On Monday, a jury handed Kerrville Mayoral candidate Brent Bates a pair of court losses that found him guilty of ignoring a city stop-work order and operating without an electrical license.
The legal battle unfolded in Kerrville Municipal Court and is the latest in the fight between Bates and the city over a stalled commercial office building along Water Street. Bates is suing the city in federal court over the project.
However, on Monday, a six-person jury ruled that Bates was violating city ordinances by operating without an electrical license — a fine of more than $1,000. He was also found guilty of violating the city's stop-work order on his Water Street building — a 21,000-square-foot three-story office building along the Guadalupe River. That fine was assessed at more than $500.
If Bates fails to pay the fine, he could face time in Kerr County Jail.
Bates has accused the city of conspiring against him to prevent the office building from being completed, but there's a wide gulf between the two sides. The city wants Bates to install a firefighting sprinkler system, but Bates argues the city's occupancy standards are not realistic. Bates says no more than 60 people will be in the building at one time, while the city contends that more than 150 can be in the building.
