Notes: City 7.10.08

A special committee of the whole meeting was held on July 10 at 6:15 to approve the contract of newly appointed city attorney Rusty Wells. After some discussion by council members, councilman Mike Wiggins gave Mr. Wells the floor.
Wells talked of his plans to reorganize the city attorney’s office in order to save the city money, somewhere in the area of $180-300,000 in staffing and other areas that could be reduced.

Some members were concerned over the compensation package Mr. Wells will receive, which will include 100 percent healthcare coverage, a life insurance policy, 42 paid days leave, and a salary around $145,000 a year as well as his monthly pension.
“I have to vote against this motion, simply because I have problems with the contract. This is not something to take personally, Mr. Wells,” councilman Sam Hall said.
When the vote came to pass, the final vote was 7-1 with Hall dissenting.
Other members of council were excited about the new relationship they will build in the future with the new city attorney. “We’ve got some challenging times ahead, and we’re going to have to work together closely to get through them. I look forward to it,” councilman Mike Wiggins added.
The city can terminate Rusty’s employment at any time, but the contract will remain in effect until Mr. Wells resigns or the city exercises their termination rights.
“A Gulf Power associate informed me today that the utility will impact customer bills across the board with a raise of 15 percent by September 1.” This surprising comment made by city manager Thomas Bonfield left everyone in the room groaning and mentally tabulating how much this will affect their own monthly power bill.
The cost of coal has doubled, so Gulf Power will pass that price hike down to customers come fall. We’ll see how much this will affect us all in their peak winter season.
The city council met shortly after the committee of the whole, and discussed a proposed amendment to the land development code regarding tree and landscape regulations. The general consensus of the members and city manager was to table the issue, because more interested parties have become involved in the decision.
“I think there are some people who haven’t been heard on this issue yet, and we owe it to them to give them a chance to speak. I certainly agree with holding off on this ordinance,” councilman Wiggins said.
Councilman Marty Donovan proposed a committee of the whole meeting/workshop to insure full understanding of the code, and the amendment will be held until another public hearing, which will be advertised.
Ronald Townsend was absent, due to his mother’s death. Council members expressed their condolences for their partner many times throughout the night.
On the issue of a discrimination claim that had been outsourced to another law firm in Tallahassee, council members Donovan and Jack Nobles spoke on consolidating attorney services in the future to save money.
This meeting was John Fleming’s last meeting as active city attorney before his retirement, and all council members bade him a sweet farewell and congratulated him on his path to retirement before them.
Mike Wiggins brought some new business before the council: the prospect of supporting a William Bill Marshall “Back to School” parade and picnic that will be held at Magee Field on August 9. Movement for Change is sponsoring the picnic, which is aimed to be a positive, informative event to recognize violence in the young community and reach out to children with a fun event. Council members asked city manager to review the council’s budget and to see how much they could afford to give in support of this much needed event.
Lastly, citizens echoed Sam Hall’s concern over Rusty Wells’ salary, as well as the procedure the city went through to hire him,
“I’m ashamed and tired of this deviation on procedure,” said William Cummings.
Sometimes saving money up front isn’t always the best route. The city will wind up paying Wells his retirement much earlier than another city attorney would receive it, which will cost an arm and a leg with the city’s current retirement policy.