City aldermen debate hiring, firing powers

Raised voices and pointed fingers were the order of the evening when the Clarendon Board of Aldermen met in regular session last Tuesday, November 27.

Of the six items on the board’s agenda, five items were discussed, and one was acted on – accepting the resignation of Alderman Terry Noble, who is moving to Pampa.

Editor Roger Estlack, one of seven citizens to attend the meeting, spoke during public comments regarding the history of the board’s relationship with city administrators and urging the board not to micromanage city affairs but to allow the administrator to do his job.

Issues with the city’s employee policy manual took up much of the discussion for the night with Alderman Tommy Hill opening by disagreeing with Estlack and saying he believed “seven heads are better than one” and said the city’s hiring record “isn’t worth a flip.”

Alderman Will Thompson shot back that hiring and firing was the job of the city administrator.

“If he can’t do it, we need to get someone who can,” Thompson said.

Thompson then went on to criticize micromanaging by the board while nothing gets done in the city.

“I see potholes that are bad and getting worse. I see water that is brown and not getting better,” Thompson said. “We have not improved anything since I moved back here, and we are only broke because we won’t fund anything.”

Alderman Abby Patten said she didn’t want to micromanage the city but said she did want answers to her questions, and Alderman Terry Noble said Hill and Patten were going to “ruin this city.”

Hill responded that the board needs to know everything that is going on and said he wanted the administrator to go before the board to get its recommendation on hiring and firing. But Thompson objected and said the board should set policy only.

The board agreed to take no action on hiring and firing but to look at a future meeting, but the matter came up again with Hill and Patten questioning City Administrator Lambert Little about whether or not he has a personal agenda when it comes to hiring and firing.

Little denied any personal agenda, and Hill began questioning the administrator about information the alderman had received from a city employee regarding the hiring of the code compliance officer. This drew a sharp response from Alderman Thompson who told Hill it wasn’t his place to be ignoring the chain of command by talking to employees.

Hill disagreed and said that was his job to talk to employees everyday as an elected official, and Little said Hill was undermining his authority by going to the employees.

Other topics discussed included the city sick leave policy, when employees should be allowed to take daily breaks and where or if city employees should be allowed to smoke on the job. No action was taken on any of those topics.

Little continues working on a 90-day probation period following his annual evaluation two months ago, and as part of a monthly progress report with the board, Alderman Hill quizzed the administrator about the status of a new flow meter at the city’s wastewater treatment plant. Little had said a month ago that it would be finished in “a few days,” and Hill pointed out that it was still not completed.

“When you tell me you’re going to do something, at least try to get it done,” Hill said.

Patten said she felt city resources were being better utilized since the last evaluation, which she said was good.

The board also debated the public’s perception that the city is “broke,” and Hill continued his call for better communication with the board.