Bridge City gets new city manager native to area

Bridge City will start the new year with a new city manager plus an effort to assist businesses or local residents who want an election to allow liquor by the drink in restaurants.

Mayor David Rutledge said the Bridge City City Council hired Bart Bartkowiak from the city of Beaumont to be the new city manager. Bartkowiak is the public works director for the city. Mayor Rutledge said Bartkowiak has spent 19 years with Beaumont in different city administration positions including IT (information technology).

"We're all glad he accepted our offer and he's going to come to our city," the mayor said. Bartkowiak's first day will be January 6.

Bartkowiak is a native of Port Arthur and a graduate of Thomas Jefferson High School. He has also earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and a master's of business administration from Texas A&M University.

The Bridge City City Council has also had a public workshop on getting a local option liquor election. Mayor Rutledge said the city cannot initiate the election, but businesses and individuals may get petitions for registered voters in the city to sign to call the election.

City officials checked with the Texas Alcoholic Beverages Commission on the rules and regulations for calling the election and how it should be conducted.

The local option election will allow voters to decide whether restaurants and bars will be able to sell liquor by the drink. Mayor Rutledge said the city now allows only places with private memberships to serve liquor by the drink. Other cities and areas in the county allow liquor by the drink.

"We've had large chains trying to locate here and wouldn't come because we don't have the local option," the mayor said.

Liquor by the drink in restaurants and bars may increase the city's income in sales taxes.

With Bartkowiak, Bridge City will be getting it's third city manager in recent years. After Jerry Jones retired from the position, the city hired a man who started in January 2022 and resigned after serving one year and six days. At the time, Mayor Rutledge said the man went to a smaller town for more money.

Then another city manager started in January 2024. He resigned in August after a closed-door executive session with the City Council to review his job performance.