City council accepts administrator resignation, gets new councilor

JOSEPH — The city of Joseph at its meeting Thursday, May 1, lost its administrator, gained a new city councilor and heard a rundown of complaints about governance and financial oversight.

Dan Larman submitted his letter of resignation, effective immediately, as city administrator due to “personal reasons.” Mayor Stephen Bartlow said Larman’s reasons were because of health concerns.

The council also approved the application of Rebecca Henry to fill one of the vacancies on the council. She took her oath of office and immediately took her council seat. Another vacancy remains to be filled.

The council also voted to pay Larman for the remaining time on his contract, as well as any vacation time due and thanked him for his service. The council agreed to advertise for a new city administrator or an interim administrator until it can hire a permanent one.

In the meantime, the council gave the mayor and council President Brinda Stanley the authority to sign on the city checking account for 90 days. If the city finds no administrator by June 30, that authority can be extended.

Bartlow said that he wanted the two signatures on any checks as an extra measure of transparency and accountability and to relieve the burden of it from assistant Administrator Jamie Collier.

Complaints

The mayor addressed a number of “citizens concerns,” including an unanswered Budget Committee request about the council’s compliance, financial reporting and the city’s relationship with Hanford and Associates, an accounting service in Richland, Washington.

Bartlow read from a list of statements from city attorney Wyatt Baum about compliance and status. Baum said such matters are beyond the purview of the Budget Committee and are matters for the council. Some of the matters requested are subject to attorney-client privilege.

“If it’s provided to one, it should be provided to all,” the resident stated.

Bartlow said the information could be provided at the next budget meeting, May 15.

The resident also wanted information on all city salaries, but Baum said those are not relevant to the Budget Committee and are subject to attorney-client privilege.

Compensation of public employees, however, is a matter of public record.

Bartlow dismissed a complaint about the city’s repeated use of emergency and executive sessions “behind closed doors” that “appears to be an abuse of process or without public notice.”

“There was no abuse of these processes,” Barlow said. “They were actual emergencies.”

Baum asserted they were within the rights of the council. Bartlow also said public meeting law doesn’t require there to be any public comments taken at such meetings, “But at most of our meetings we do ask for comments because we do want to hear from people.”

There also was discussion of repair of the events center after a fire and the parks shop. Repairs to both were paid with insurance and not out of the city’s bank account.

“So the city suffered no loss out of these repairs,” Bartlow said.

The mayor also addressed the claim the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office was levying fines on the city.  “I don’t know where this baseless accusation came from,” he said, but Stanley called the Secretary of State Office and confirmed there are no such penalties.

Another complaint asserted the city conducted business without proper public notices and council meeting packets.

“My answer is that the public does not have the right to council meeting packets” ahead of a meeting, he said. “After a meeting, then those packets become public record, not before.”

Oregon’s public meetings law requires governing bodies to provide notice of their meetings and agendas prior to the meeting, but the law does not require providing meeting packets ahead of the meeting. However, many cities and counties do provide meeting packets in advance of council and board meetings.

There also was a complaint about having no budget officer, but the mayor pointed out the city hired one earlier in the meeting.