By Pauline Masson –
Alderman Scott Lesh lashed out at City Administrator Harold Selby threatening to fire him during a discussion on city employee pay raises at a strained board of aldermen (BOA) meeting last Tuesday.
The measure had received preliminary approval Dec. 5 in a 3-3 split vote.
Lesh, James Cleeve and Debbie Kelley opposed the raises. Aldermen Rafael Madrigal, Anna Meadows and Rick Presley voted in favor of the measure. Mayor Heather Filley broke the tie to approve pay increases for city employee.
With rows of public works employees and police officers lining the back of the council chamber, anticipating good news Tuesday evening, the three aldermen who opposed the first reading derailed the pay increases.
Kelley abstained, which prevented a tie vote and set up the failure of the bill. Cleeve and Lesh voted no, Madrigal, Meadows and Presley voted yes. The 3-2 vote prevented a tie vote and prevented the mayor from approving the measure.
Cleeve, Kelley and Lesh had each said in the earlier meetings that they could not see enough money in the city budget to pay for the increases, which amounted to $313,784 annually.
To reassure aldermen that the city had sufficient revenue to cover the higher personnel costs, Selby, who strongly supported the proposed raises, left the dais and stood at to the podium facing the aldermen. He presented a detailed account of city finances that, he assured aldermen, were strong enough to include more pay for workers this year and in each future year.
Selby said all city revenues are up and will pay for the raises. And the anticipated $120,000 in marijuana sales tax revenue was not included in the budget.
“There’s no reason why we can’t do these raises,” he said.”We need to keep our employees. It’s hard for me tosleep at night thinking about the (staff Shortages) in the dispatch office.”
Before casting his no vote, Lesh said he would like to see more agressive raises in some departments, especially dispatchers and utility workers.
After the failed vote, disappointed workers filed out of council chamber thinking there would be no increases.
Selby expressed his disappointment, saying it seemed that 25 years of experience in making budgets said something, “But at the end of the day it didn’t mean a thing.”
Selby also said the budget that aldermen passed was not balanced, which is against the law. He said the city also passed an unbalanced budget the previous year. He said he had vowed to teach the unseasoned aldermen to govern and would help balance the current budget.
Lesh responded that Selby was hired to be the administrator.
“Maybe you should concentrate on being an administrator, not a teacher,” Lesh said.
“I’m on a 30 day contract that can be ended by either side,” Selby said. “Any time you want to get rid of me make a motion and Mr. Cleeve can second it.”
Lesh shot back that he could come back with such a motion and would have the votes to pass it.
Police Chief Scott Melies said denying the increases to police would undoubtedly result in some officers leaving Pacific PD, which would make the city less safe.
“It’s concerning because we have to draw from the same pool for officers,” he said.”Right now we have no dispatchers and no police officers in the application process.”
“We have no options,” he said. “Our three dispatchers have had no time off. It’s stressing them out. Our one part timer has another job but the pay is not enough for him to work here full time.”
“Major Locke is already downstairs, problem solving what to do tomorrow,” the chief said. “The raises would have put us in a competitive level with other agencies around.”
Public Works Commissioner Bob Brueggemann said rejection of the pay raises was a morale killer. He also worried that some workers would leave the city for higher pay in other cities or local businesses.
“I’m already getting texts about the future,” Brueggemann said. “My guys are getting offers from companies right here in the city for $4 more an hour. I have eleven including me and three are eligible to retire right now.
Alderman Madrigal asked whether the board could bring back the failed bill and vote again.
“I’m willing to reconsider my vote but I want consideration on performance evaluations,” Lesh said.
Following a motion to recall the failed bill, all six aldermen voted in favor of the raises.
After voting to re-introduce the pay raise bill aldermen voted 6-0 to approve it.
Lesh, who serves as acting president of the board, asked his fellow aldlermen for a motion to authorize him (Lesh) to work with the city administrator to “hammer out,” a solution to employee pay raises, especially in the area of performance reviews.
“I ask the board to authorize me to work with administrator Selby on future pay raises,” Lesh said. The goal, he added, would be to craft a policy protocol defining performance reviews.
Mayor Heather Filley said no motion was needed for an alderman to talk with the city administrator on any subject.
Lesh said was acting on advice from the Missouri Municipal League and was told that he would not not able to go and put together thing (with the city administrator) without a motion from the board.
“I think we should make a motion that all of you have to work with me,” he said.
Presley said he would not in favor of one alderman meeting with the city administrator to speak for the entire board.
“I don’t understand,” Presley said. “You want permission to represent me? No, I don’t agree.”
Alderman Madrigal said he didn’t see the need for a motion.
Cleeve also asked why a motion was needed. He said that (working on the employee pay) would normally be an administrative function or a workshop with the full board, instead of one alderman.
Mayor Filley questioned whether authorizing one alderman to work as an equal with the city administrator would violate the separation of powers doctrine.
“We have administrative, legislation and judicial,” she said. “I’m still seeing separation of power.
Kelley said she also had budget items she wanted to discuss with Selby and asked whether she was allowed to have a one on one conversation with the city administrator.
“You are allowed,” Mayor Filley said. “But I think alderman Lesh is asking for him to speak on behalf of all of you. He is asking for permission to speak for you. in essence.”
“Its a pretty big deal when somebody I don’t always agree with will talk to city administrator and talk for me,” Presley said.
Lesh persisted.
“If I go in there and we work on something it comes back to this body,” he said. “But I have to have the authority to go in there and talk with him.”
“You can have a meeting with him,” Presley said. “But I don’t think you should represent me because I don’t agree with that.”
Lesh said without authorization from the board for him to work with Selby he would not proceed.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
City board of aldermen meetings are recorded. The meeting and full discussion can be viewed on the City of Pacific web page.
This sounds like Robert’s Rules of Order were not followed here. Had they been, we might have had the same outcome, without the rancor. Instead of Motion/Vote/ Fail- Comment, Reconsider, Pass, it should have been Motion (2nd Reading) Discussion/Comment, Vote Pass. The point is: there is a motion on the floor (even for the second time) there should be an opportunity for discussion from interested parties before the 2nd vote, which yielded a Pass. Selby/Chief/Mr.Bruggerman/etc. are all interested parties with information to provide, and the aldermen should have listened to them before the first vote on Tuesday.
Those of you who don’t know Harold very well maybe don’t realize he’s a politician with both feet firmly on the ground, and a really good background in blue-collar economics–he’s never going to advocate for something without the funds to pay for it, which is why I am happy he is here to straighten out City Hall. I’m glad everything ended well for the workers.
Even so– how is the search for a permanent city admin going? Where is the search committee? Selby is doing us a favor by his service, and I greatly appreciate it, but he does need to get back to fishing sometime.