The Refugio City Council spent more than an hour behind closed doors Tuesday night to consult with an attorney hired by the city.

Following the executive session to discuss threatened or potential litigation, the council voted to accept the attorney’s recommendation; however, the council unanimously agreed that nothing discussed in the meeting was public record.

Earlier in the meeting, the council earmarked $10,500 out of motel tax monies for advertising the county fair set for the last week of March.

Scott Payne represented the fair board and made the request.

“”We’ve been hit hard the last two years with rain and that dampened the crowds,” Payne said. “We moved the fair to the end of March, hoping for better weather and to allow the county kids to go to the Houston show.”

“Why doesn’t the county move the fair back to where it belongs, in October?” asked Councilman Ron Nelson.

Payne said when he was growing up in Woodsboro, the fair was always held in October but when he returned several years ago, it had been moved.

“I hope you will do a lot more advertising,” said Councilman Garrett Engelking.

Payne said they will utilize the new billboard on U.S. 77 and advertise in a number of other ways.

“Have y’all approached the county and asked them to help y’all out?” asked Reymundo Rocha, a local resident who attended the meeting.

The fair board utilizes inmates to help set up and clean up but has not received money from the county, “that I know of,” Payne said.

In other matters, Rosemary Kelley, museum curator and member of the historical commission, asked the city to dedicate the statue in Kings Park.

“Y’all did a beautiful job of paving, adding benches and beautifying,” Kelley said. “We’d like to see the citizens of Refugio dedicate it.”

Texas Independence Day was bandied around as a possible date in March for the dedication, but no decision was made.

Currently, a woman is traveling around Texas to look at and ensure all the markers erected in 1936 are still in place, according to Kelley.

“We’d like to see the veterans be a part of the dedication and do a flag ceremony,” she said.

The council will hold a workshop to plan the dedication.