comment, but gave the Valley Morning Star a prepared statement. In part, the statement said, “There are rumors that I will not be the last to be asked to leave. For the sake of the city and its citizens, I hope that wholesale firing of many managers and directors are not planned.”

Hall also said in the statement, “I have served the City of Harlingen as city attorney for 15 years. I considered my position not only a job, but also a major personal responsibility and a service to my community. I have always tried to do my best and to represent, above all else, the interests of the city as I understood them.

“I tried to favor no individuals or causes, but instead to call ‘em as I saw ‘em,” Hall said. “Naturally, over time, this earned me critics and perhaps even enemies who did not approve my sense of duty.”

His statement went on to say, “For motives I still don’t understand, some of the current commissioners refuse to work with me or even speak to me. Therefore, if a majority of commissioners believe it best serves the interests of the City of Harlingen, I am willing to retire from my position.”

Hall also said Harlingen is a “well-run city that gives it citizens a very high quality of services and, when compared to other cities, these services are performed at reasonable tax and utility rates ...

“I will greatly miss the highly professional staff of the city … I wish the city only the very best.”

Another controversy was also defused during the Wednesday meeting.

After hearing a list of recommendations from City Manager Craig Lonon on how to deal with a petition signed by 660 people to de-annex an area west of Harlingen that was annexed in November, commissioners agreed to appoint a five-member committee to negotiate a service plan.

Lonon said that, hopefully, residents’ complaints about the annexation will be worked out through negotiations. But some residents just don’t want to be annexed at all, he said.

If an agreement with residents of the area cannot be reached, the City Commission can either vote to de-annex the area, or allow residents of the area to begin a process under state law to de-annex.

People from the area spoke for and against the annexation, some claiming they have not received promised services.

Others said they especially like city garbage and brush pickup, considering it cheaper and better than available commercial service.

Fire protection and ambulance service that had previously been provided by Harlingen through a contract with the Cameron County Emergency Services District on a 10-cent tax rate was being subsidized by city taxpayers, Lonon said.