GALENA PARK, Texas – A frozen bank account and tireless squabbling among city leaders in Galena Park almost resulted in dozens of city employees not getting their paychecks Friday.
The town of about 11,000 people east of Houston has a broken system of government, where money, time and resources are drained on problems between the city's commissioners -- who are akin to city council members -- and the city's mayor.
"I am trying to do what is right for this city and the citizens," Mayor Esmeralda Moya told Local 2 Friday.
An attorney for Moya threatened a local bank with legal action for allowing city checks to be processed without the mayor's consent.
The move froze the account for several hours Thursday as city leaders negotiated a resolution. Had the account remained frozen, city employees' paychecks would have bounced.
Moya contends city leaders illegally removed her ability to exercise authority over the account.
"We had to warn our employees about this," City Commissioner Lois Killough said Friday.
A message was sent to Galena Park's employees, warning them of the potential paycheck problem Thursday.
At the eleventh hour, Moya's attorney relented and allowed, for now, payments from several city accounts, including bond payments and water bill payments to the city of Houston, to continue.
An emergency city commissioners public meeting is scheduled for Monday at Galena Park City Hall.
