City Marshal suspended with pay, Fire Marshal resigns

Bandera City Marshal Will Dietrich has been placed on administrative leave with pay, and the Bandera County Commissioners have a vacant position to fill following the resignation of Bandera Fire Marshal Jason Rutherford.

Bandera City Administrator William Cox says Dietrich was placed on paid leave pending the results of an investigation.

Two special Bandera City Council meetings were scheduled to discuss the position of City Marshal in closed executive session; both were cancelled.

“The original special council meeting scheduled for October 26, 2022, was not captioned correctly,” said Cox. “The agenda was pulled, and the meeting was rescheduled to October 27, 2022, at 4:30 pm to adhere to the Texas Open Meetings Act. The Bandera Economic Development Corporation was scheduled to meet on the same day, which is why the meeting was scheduled earlier. “

October 26’s agenda read: “The City Council will meet in closed session pursuant to Texas Government Code Section 551.074, personnel, to deliberate the evaluation and duties of a public officer or employee; to wit: City of Bandera Marshal Office.”

The 27th’s agenda read the same until the end: “… to wit: City Marshal Will Dietrich.”

Cox added the meeting scheduled for the 27th was cancelled to provide time to properly investigate and provide a report.

“Once the investigation is completed, the city council will have an opportunity to convene, be apprised of the information, and deliberate,” Cox said.

The city personnel manual allows for an employee to be placed on administrative leave with pay for 15 days. This period can be renewed once for an additional 15 days.

Dietrich did not respond to the Bulletin’s request for comment.

Last Thursday, the Bandera County Commissioners’ Court announced Fire Marshal Jason Rutherford had turned in his resignation, effective immediately.

Discussion regarding the vacancy was on the agenda but tabled until the court’s next meeting.

A volunteer firefighter attended the meeting, speaking positively on Rutherford’s character and citing disdain for the departure.

Rutherford, who held the position for less than a year, did not respond to the Bulletin’s request for comment.