State representative John Raney of Bryan wants the Blinn College board of trustees to hold a second vote on a proposed compromise of his legislation restricting where tuition and fee revenue is spent at the campus where it’s generated. In an e-mail to trustees president Douglas Borchardt Wednesday afternoon, Raney said the motion that led to a 3-3 vote on Tuesday night was made before the seventh board member arrived from returning from a meeting in Houston.
Raney copied the e-mail he sent to Borchardt to state lawmakers representing Brenham and to WTAW News, among other recipients:
“It was brought to my attention that the Vice Chair and longest serving member, Mr. Atwood Kenjura, notified several board members, including you, that he was traveling from Houston to Brenham last night and that he would arrive after the 6:30 pm start time but would be present in plenty of time for the vote on the modifications regarding HB 1903. Given this, you called for the vote prior to Mr. Kenjura’s arrival which resulted in a 3-3 vote. It should be noted that you unexpectedly changed your position and voted against the very modifications that you personally helped craft with the assistance of fellow board member, Carolyn Miller, and Dr. McMullen and presented as a compromise during our meeting last Friday. Are you going to recall the vote so all board members may have input and vote on a measure that so greatly affects many students? I would hope the work that was agreed upon was not acted on in bad faith.”
WTAW News asked for a response from Mr. Borchardt, which was provided by Blinn’s assistant director of marketing and communications Richard Bray:
“At this time, no discussions have taken place regarding a second vote on H.B. 1903. As you know, Blinn followed its regular meeting procedures during the April 7 meeting. The meeting began at its scheduled time of 6:30 p.m. to address this lone item, and during the meeting each trustee present spoke regarding the bill. After more than half an hour of discussion, each trustee was satisfied that the discussion was complete and the matter was put to a vote after 7 p.m. It is common practice for the board to proceed with College business at these meetings when a member is late or has indicated they will not attend.”