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.”
