Consider reappointing Judge Robert J. Barfield as an Associate Municipal Court Judge and designating him as the Acting Municipal Court Judge until a Municipal Court Judge is appointed to fill the position vacated due to the retirement of Judge James Woltz.

Staff Report & Agenda Item Details

Section 4.02(b) and (c) of the City's Charter state, in part, as follows: (b) The Judge of said court shall be appointed by Council to serve for a term of two years. The judge shall receive such salary as may be fixed by Council. (c) The Council may appoint such Associate or Alternate Judges of said [municipal] court as shall be deemed necessary and appropriate by said Council. Associate or Alternate Judges shall be appointed for terms and shall possess the same qualifications as are required of the regular Judge of said court. Judge Robert Barfield has continuously served as an Associate Judge of the Friendswood Municipal Court since April 28, 2004, and desires reappointment. Furthermore, with the retirement of Judge Woltz, Judge Barfield has agreed to serve as the Acting Municipal Court Judge until a Municipal Court Judge is appointed by the City Council. The City will start seeking applications for the Office of the Municipal Court Judge for Council's review and ultimate appointment of the City's next Municipal Court Judge. As such, this item reappoints Judge Barfield as an Associate Municipal Court Judge for the City of Friendswood for the two-year term that began on July 1, 2026, and designates him as the Acting Municipal Court Judge until Council appoints a person to fill the vacanted position.

This motion is scored as RESTRAINS_GOVERNMENT (Impact Weight: 2.0/10). Under the Bastiat Liberty Watchdog Index, voting YES on measures that cap or reduce ad valorem tax burdens, expand taxpayer exemptions, retire debt early, enforce competitive bidding caps, or remove regulatory/zoning barriers to private property rights earns a positive Pro-Liberty score.