Conflicting explanations from city officials regarding Criminal Justice Information Systems (CJIS) certification requirements have raised questions about whether the policy was consistently applied — and whether city leaders have accurately represented the reasons behind it.
At the June 23 City Council meeting, City Attorney Matt Groves and City Administrator Toni Kunz told council members that CJIS certification was necessary because the Marshal's Office, which is located inside City Hall, was not always secured. Because criminal justice information is stored in the office, officials said certification was required before council members could be granted unescorted access to portions of City Hall.
However, City Marshal Earl Heidelberg offered a different account.
In an email to the Bandera Bulletin, Heidelberg stated that the Marshal's Office remains locked whenever it is unoccupied, directly contradicting assertions that unrestricted access to City Hall could expose individuals to criminal justice information.
'Under my tenure as Marshal, the Marshal's office is locked at all times when no one is in the office,' Heidelberg wrote. 'The Mayor or any other city employee has never had unescorted access to the Marshal's Office. When no one is in the Marshal's Office the door is locked and no one can enter, therefore no one has unescorted access to the office.'
The conflicting statements have fueled frustration among council members Debbie Breen, Deanna Mc-Cabe and Tammy Morrow, who say they were never informed of the CJIS certification requirement during the six months City Secretary Jill Dickerson served as interim city administrator.
While all three council members said they have no objection to obtaining certification if required, they questioned why the issue surfaced only after repeated requests for access to City Hall and whether the policy has been applied equally.
A central point of contention is Mayor Denise Griffin's access to City Hall. Council members have argued that Griffin possesses a door code and has enjoyed access privileges unavailable to other elected officials despite not holding CJIS certification.
Griffin has maintained that she has never had unescorted access to either the Municipal Court or the Marshal's Office.
Council Member Deanna McCabe said the issue extends beyond certification itself and into questions of transparency and consistency.
'I do believe there is, and has been, preferential treatment regarding access to City Hall,' McCabe wrote in an email to the Bulletin. 'I only learned of this CJIS certification requirement this month, over six months into my term.'
McCabe said she was also surprised to learn during the June 23 meeting that she could potentially be provided a code to access the interior door during business hours.
'This was the first time I was made aware of that as well,' she said.
The dispute comes amid broader tensions over council members' access to City Hall. McCabe, Morrow and Breen have previously expressed frustration over being instructed to state the purpose of their visits to administrative staff members Jaki Peterson and Stephanie Biggs before accessing certain areas of the building.
Emails obtained by the Bandera Bulletin through a Texas Public Information Act request show that policy was in place months before the recent dispute.
In a March 10 email sent to all council members, Griffin wrote that City Hall employees had been instructed 'to ask ALL persons who want to come into city hall what is the purpose of their visit and who do they want to see.'
'This is being done so that whatever staff person is being visited will get a heads up that someone will be coming in. Not that anyone is trying to hide anything but sometimes they are involved in something that can not and should not be interrupted,' Griffin wrote.
'There are times when employees and myself are on calls or in meetings and can not have others just walking into our offices un-announced.'
Griffin asked that 'the council members, as well as any other citizen, politely tell either of the employees up front who and why they are coming so that they can then notify that staff person accordingly.'
A month later, Griffin reiterated the policy in an April 8 email to Council Member Debbie Breen after Breen visited City Hall.
'I understand that you visited City Hall today and I would ask again that you, as well as any other person coming in to city hall, politely speak to the staff up front to let them know who you are coming to see so that the staff member can make sure that person who you want to see is available,' Griffin wrote.
'When you come in and go straight to the inside door and just order the staff to 'Open the door', it is rude and shows total disregard to the employees up front and also the other staff in the back offices.'
'Ordering the ladies up front to 'Open the door' in a derogatory tone will not be accepted. It makes the staff uncomfortable and sets a hostile work environment.'
