Reprinted with permission from the author, Carol Spencer.
It’s totally immoral for the government at any level to impugn your character without charging you. If you have the evidence, charge me. Or shut up. ~ Tucker Carlson March 10, 2025
Censure #1: Jimmy Crouch, City of Bastrop Council Member and Builder
You’re likely unaware that in March 2022, an Ethics Complaint was filed against a then-sitting Council member, Jimmy Crouch. Hardly anyone I’ve asked knows or remembers that this happened.
A complaint was filed accusing Crouch of representing “others before the city” and attempting “to secure a benefit for his private client”. Crouch admitted guilt and a resolution to that effect was passed by the City Council. Voting for that resolution were current members John Kirkland, Kevin Plunkett and Cheryl Lee.
The Crouch Chronology
In its meeting of April 11, 2022, the Board of Ethics found the complaints against Crouch to be substantive and “ACTIONABLE”. They determined that the facts, if true, were a violation of 1.15.009(d)(1) (representing others before the city while a city official) and 1.15.009(e)(1) (attempting to secure a benefit for [a] private client in the form of a deviation from city protocols).
On May 16, 2022, the Board of Ethics chose to enter into Dispute Resolution under Section G, a new procedure apparently added that very day after an Executive Session discussion. It is a procedure that is currently non-existent in the City of Bastrop ordinances regarding the Board of Ethics.
The May 16, 2022 agenda shows that first, “Discussion and action to amend Section E. 7 of the City of Bastrop Board of Ethics Rules of Procedure” took place, after which a motion was made and adopted 4-0 to so amend the rules. Minutes do not specify what that change was but the very next item was a “motion to avail to Subsection G. Dispute Resolution” for the Crouch ethics complaint. It was approved. Then the meeting was adjourned.
On June 28, 2022, City Council members Kirkland, Lee, Plunkett, and possibly Crouch (but the minutes aren’t clear) participated in an Executive Session to discuss this ethics complaint. After that Executive Session, those Council members, including current Council members Kirkland, Plunkett and Lee, voted their support of a “mediated settlement” (R-2022-58) of the Ethics complaints against Councilman Crouch.
On July 22, 2022, after the City Council vote, that “negotiated resolution” was also approved by the Board of Ethics by a 5-0 vote.
R-2022-58 included an admission of guilt by Councilman Jimmy Crouch.
John Kirkland never demanded Jimmy Crouch resign his Council seat. John Kirkland made no effort to recall Jimmy Crouch.
In 2024, two years later almost to the day, Kirkland and Plunkett actually voted to appoint Jimmy Crouch to the Charter Commission. That happened after he voted in favor of the Gateway Project behind Buc-ces. And just a few weeks ago, Jimmy Crouch was nominated by Kirkland to sit on the Planning & Zoning Commission. The nomination was approved by Council with both Kirkland and Plunkett voting in favor.
What does Jimmy Crouch do for a living? Well, no surprise there…. Jimmy Crouch is a developer. His bio from the City website states:
“His knowledge and experience in the commercial construction field will help tremendously in the next phase of Bastrop’s growth. He has built for major companies such as HEB, Coca-Cola, USACE, Living Spaces Furniture and The University of Utah among others. He has had the privilege to be part of the team that built the Lost Pines Art Center and the new 921 Main Street building here in Bastrop. Working on these projects has given him an opportunity to see what building processes work within the City of Bastrop Building Departments. He is also a current member of the Greater Austin Home Builders Association.“
So much for consequences for admitted unethical behavior. Apparently, ethics be damned if you’re a developer.
Censure #2: Lyle Nelson, City of Bastrop Council Member and Mayor
Compare that story to the ethics complaint John Kirkland filed against Mayor Lyle Nelson.
Kirkland, Plunkett and Crouch are the very people who voted to move forward on an Ethics Complaint against Nelson well before legal investigations were complete. John Kirkland was the driving force behind the Nelson recall petition. Kirkland, Plunkett, Crouch and their families obtained more than 75% of the signatures on that petition.
In early 2024, Kirkland wrote the Nelson complaint and testified at the Board of Ethics hearing. Were you aware that in December 2023, the City Council hired investigator had found no evidence of misuse of funds, no evidence of sharing confidential information, no conflicts of interest? City Manager Sylvia Carrillo was aware of those findings and thus the Council should have been.
Compare the investigator’s exoneration of Nelson to the Crouch ethics complaint where Crouch admitted guilt.
Kirkland’s rationale in the Nelson complaint is interesting. Every Code of Ethics concern cited by Kirkland is applicable to the Crouch complaint.
“The Bastrop Code of Ethics lays out expectations of city officials. The first 5 are reproduced here to make a point.
(a) City officials are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that fosters public trust.
(b) City officials are charged with performing their public duties in a way that projects a high level of personal integrity and upholds the integrity of the organization.
(c) City officials must avoid behavior that calls their motives into question and erodes public confidence.
(d) City officials shall place the municipality’s interests and the concerns of those the city serves above private, personal interests.
(e) Those who serve the city are expected to value honesty, trustworthiness, diligence, objectivity, fairness, due process, efficiency, and prudence as values the city professes.”
Crouch vs Nelson Results
What happened to Jimmy Crouch? Nothing happened to him. He did lose re-election but what a difference a year makes. He is now, once again, a favored son. He now has been appointed to two boards, one of which has a major impact on development in the City.
What happened to Lyle Nelson who was exonerated in the December 2023 report and never charged with anything at any level of law enforcement? John Kirkland went after Lyle Nelson with a vengeance. John Kirkland whipped up the public into a frenzy by going door-to-door himself to collect far more than 50% of the signatures on the recall petition. John Kirkland led the charge to stop Lyle Nelson from representing the City in any manner whatsoever.
