Tonights city council meeting didn't even last 5 minutes. It was an embarrassment of a city meeting.
There were 4 items on the agenda.
1. Call to Order.
2. Discuss Interim City Manager
3. Discuss and Consider Budget Amendments to the 2010 budget.
4. Adjourn.
Two of the items were to start and end the meeting, so 2 items left.
The first didn't have any action item to it, so even if they did want to they couldn't vote on it.
The second item was not prepared for by the city financial person, we are waiting for info from an engineer.
It took longer to set up the extra chairs for the citizens who showed up then it did for the meeting to happen. Additionally the City Secretary failed to put public comments on the agenda, and left the Gonzales Cannon off as a public source.
How disrespectful to the room full of citizens that came out to support the city. So now we have a Friday night meeting at 6:30 PM. Really? Because no one ever has anything to do on a Friday night now do they? I know I have one scouting event, and one church event scheduled for that night. But I'll be there.
I know that they plan on considering hiring the city manager from Victoria. I honestly don't know, as I haven't seen his resume, or hear anything about him. I do know he's been city manager for 37 years which is better than what we've had in a long time.
Personally I think we need to take care of some issues inside the city before we get there. We need to find out about dropped investigations, we need answers to to many questions that only the council can get, we need to understand where we are financially (how can you know what we can pay someone if you don't know what you have to spend?), they need to know what Gregs Computers was doing at the City Managers office last week with the mayor and Mr. Huseman. And that's just the start.
Several of the points of Mr. Husemans $66766.50 check has several questionable items on it. I can't believe in 3 years Mr. Huseman never took a day of vacation, and that we keep vacation for 3 years. Most companies have a 1 year, use it or lose it policy. I can't believe 3 years later we are paying for Mr. Huseman to move TO Gonzales. I can't believe we are paying him 6 months of travel after he was fired. I can't believe that when at least 2 city council members turned in their evaluation with a NO to a step increase, and the 3rd didn't turn his in yet (that makes it 2-2 vote) that the mayor can take it upon himself to give retroactive to 4/10 a 3% pay raise. Where are the answers?
Come on Mayor, doesn't the city of Gonzales deserve honest answers?
God Bless,
Dennis Nesser
How can there be a Friday City Council meeting it it has not been posted on the web? The Secretary of State has ruled it must be posted on the web as well as on the wall at city hall.
ReplyDeleteIn the city hand book it clearly states that they can NOT carry over vacation days! I bet if anyone checks the invoice for the move that they might be suprised to see the place to place move. Mr. Hussemans wife or exwife move out in late Nov. back to AK with her daughter.
ReplyDeleteABSURD!
ReplyDeleteThe relocation terms of the ex-city manager’s employment contract are ridiculously unreasonable! If the City of Gonzales is the owner of the JP Morgan Chase Bank credit card account and no detailed invoice seems to be available, then has anyone (Mr. Cavazos or whomever is authorized) called the JP Morgan Chase Bank and requested a detailed copy of the Mayflower Transit invoice to verify the beginning and ending locations of Mr. Huseman’s November 13, 2010, charge totaling $9,185.52?
If the Mayflower Transit invoice is dated November 13, 2010, then Mr. Huseman’s current residence at the time of the credit card charge would be in Gonzales, Texas. His employment contract reads that the City will pay relocation from his current residence to the “City” (meaning Gonzales, Texas).
After reading the relocation terms of Mr. Huseman’s contract as reported by The Gonzales Cannon, I am interpreting that Mr. Huseman need only supply a proper invoice to the City for REIMBURSEMENT to himself. “The moving expenses shall be reimbursed after actual invoices are presented or prepaid if a full price invoice is presented by contracted moving company.” It does NOT state that a proper, detailed invoice is required to pay directly to a moving vendor, thus Mr. Huseman charging the Mayflower Transit fees to a city-supplied credit card and the City paying the credit card statement would be direct payment to a moving vendor not requiring a proper, detailed invoice as documented backup as per the contract. Slick.
I’m sure a detailed copy of the Mayflower Transit invoice can be acquired quite quickly with a toll-free telephone number and a fax machine.
Considering our interest in the Mayflower invoice, now I’m wondering what the accounts payable document(s) (if any exist) contain for the January 2010 relocation expense for $2,400+. Was this expense a direct payment or a reimbursement?
By the way, I hope someone contacted the JP Morgan Chase Bank last Wednesday morning and had Mr. Huseman’s name removed as an authorized signer on the credit account.
With regard to The Gonzales Cannon not appearing on the city council meeting agenda as notified, according to Dave Mundy of The Gonzales Cannon, they were properly notified of the city council meeting even though The Cannon’s name did not appear on the posted agenda.
As far as payment of Mr. Huseman’s near 3-years accumulated vacation pay, we would have to know if this was a term of his employment contract and if that contract superseded City adopted vacation pay policies before determining if this payment was fraudulent.
And don’t think I forgot about the 3% pay increase much less RETROACTIVE to April 2010. We’d all like answers to a lot of questions.
It certainly seems as though that employment contract has created quite a lot of turmoil.
Yes, last night’s meeting was under 5 minutes and left us scratching our heads, so Friday evening it shall be!
Pam Pettijohn
Has anyone brought it to the attention of the new, very inexperienced city secretary that she is required to post the agenda on the city's website as well?? Was the mis-wording of last night agenda an error by the new, inexperienced city secretary or was it deliberate? You would think that the Mayor and his 15 yrs of experience he could properly word an agenda...hmmmm. I say DELIBERATE.
ReplyDeleteDennis, this link will take you to the creditials of the considered interim manager.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.victoriatx.org/news/June22CityManagertoRetireFeb282011.asp
As long as the interim city manager and ultimately the city manager doesn't "take sides" with "the good old boys", or the "small faction" or any other group, and keeps the good of ALL the citizens of Gonzales at heart, he's OK with me.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, it would very much be an honor to have Charles Windwehen serve as interim city manager, and his availability and willingness to consider it could not have come at a more opportune time.
ReplyDeleteBTW,why is Huseman still listed as city manager on the City Website??
ReplyDeleteNo meeting Friday night due to failure of the city secretary to post agenda on the web.
ReplyDeleteIs that a sure thing, Mr Sheppard?
ReplyDeleteI received an e-mail from my council rep stating so.
ReplyDeleteWhat a deal, Bill. You mean your councilman actually sends you e-mails? My councilman has not yet responded to my e-mailed questions.
ReplyDeleteSomeone managed to remove the February 8, 2011 agenda from the city website since 5:30 pm yesterday afternoon. Wonder why they couldn't get the February 11, 2011 agenda posted last night?
Personally I'm going to give the new city secretary the benefit of doubt. I feel she is doing her best and inherited a mess. I'll give her time to find her way around. I know there is a learning curve in any new job.
ReplyDeleteThat said, in the petrochemical business when we started having a rash of near misses, we called for a safety standdown similar to what the Navy does. We would basically shut down all work and take a days break. In that days break, we would discuss what was causing the issue and what was needed to correct them and get back to normal operations. That usually got things back on track. Maybe thats what the city of Gonzales needs, an operational standdown within city hall.
Pam: At the next council meeting, approach your rep while he's sitting in his chair and can't get away.
ReplyDelete