Former Abilene lieutenant tapped as new Bertram police chief
JARED FIELDS • PICAYUNE STAFF
BERTRAM — The Bertram Police Department is on track to restaffing two positions after selecting a new chief Jan. 22 during a regular council meeting.
The city council selected former Abilene Lt. Tracy Weems from 34 applicants after former Chief Ron Hall resigned in December to be a Hays County deputy constable.
Weems served in the Air Force for 10 years and retired from the Abilene Police Department after 19 years in 2010. He has since worked for the state attorney general’s office and for the University of Texas Police Department.
The council brought three finalists to the meeting and asked all of them questions before deliberating in executive session. The council selected Weems with a unanimous vote.
Mayor Dickie Allen said the finalists all were well qualified, and he wanted the council involved in the final decision.
“I could have worked with any of the three of those that were here, and the city council decided (Weems) was probably the best applicant for the job,” Allen said.
Weems, who lives near Burnet, will begin his new job in early February. The city’s interim chief, Dean Stringer, left the city the previous week and accepted a new job with the district attorney’s office. Allen said Weems will help hire an officer to replace Stringer.
Also during the meeting, the council voted to place a few items on the upcoming May election ballot. The council voted to reauthorize the municipal street repair and maintenance sales tax set to expire in March. Also, the city voted to place on the ballot the creation of a Municipal Development District that could utilize the remaining quarter-percent sales tax revenue not currently used by the city. Also on the May ballot will be three council seats and a special election for mayor.
jared@thepicayune.com
