Biker rally draws fire
Lometa council fields questions about law enforcement, safety at upcoming event
By CHERI JAY-WIENECKE Special Correspondent

What began last week as an ordinary meeting of the Lometa City Council ended in something slightly more contentious. After moving swiftly through the night's agenda and what appeared to be all the departmental reports, the meeting took a lengthy turn when the motion to adjourn was made.

Councilman George Watson raised questions regarding last month's approval of a biker rally scheduled next month at the Lometa Regional Park.

"I don't approve of having a function in our city park where we have to ask children to leave," Watson said. "It's already been passed and all that, so I guess we are going to have a biker rally, but I'm against it. I would like to know, do we have enough insurance to cover this?"

Mayor David Ivey informed Watson of the city's intent to investigate insurance for the event. "That's being looked into now," he said. "It's going to be looked into possibly having them furnish their own insurance."

When the mention of having the group sign a waiver to relieve the city of any responsibility was brought up, the discussion evolved into a matter of security and law enforcement patrol.

Lometa Police Chief Gary Farley said individuals could not sign away their rights. "It belongs to the city, and you can have them sign anything you want to, but it's not enforceable," he said. "It's not worth the paper it's written on."

Ivey explained that the rally is not a municipally sponsored event.

"The city is not actually putting on a biker rally; we are simply renting and allowing them to have one at the facility," the mayor said. "We want it to benefit the city, the fire department and the fireworks show, but we want to try and do it with some arms length in there.

"Yes, we want to cover ourselves, but we want to also give them the chance to utilize it. Possibly it could be a good thing. It might be a bad thing. If it turns out that it's not worth the effort, then it doesn't ever have to happen again," Ivey continued.

The issue of parental supervision was addressed next.

"I believe the main point is having to ask our kids to leave the city park to have functions," Watson said. "That's a big no-no in my book."

Said Ivey: "I think that's the parents' responsibility to dictate that. If they don't have any problem, I think that's their call, not ours. That's just purely personal sentiment. There have been others that were opposed to it, and they are all duly noted."

Drawing questions from the audience, the council listened as Lometa resident and council candidate Mario Maldonado voiced concerns about local safety.

"When the bikers come into town, what's going to happen with the community when they're drunk?" he asked.

Ivey elaborated on the city's stipulations regarding event security and said in some cases such as the biker rally, organizers have requested to furnish their own security.

"Our requirements are X number of law enforcement per participant at any gathering," the mayor said. "Now, do we want to have law enforcement sit outside the gate and let them do their thing in there? Everything has not been worked out at this point.

"They will have unlimited access," Ivey continued. "How it is chosen to be patrolled will be left up to our law enforcement officials. To an extent, I think it's a it," he said. "It gives them firepower in the city. The infantry likes it."

Despite advances in weaponry, however, the soldier remains the Army's most valuable asset, Adams said. decent idea but not 100 percent. Who gets to 100 percent govern themselves anyway? Or patrol themselves?"

The mayor added that the event must follow city ordinances, including those pertaining to noise levels and curfews that limit latenight disturbances. "If it infringes onto a person's personal space, then it can be shut down," Ivey said.

Watson remained concerned about the effects of the rally on the community. "It makes me feel like a doormat for just anyone who wants to come in here and raise Cain," the councilman said.

"That's kind of stereotyping, isn't it?" Ivey countered. "Can anyone tell me the difference between a chili cookoff and a biker rally?"

"We don't make the children leave at 7 p.m. at a chili cookoff," Maldonado answered.

Reiterating his stance on parental choice, Ivey responded, "They don't have to [leave]. If their parents don't mind them being there, then they don't have to. That's not our job to see that the kids are gone or that the kids can be there. That's the parents' job, isn't it?"

After the police chief asked about deposits and fees to be paid and the involvement of local law enforcement, the mayor said the biker group would be required to pay for an alcohol permit, a deposit for cleanup and possibly an extra charge for any additional law enforcement officers needed to cover the event.

Farley informed the council that police officer Misty Maldonado will be out of town the weekend of the rally and, until recently, the police chief's own schedule did not include duty that weekend.

"So we would, all of a sudden, have had an event going on without any type of city patrol?" Ivey asked.

Farley then addressed his concerns about the rally's provision of its own security.

"They can't provide any security," he said. "Number one, they are not police officers. What security are they going to provide? None. They can't make an arrest; they can't make reports. A guy gets drunk, gets belligerent and stabs somebody. What are they going to do about it?"

Ivey said security and insurance issues would be worked out within the week.

In regular business earlier in the evening, the council discussed an item proposed previously by Watson about a trade day or flea market at the Regional Park.

Research indicates that an independent function held once or twice a year would yield a larger turnout than one with a more frequent schedule, Watson said. He agreed to explore the idea further, and the matter was tabled.

Under new business, the council amended an ordinance correcting directional boundaries of an abandoned block on South Seventh Street. The group also voted to designate April 30 and May 1, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., as early-voting days. The municipal election is set for May 10.

The council discussed its options to remove abandoned tires from the Regional Park. A number of tires were placed at the park as a barrier around the lawn mower racing track, however the area has become a dumping ground for old tires. Estimates from removal companies came in at just over $2,000 per load, with the city requiring more than one full load. No money has been budgeted for the removal.

With Lometa looking to schedule another city-wide cleanup effort, the item was tabled.

In his departmental report, Ivey said the city had not received a grant for construction of a solarpowered sewer system. Due to its higher in-kind matches, Seminole secured the $500,000 grant.

Farley informed the council of a letter he received from San Saba County Sheriff John Wells lauding local efforts to help locate the body of a missing man along the San Saba River.

"As you are well aware, it is not often that those of us in law enforcement are recognized for positive efforts we put forth in our line of work," the police chief read from Wells' letter. "I would like to recognize and commend the efforts of Officer Misty Maldonado and her canine, Dewey, as they certainly reflect well on their department and their chosen profession."

Mrs. Maldonado and her drug detection canine have successfully assisted the neighboring county in a number of searches during their time with the Lometa Police Department, Farley added.