Voigt appointed interim Nixon municipal judge

Gonzales County Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace Deidra Voigt was appointed the interim municipal judge for the City of Nixon until the next mayoral election at a salary of $500 per month by the Nixon City Council on Tuesday, Jan. 16.

Voigt also serves as the municipal judge for Gonzales and will serve out the remaining term of former Nixon Municipal Judge Darryl Becker, who was appointed the interim city manager last month.

City Attorney Eddie Escobar told council members they would be able to make the appointment official on Tuesday night.

“The code doesn’t prevent the temporary appointment of a municipal court judge, but we would have to do a resolution for the permanent appointment,” Escobar said. “The two-year terms follow the mayoral elections, under the code. At some point in the future, we will have to do a resolution pursuant to our ordinance that essentially adopts state law.”

Mayor Dorothy Riojas’ current term ends in May as her position will be on the 2024 municipal election ballot. Voigt’s term as municipal judge, which is tied into the term for the mayor, will end when the new council is seated on the dais. She could be appointed to a full, permanent term at that time.

In other action, council members voted unanimously to adopt a resolution that gives Nixon-Smiley CISD control of Rancho Road between Franklin Avenue and North Roosevelt Avenue during the school year. The district will be building its new CTE center along that stretch of roadway and expressed concerns about the safety of students crossing the street while changing classes during the school day.

Access to the road will be blocked off during school hours to the general public, though first responders and city employees will still have access as needed. Traffic will be diverted around the intersection and gates will be put up to prevent unauthorized access.

Council members also voted unanimously to accept a base bid from J&K Utility Services LLC for $466,706, to be offset by a change order reduction of 25 percent, for improvements to the downtown and Lowery water plants. With some bid addenda the council opted for, the final total cost of construction will be  $357,167, with the city’s total match being roughly $84,000, including engineering and administration services of $35,000. The city had originally budgeted $308,000 for construction.