Maud City Hall bureaucrats respond to 'Move out' order

By Bob Merriman

Independent Internet Reporter

On Nov. 3, the City of Maud, Texas, told resident Patti Chisum that the death of her father negated a verbal agreement with the city, and that Ms. Chisum has until Nov. 16 to move from a recreational vehicle in which she had been living for three years in order to take care of her sick father.

Doyle Chisum died Oct. 29 and was buried on Nov. 1.

The city letter states: “Per Mayor Jimmy Clary you have to move out of camper trailer at *** Red Oak by Nov. 16, 2021. He had given you permission to take care of your sick father.” /s/ Betty Pemberton. Betty Pemberton is listed on Maud city pages as utilities secretary.

Mayor Clary was not available for comment Monday morning, but two other City Hall officials – Ms. Pemberton and a woman identified as Darla -- cited city ordinances as cause of the letter. To many people, issuing a move letter to a resident two days following the funeral of the resident’s father seems more than abrupt or simply bad manners, but as of Monday morning the city is sticking by its decision.

The decision to send the letter was made by the mayor, Ms. Pemberton said. She also said, “The letter does not say she has to move from the property, but that she has to disconnect from city utilities, that there is no authorization for her to be connected to city utilities.”

As quoted above and in a Saturday post on this site, the letter makes no mention of city utilities, but says “you must move out of (the) camper trailer…”

When asked if the RV is connected to city utilities, Ms. Pemberton said she was “unsure about that.”

A City Hall caller identified as Darla said, “There is a city ordinance on our web page that explains all that.”

Also, she said there is correspondence “of personal information,” and the city will not “give out any other information.” She added, “There is more to that than what you’ve got.”

When asked what that other information might be, she replied, “This has been talked to with Ms. Chisum in the past. You will have to talk to Ms. Chisum about that.”

Like Ms. Pemberton, Darla said she was “unsure” if Ms. Chisum’s RV was connected to city utilities.

Regardless, Darla said, “it is a violation of city ordinances for her to take up residence in a travel trailer” within the city limits.

Sounds like obfuscation, as well as falling behind well-intentioned privacy laws, often used by city officials when it is to their advantage to do so.

The thing to remember is, the city’s letter makes no mention of city utilities, nor of the city ordinance banning residence in recreational vehicles. The letter says, “Move.”