Griffin also wrote that if the situation occurred again, 'the Marshalls office will be called over.' She informed Breen that council member mailboxes had been moved to the front office 'so that mail can be picked up easily and quickly.'
McCabe said the policy has made it unnecessarily difficult for council members to perform their duties.
'Entering City Hall as a councilmember is part of our job,' McCabe said. 'It is disheartening that the mayor is more concerned about an employee getting their feelings hurt because they are 'not properly greeted' than an elected official wanting to do their job and getting resistance every step of the way.'
McCabe also challenged whether CJIS certification is legally required for general access to City Hall, stating she contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation for clarification before the June 23 meeting.
'It is my understanding CJIS applies to access to criminal justice information, not general building entry,' McCabe said. 'City Hall is a public government building. Elected officials, like councilmembers, have broad rights to access it for official duties.'
McCabe acknowledged that CJIS training, background checks and additional agreements could be required if a council member sought access to secure areas housing criminal justice information, such as the Marshal's Office, records rooms or law enforcement computer systems.
The certification dispute emerged during a pair of council meetings that also highlighted ongoing disagreements over staffing and city operations.
In other business, council members at the June 23 and June 30 meetings discussed revisions to qualifications for the city treasurer position, ultimately agreeing to waive the requirement for a related bachelor's degree if applicants possessed sufficient accounting experience.
Council members also revisited personnel issues involving City Administrative Assistant Stephanie Biggs, whose resignation letter — obtained by the Bulletin through a public information request — cited concerns about working under the newly elected council.
In the May 26 letter addressed to City Secretary Jill Dickerson, Biggs wrote that she was resigning effective June 5.
'This decision has not been made lightly. Serving the citizens of Bandera and working alongside the dedicated staff at City Hall has been both meaningful and rewarding. I have always taken pride in performing my duties with professionalism, integrity, and a genuine commitment to the community.'
Biggs wrote that she had 'concluded that I can no longer effectively continue in my role under the current direction and working environment established by the newly elected members of City Council.'
She continued: 'Unfortunately, it has become apparent through public statements, actions, and the overall approach toward City Hall staff that we have been prejudged as either ineffective or dishonest before any effort was made to understand the operations, challenges, or individuals involved in carrying out the daily work of the City.'
Biggs also wrote that 'the absence of a clearly communicated vision for the City's future and the role staff would play in achieving that vision has made it increasingly difficult to effectively perform my duties with the level of confidence and support necessary for successful municipal operations.'
Concluding the letter, Biggs wrote: 'Effective local government depends upon mutual respect, transparency, collaboration, and shared purpose between elected officials and professional staff. At this time, I no longer believe those conditions exist in a manner that allows me to continue serving as effectively as the residents of Bandera deserve.'
Biggs later withdrew her resignation after discussions with Kunz.
Without initially naming Biggs during the June 30 meeting, Council Member Tammy Morrow criticized the decision to allow the employee to return.
'I mean, it looked to me like they were toddlers throwing a fit because they didn't get their way,' Morrow said. 'And then they realized no one else threw the fit with them. So, they wanted to come back.'
Morrow later said she wanted an explanation for why the employee had returned after citing concerns involving the newly elected council.
'We have changed — and her whole resignation was about the newly elected council, and we are still here,' Morrow said. 'We haven't changed our choices, our appointments, our decisions.'
Groves advised council members they could not publicly discuss matters involving a specific employee during the meeting.
In a statement to the Bulletin, Biggs said her decision to remain with the city followed discussions with Kunz.
'Toni and I had a great conversation — we were both very open and candid,' Biggs said. 'Toni stated she is committed to improving the working relationship between City Council and city staff. I have agreed to remain in my current role and give her the opportunity to succeed.'
Council members say they are seeking clearer policies and consistent enforcement. Whether the certification requirement stems from security concerns, administrative practice or a misunderstanding of federal guidelines remains a matter of continuing disagreement among city officials and elected leaders.
.png)
