Williams explains semisecret water meeting


In light of the discussion here about proper notification of city meetings, we offer verbatim City Manager Eric Williams’ response to City Council member Elissa Yount, who was fuming after learning too late about a regional water meeting last week. Yount asked Williams: “Please tell me why you did not notify Council Members of the ‘tentative’ meeting.”

Williams e-mailed his reply Friday, the same day as the meeting:

“Ms. Yount. . .While your request is current (our phone conversation within the last half hour), you asked me to tell you why, in writing, that all the Council were not advised of the meeting held today with the Regional Partners regarding the matter of the COE contract, the Washington strategy session and the like. Please accept this in that regard and I’ll be as succinct, yet thorough, as possible.

“1. Although not directly involved in making the arrangements, the meeting today (which was at 12 noon at Western Sizzlin, and was attended by the Mayor, Council Members Wester and Rainey, Messrs Paul Kiesow, Tommy Marrow and Larry Thomas from Oxford, Mia Mitchell with the Daily Dispatch and Christy Lipscomb, Mark Warren and me from the City staff), was held to update those present on information obtained in Washington and, as an aside, provided Ms. Lipscomb to further brief the group present on the latest with respect to the smell and taste of City water. The meeting was essentially tentative, in as much as until the discussions in Washington, there was no clear sense of our strategies should be in respect to the contract matter. The Mayor presented the bulk of the report, with a few supplemental observations and I would presume that Ms. Mitchell will have an article in tomorrow’s Dispatch regarding the discussions.

“2. To the extent it applies, the City contingent that went to Washington on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, returning into town at approximately 8:30 PM on the 14th consisted of the Mayor, Mark Warren, me. . .joining us in DC for the Tuesday briefing was Dave Cornwell with EE&T and our briefing (in the Ferguson Group Offices of the 13th) was attended by the same individuals, along with Mr. Murphy, Mr. Raeder and Ms. Macon from the Ferguson Group. Our meetings with Congressional staffers and members occurred throughout the day on the 14th. I suspect the Mayor may have plans to report on this visit when the Council next meets in regular session on September 26th.

“3. Of course, the official Council designees to the Advisory Committee consist of our own Public Utilities Committee (Chairman Mr. Wester and Members Mr. Alston and Mr. Rainey) and, of course, the Mayor is typically considered an “ex officio” member of all of the Council’s committees.

“4. My suspicion is (and the reason that I would characterize today’s scheduled meeting as “tentative”) is that before the discussions in DC, there would have been no reason to meet without the benefit of what we learned at the Washington sessions. . .primarily that reauthorization of WRDA (and the relief regularly sought there) was highly unlikely, perhaps in a realm of impossible, but that face to face meetings with the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, might be the avenue for obtaining the considerations we desire, either in cost, timing and/or other considerations. Efforts are underway as we speak for the arrangement of such a meeting, which will likely occur on short notice and no doubt involve direct communication with the Mayor, and with coordination on the same through one or more of the Congressional Offices, likely that of Senator Burr. The contingent chosen for that next meeting is yet to be determined.

“5. As an aside. . .I would certainly agree with one of your observations in the Dispatch (on September 14th) that you ‘. . .do not find our committee system in the City works especially well. . .’ and a comprehensive and standardize procedure for committee meetings, who should attend, how and what form follow-up reports are provided, the preparation of agendas, minutes and the like should be handled. To my knowledge, we have no firm, much less written, policies in that regard. For example, I’m in receipt of minutes prepared by Dianne for the Public Works Committee meeting held on 10 AM this past Thursday, September 15th and rarely, if ever, has Dianne, as City Clerk, been regularly, or even periodically, tasked with attending, much less preparing, written minutes of such committee meetings. The extensive obligations of her Office, in fact, in at least my judgment, make that regular practice virtually impossible. In addition, aside from the Council’s ten (10) standing committees, we (the City, through the Mayor’s initiative or otherwise) have such diverse committees as Clean Up Henderson, the Mayor’s Task Force on Housing, the Mayor’s Committee on Homelessness, VOICE, the Appearance Commission, the Human Relations Commission, the 911 Advisory Board (just to name a few) and, accordingly, a firm, well thought through and discussed, standardized procedure might be beneficial to the Council’s policy development and governance obligations.

“6. As it relates to the matter of the work of the Regional Advisory Committee and the COE contract (regardless of what is eventually executed, or known strategies associated therewith), I would imagine the Mayor would seek, by both law and procedure, to secure full Council authority before ultimately executing any definitive arrangement with the COE.

“7. Again. . .today’s meeting was quite tentative until after the Washington discussions and the above recitation may provide you the information desired.

“8. If I could advise further background in this regard, I certainly would, but the above represents my full knowledge and involvement of the question you posed.

“As always, I appreciate everyone’s time and attention and so that everyone can have the full text of my reply to your inquiry, I’m providing a hard copy of this information as well.”