From the Austin (TX) American-Statesman. Note: you will need to register to see the entire story.
Former Bartlett mayor gets jail time, offers apology
New mayor, meanwhile, resigns after just a month.
By Jennifer Barrios
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
GEORGETOWN Former Bartlett Mayor Bobby Hill was sentenced Monday to 20 days in jail for stealing money and services from the city he once led.
But Hill's sentencing does not put an end to the upheaval in Bartlett, a town of about 1,500 in far north Williamson County: Mayor Tommy Hill, who stepped into the role after twin brother Bobby abdicated, resigned Friday, citing personal reasons.
Former Bartlett Mayor Bobby Hill, right, will spend 20 days in jail for taking city funds and services. Hill's lawyer, Marc Ranc, with Hill in court Monday, said: 'We're very happy with the outcome.'
Under probation conditions set by 277th District Judge Ken Anderson in a Georgetown court, Bobby Hill must pay back the more than $7,600 he stole and write a letter of apology, which he read aloud in court.
"I realize that my actions were an abuse of the office to which you, the citizens, so graciously elected me," Hill read haltingly as lawyer Marc Ranc put a hand on his back. "I ask for your forgiveness."
The letter will be published as an advertisement in two local newspapers as part of the sentence.
Hill was not able to escape jail time for the charge of abuse of official capacity, a Class A misdemeanor for which he could have been sentenced to a maximum of one year in county jail. Hill pleaded guilty to the charge in November.
"When there's a violation of the public trust, it's not going to happen that I'm sentencing someone without some jail time," Anderson said.
Hill will serve five consecutive weekends in the Williamson County Jail, reporting Friday nights and leaving Monday mornings.
He also must pay a fine of $4,000, the maximum penalty for his charge. He won't be able to run for public office during the two years of his probation, and he is banned from all Bartlett city offices, including the Police Department and City Hall, during that time.
Hill, 62, was arrested Oct. 28 on charges that he wrote checks to the city for cash and for his personal utility bills and then instructed a city secretary not to cash them and to falsify the books.
Hill had been mayor of the town on the Williamson-Bell County line on and off for nearly 20 years before he stepped down in November.
"We're very happy with the outcome," said Ranc, Hill's lawyer. "We're ready to move forward."
Hill still faces unrelated misdemeanor charges in Travis County of fleeing the scene of a hit-and-run auto collision that occurred in October.
In December, after Hill resigned from the City Council, Tommy Hill, a City Council member, was appointed mayor.
On Dec. 19, the council voted to dismiss both the city secretary and the city clerk, who were witnesses in the case against Bobby Hill, leaving Bartlett City Hall essentially with no staff. Then, just over a month after he was appointed, Tommy Hill resigned as mayor.
Tommy Hill said he resigned to stay at home with his son, who has a disability, and to allow his wife to apply for the city secretary position.
That again leaves Bartlett with a power vacuum.
The council will meet tonight to appoint a new mayor. Mayor Pro Tem Arthur White said he expects to assume that role.
Former Bartlett mayor gets jail time, offers apology
New mayor, meanwhile, resigns after just a month.
By Jennifer Barrios
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
GEORGETOWN Former Bartlett Mayor Bobby Hill was sentenced Monday to 20 days in jail for stealing money and services from the city he once led.
But Hill's sentencing does not put an end to the upheaval in Bartlett, a town of about 1,500 in far north Williamson County: Mayor Tommy Hill, who stepped into the role after twin brother Bobby abdicated, resigned Friday, citing personal reasons.
Former Bartlett Mayor Bobby Hill, right, will spend 20 days in jail for taking city funds and services. Hill's lawyer, Marc Ranc, with Hill in court Monday, said: 'We're very happy with the outcome.'Under probation conditions set by 277th District Judge Ken Anderson in a Georgetown court, Bobby Hill must pay back the more than $7,600 he stole and write a letter of apology, which he read aloud in court.
"I realize that my actions were an abuse of the office to which you, the citizens, so graciously elected me," Hill read haltingly as lawyer Marc Ranc put a hand on his back. "I ask for your forgiveness."
The letter will be published as an advertisement in two local newspapers as part of the sentence.
Hill was not able to escape jail time for the charge of abuse of official capacity, a Class A misdemeanor for which he could have been sentenced to a maximum of one year in county jail. Hill pleaded guilty to the charge in November.
"When there's a violation of the public trust, it's not going to happen that I'm sentencing someone without some jail time," Anderson said.
Hill will serve five consecutive weekends in the Williamson County Jail, reporting Friday nights and leaving Monday mornings.
He also must pay a fine of $4,000, the maximum penalty for his charge. He won't be able to run for public office during the two years of his probation, and he is banned from all Bartlett city offices, including the Police Department and City Hall, during that time.
Hill, 62, was arrested Oct. 28 on charges that he wrote checks to the city for cash and for his personal utility bills and then instructed a city secretary not to cash them and to falsify the books.
Hill had been mayor of the town on the Williamson-Bell County line on and off for nearly 20 years before he stepped down in November.
"We're very happy with the outcome," said Ranc, Hill's lawyer. "We're ready to move forward."
Hill still faces unrelated misdemeanor charges in Travis County of fleeing the scene of a hit-and-run auto collision that occurred in October.
In December, after Hill resigned from the City Council, Tommy Hill, a City Council member, was appointed mayor.
On Dec. 19, the council voted to dismiss both the city secretary and the city clerk, who were witnesses in the case against Bobby Hill, leaving Bartlett City Hall essentially with no staff. Then, just over a month after he was appointed, Tommy Hill resigned as mayor.
Tommy Hill said he resigned to stay at home with his son, who has a disability, and to allow his wife to apply for the city secretary position.
That again leaves Bartlett with a power vacuum.
The council will meet tonight to appoint a new mayor. Mayor Pro Tem Arthur White said he expects to assume that role.
