At the beginning of the Levelland City Council regular meeting Monday, the oath of office was administered to the incoming mayor and council members.
In January, the council called a City Officer’s Election for the election of mayor and council members for District A and District C which was held on May 4.
During a meeting held May 13, council canvassed the election with Breann Buxkemper elected to serve as mayor for a three-year term ending in 2027. Bill Powell was elected to serve as a council member for District A while Jaime McCabe was elected to serve as a council member for District C. Both council members will serve a two-year term ending in May 2026.
City Secretary Andrea Corley explained that state law requires the oath of office to be administered to the newly elected council members and each newly elected official receive a Certificate of Election.
Additionally, the council honored outgoing members including Mayor Barbra Pinner and Councilman Jim Myatt serving District A.
Following the swearing in of the new members and saying goodbye to the former one’s, the council broke for a short recess before reconvening for the business end of the meeting.
Once the meeting reconvened, the council moved forward with electing a Mayor Pro-Tem as Buxkemper who was the prior Mayor Pro-Tem has moved to the mayoral position.
The group moved down the agenda by approving the minutes of the May 6 regular meeting and the May 13 special meeting.
Another action item included the consideration of purchasing a Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) for the Levelland Fire Department. During a council meeting held November 6, 2023, the council authorized staff to seek competitive procurement for various items throughout city departments, including SCBA’s for the LFD.
LFD Chief Jay McKay added that the department had secured a quote from the Municipal Emergency Services to purchase eight SCBA’s and related support equipment in the amount of $72,557.60. The city utilized the buy board, a local government purchasing cooperative created to increase the purchasing power of government entities and to simplify their purchasing by using a customized online purchasing system.
City staff recommended the council to authorize and ratify the purchase of eight Scott X3 Pro 4500 SCBA’s and related equipment as those are the type of items the department already utilizes. The council approved the item for the amount of $72,557.60.
Last on the agenda was Parks and Cemetery Director Dustin Reichelt who asked the council to consider and approve a bid for a new vehicle for the department.
On November 6, 2023, council approved to initiate the procurement process for the parks work truck. The city received six bids, however, the lowest bid by Scoggin Dickey CDJR did not meet all specifications resulting in city staff to recommend going with the next lowest bidder with Smith Auto Family for a total bid of $41,735.43.
The reason for Scoggin Dickey not meeting the requirements is because city staff was seeking a V-8 engine and the dealer advised Dodge is no longer using V-8 engines in their vehicles.
The council approved the staff’s recommendation to go with the bid from Smith Auto Family for a 2024 F-150 XL 4x4 set at the amount of $41,735.43. The estimated delivery timeline spans from 90 to 120 days.