John Kirkland voted “yes” finding Jimmy Crouch actually guilty. Then did nothing: no recall, no admonition, no consequences.
Character Counts in our Representatives
I’ve always believed that consistency is critical in elected officials. After all, don’t we believe that the law applies to all equally? Isn’t our Country founded on equal protection under the law? Didn’t we fight a war to end a monarchy that treated people differently dependent on their status?
Apparently, John Kirkland, Kevin Plunkett and their buddies could care less about consistency and equal protection under the law. The proof is in the Tale of Two Censures.
Robert Fedewa, a San Antonio Area Realtor, posted this video on Instagram about development in Fredricksburg. Substitute the City of Bastrop for Fredricksburg and the names of a couple of developments, and we think it’s applicable to us.
The full video is on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DHT0pcURj4k/ at which link you can post comments relative to Fredricksburg. If you want to post comments about Bastrop’s rapid development, you can do that here: https://bastropbog.com/contact/. If you want to take BOG’s survey, do that here: https://bastropbog.com/2025-survey/ And, if you want to comment on the current election / races, visit https://www.livtx.org/bastropsurvey
Originally published on CitizenLyle.com. Reprinted with permission from the author, Lyle Nelson.
On the Consent Agenda for the Special Called City Council Meeting of March 4, 2025, there were several items that should have been considered as individual items. Consent agendas are passed without discussion or public input. There was even a Consent Agenda Item that contained a Public Hearing. This is suspect in that the Consent Agenda normally does not allow for discussion. In addition, there were seven (7) Public Hearings scheduled here that had far reaching effects on the City’s Land Development Codes. While I support positive development for our City, I prefer such decisions by our elected representatives to be beneficial to our citizens while encouraging positive development. A hurried process to alert, inform and allow our citizens time to evaluate seems contrary to public service.
Items placed on this Consent Agenda included:
- 3C – The first reading of an Ordinance (basically a municipality’s law)
- 3E – The expenditure of $150K of public funds
- 3G – The first reading of an Ordinance with a PUBLIC HEARING. It should be noted that this item was moved for individual consideration, but no PUBLIC HEARING was provided.
- 3H – Confirmation of an appointment of Jimmy Crouch to the P&Z Commission
I had comments to make for Item 3H and submitted a Request to Speak before the Council started. Section 4.8 of the “Rules of Procedure for the City Council and Boards & Commissions of the City of Bastrop, Texas” states …..”a citizen may request that any item be removed from the consent agenda and considered separately”. The presiding officer, John Kirkland, did not ask if those in attendance wanted an item removed and although I asked for the item to be removed from the consent agenda TWICE, such was not acted upon. The presiding officer violated Section 3.13 of the City Charter by blatantly ignoring the published Rules of Procedures. Does this make the vote taken for this Consent agenda invalid?
In not allowing the opportunity for a public discussion, has John Kirkland, in a questionable capacity:
- Indicated that he makes up his own rules
- Continued a private vendetta
- Adopted Cronyism as an accepted procedure
- Denied Citizen Rights
Reprinted with permission from the author, Lyle Nelson.
Comments of former Mayor Lyle Nelson to the Planning & Zoning Commission on February 17, 2025.
Mr. Chairman and Commissioners, thank you for your volunteerism and work. And thanks to the public for your interest.
My comments are not on the technical points of the City’s Land Development Codes but on the process of amending and adopting various requirements. I am for positive development but more importantly, I am pro Bastrop and its citizens.
As you are aware, it is imperative that we, as a community, optimize the opportunities to engage, inform and educate those who are impacted by our collective decisions.
When the current Land Development Codes were adopted in 2019, a portion of the authorizing resolution was that development be “conducted in a fiscally sustainable and environmentally responsible manner that honors the City’s rich heritage and unique ecological makeup.” It was designed to ensure clarity and consistency so as to mitigate any detrimental impact on our citizens. It was also intended to be a living document that should be reviewed and modified on a routine basis due to changing dynamics and citizen input. From April of 2019 through September of 2019, a period of six (6) months, there were at least, six (6) opportunities for citizen review and input, specifically to address possible amendments. This number does not include the many regularly scheduled Council and P&Z meetings.
Now, some six (6) years later, notices go out with alerts such as “WHETHER YOU MAY LOSE YOUR RIGHT TO CONTINUE USING YOUR PROPERTY FOR ITS CURRENT USE’ AND PROTECTING BASTROP”! These alerts state that it is in response to concerns from citizens. When and in what form were these concerns expressed. How many citizens expressed concerns and to whom? How many developers expressed concerns and to whom? These alerts inform our citizens that there will be only four (4) opportunities in a matter of Twenty-three (23) days to be informed, educated and provide input in a public setting. That seems such a limited amount of time for a regular citizen to digest and comment on the changes and their impact. This is especially concerning with a municipal election looming and the Legislature in session.
Again, I am not here to address the technical aspects but, as a citizen, I am concerned with the urgency being suggested for the residents of Bastrop to absorb such a vast amount of information and react with their concerns. Thank you.
City Council Hearings March 4 & 11
Listed left are the seven ordinances on the City of Bastrop Council agenda on Tuesday, March 4. These are all applicable to the zone changes proposed in the neighborhood and rural zones: P2 and P3.
Being rushed through, these were just the subject of hearings before the Planning & Zoning Commission where citizens asked them to slow down.
Now they are before the City Council with a “first reading” on March 4 and adoption on March 11.
You can speak on each of these as they are considered. Use this form to register to speak, or to just express your opinion on any or all of these.