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  How much money is Missouri City going to spend to fire its city managers?Â
 âThis is a true embarrassment to Missouri City, no matter how you shake it,â Missouri City-based real estate agent Noel Pinnock wrote on Facebook. âThe shakeup is costing taxpayers who already donât have a homestead exemption and very few places to shop almost $1,000,000 in direct and indirect costs.â
 Anthony Snipes got $213,200 in his payout last year, and Odis Jones, who was terminated by the city council on April 26, may get more than $250,000, according to an estimate from City Attorney E. Joyce Iyamu, factoring in Jonesâ full benefits and compensation package and the portions of it that would be eligible in the event he is relieved of his duties.Â
Jones
  Odis Jonesâ controversial entrance into Missouri Cityâs government was matched by a controversial and costly exit when the city council voted 5-2 to terminate the employment of the city manager during a special meeting on April 26.Â
Jones, who was hired on a 4-3 vote at the recommendation of former Mayor Yolanda Ford in July of last year, lasted just 14 months in his latest stop in city government in Texas. He will receive severance pay exceeding $250,000, according to City Attorney E. Joyce Iyamu.
The move followed Missouri Cityâs firing of city manager Anthony Snipes in February 2020, which also was decided by a 4-3 vote.Â
The review commission, which is made up of five Missouri City residents, meets every four years to inspect the charter and assess possible updates, said Joe Workman, a former City Council member who chaired the most recent commission.
“The charter review commission is simply somebody to sit down and kind of review the charter, look at things that might have changed over the years, the way the world is changing and the way the Texas Legislature [has changed],” Workman said.
The commission brought six proposed amendments for this year s election to council, which added three of its own earlier this year.
“We’re at the cusp of getting many more vaccines in the community, and we’re positioned to push those out,” said Dr. Jacquelyn Johnson-Minter, director of Fort Bend County Health and Human Services. “If there’s another surge, we should be able to blunt it. . We should be able to blunt it if we’re continuing to hammer on the vaccines.”
As of late February, officials said they were hopeful vaccinations of the general public could begin as soon as early spring. However, challenges remain when it comes to getting vaccines to underserved and vulnerable populations, including those who lack information about the vaccine, leading them to not trust it, and those who lack access to transportation.