Residents came out in droves to pack the Wallis City Hall Council Chambers last Wednesday and confront the council about rumors that the Wallis Police Department was at risk of being defunded.

One after another, concerned residents voiced their opinion and pleaded with the council to see their perspective. Bernie Garner – the first member of the public to speak – emphasized the importance of police presence in the community.

“If you decide to cut police funding for no other reason than it being absolutely necessary to meet budget, so you can hire a city manager, you might as well go cut the wings off of the angel statues at the Guardian Angel Catholic Church because policeman like our guardian angels do the job to serve and protect us,” Garner said.

Beyond communicating a deep need for law enforcement officers in the city, many of the citizens were concerned about hearsay regarding the potential new city manager.

“This individual’s position as city manager with the City of Sealy was terminated just a couple of years ago unanimously by the council due to some very concerning allegations,” said Garner. “This candidate already has a full-time job by owning his own business, Paramount Promotions, in Sealy. … He is employed by the City of

Bellville for their (EDC). ... How can this individual truly serve the needs of the city through a part-time position for 60 thousand dollars if he is dedicating so much time to his own business and the City of Bellville?”

The mayor was quick to announce that they had no intentions to defund the police.

“There is no proposal right now to defund the police,” Wallis Mayor Dennis Diggs said. “And if one comes up, I’ll do my best to block it.”

“But why am I hearing this? I’ve been hearing this for two weeks,” asked Keith Palmer from the crowd. “That’s all just a bunch of Wallis talk?”

The council responded that it was rumors, but the crowd was quick to say it was more than just gossip.

WPD Chief David Moseley responded by saying, “We are with the same amount of officers we had five years ago, and we are running on bare bones. When someone takes off, we struggle. We struggle to provide the safety that we desire to provide you. And that’s on God, we sit there and lay our life on the line for you.”

After much discourse, the council voted against the balanced budget (3-2) that had been finalized at the previous night’s workshop and forced an additional budget workshop this Wednesday, Aug. 25. This decision left Council Member Clark Main Jr. confused as to what his fellow council members wanted amended.

“So, what was agreed upon last night is not agreed upon anymore?” asked Main Jr. “I assume that the changes are for cutting some services.”

Main Jr. showed his frustration with an early departure from the meeting after he said, “Council, we are here for the citizens, they are speaking right now.”

Truck Ordinance

Multiple citizens stressed that they were unsatisfied with the ordinance that prohibited large trucks without trailers to go down private roads and into neighborhoods. The council said amendments should be made to the ordinance but they were unsure exactly what changes they wanted to make.

“I’ve been thinking about some amendments, but at this point I’d like to table this until the next meeting,” said Councilmember Bernadette Parr.

“If the council is thinking about amending the ordinance, it’s not right for us to go out and write these people citations,” said Moseley.

The city council decided to place a moratorium on the truck ordinance that prohibits tractors without trailers from parking on private property until the council revisits the issue to make amendments.

Cecilia Allice, President of the Wallis EDC, looked at the packed council chambers and expressed her appreciation for the citizens that made an appearance and to voice their opinions.

“Thank you, each and every one of you, for coming tonight,” Allice said. “If you would do this every month, the city would run a lot smoother. We would know what you want. It would be very helpful. We’ll get you on committees so you can be involved.”