Bonham -- After weeks of what began as careful consideration and then seemed to drag on as apparent stall tactics set in, Bonham City Council voted 4-2 Monday night to ratify BEDCo Board's approval of fiscal year 2012-2013 operating budget for Bonham Economic Development Corporation (BEDCo).

BEDCo has been operating without an executive director since the early part of the summer when Corby Alexander resigned his dual roles as Bonham City Manager and BEDCo executive director to assume his new position as city manager in La Porte, Texas. At the time of his resignation, Alexander urged Bonham City Council members to hire a full-time executive director for BEDCo. 

As Bonham's local economic development corporation, BEDCo is responsible for utilizing local sale tax tax revenues to finance new and expanded business enterprises in the community. 

The primary point of contention in this latest squabble has been the proposed salary being offered to applicants seeking the position of executive director of BEDCo. The salary cap being proposed for a highly qualified person to serve as both the Bonham director of tourism and BEDCo executive director is $75,000 per year.

Bonham City Council members Wayne Moore, Glenn Taylor, H. Compton, along with Bonham Mayor Roy Floyd, cast the four votes to approve BEDCo's operating budget.

The two council members voting to oppose the budget were Ruth Ann Thomas and John Burnett. Council member Michael Evans, who often sides with Thomas and Burnett, was absent.

Glenn Taylor stated that Bonham City Council should consider removing John Burnett from BEDCo, due to the fact Burnett had been the principal architect of the budget, had voted for the budget as a member of BEDCo and was on the record as encouraging other BEDCo members to approve the budget (BEDCo approved the budget 6-0), yet was now opposing the budget he had drawn up.

While that matter could not be pursued at Monday night's regular meeting, look for a defining moment at the next regular meeting of Bonham City Council as each council member has an opportunity to voice an opinion regarding Burnett's role in the BEDCo budget process.