FAIR Committee debates protocol


The FAIR Committee debated yesterday whether city department heads should argue their cases regarding budget issues to the city council.

Council member Lonnie Davis advanced the opinion that for department heads to have access to the city council was a matter of “having a voice”.

FAIR Committee chair Lynn Harper rejoined that department heads have a voice when making a presentation to the city manager.

The discussion could be interpreted as a result of the recent affray regarding the use of city vehicles.

In February, City Manager Jerry Moss proposed to enact a City Vehicle Use Policy at the administrative level ending city take-home vehicle use for most employees beginning on May 1. Although Moss advised city employees in the memorandum accompanying the policy not to lobby the city council regarding the policy, it seems clear that politicking of council members regarding the issue did take place. Because the city council had authorized the use of take-home vehicles for the police department in the past, based on anecdotal recollections of council members who were present at the time, Henderson Mayor Clem Seifert interpreted the matter as one of city policy and allowed it to come before the council, where it was overturned in a 5-4 vote after a presentation by Police Chief Glen Allen.

City council member Mary Emma Evans asked whether budget work had been started earlier in order to discuss budget issues with department heads.

Moss responded that the procedure was to have the budget done by May 15 and to give everyone a copy, which had been done. He further stated that when a department head presents his side of a budget issue, he is not looking at the “big picture”. Moss told the assembled members that he was looking at the big picture to balance the budget.

Evans stated that it “sounds ridiculous” for the council to eliminate department heads that have to do the work.

FAIR Committee member Ranger Wilkerson advised the committee that they need to stay away from politics regarding the issue. He stated that the process would be smoother if the manager were allowed to “take his team and do it”.

Council member Elissa Yount agreed that the city manager should be allowed to come to a consensus with the department heads. She stated that doing it “the other way” was “counterproductive”.

Moss told members that he had no objection to council members having department heads at meetings upon request.

Davis stated that Moss’ statement was the only thing he had advocated.

Harper argued that if department heads sit and make comments that it becomes a presentation. She further stated that some department heads are more influential than others, and that such a process was unfair to quiet department heads.

Water Reclamation Director Tom Spain was present during the meeting. He did not speak during this particular FAIR Committee meeting while Home in Henderson was there; however, at a previous meeting, he was extremely vocal regarding frozen, budgeted, and unbudgeted personnel issues as they affected his department. It was unclear if he was the catalyst for the above discussion.