Council discusses censure language after councilmember Michael Hurls resigns; no formal censure vote

City Attorney Ponto read a draft resolution that laid out allegations against councilmember Michael Hurls and asked the council whether it wished to proceed with discussion. The city attorney said the alleged conduct included misuse of city resources, unauthorized settlement negotiations, prolonged absences from meetings and threatening behavior toward other members of the council. The city manager and the mayor said the censure item is “moot” because Hurls submitted a resignation after the resolution was posted.

The draft resolution, as read by City Attorney Ponto, recited legal citations and factual allegations, including statements that Hurls had arranged pickup of donated animal food using a fire department vehicle, engaged in ex parte settlement negotiations with the public safety director, and made threatening physical motions toward Mayor Mark Hawkins and Council Member Ron Smith during a closed-session meeting in September. Ponto also quoted a local newspaper story that had questioned Hurls’s absences from council meetings.

Members of the public spoke during the closed-session public-comment opportunity and after the allegations were read. Commenters challenged the procedural propriety of the censure language and said the council exposed the city to legal risk by reading the allegations at a public meeting. Robbie Cordes called the censure “totally illegal,” and other speakers asked whether the council had followed required notice and agenda rules.

The council did not take a separate vote to adopt a censure resolution during the meeting. Councilmembers moved to place the item up on the agenda for discussion and allowed the city attorney to read the text; the city attorney and mayor said no additional reportable action was required after closed session. The city attorney said direction was received in closed session and “there is no further reportable action under the law at this time.”

The council did not adopt a censure motion on the record during the meeting. The council’s public statements and the city attorney’s report noted that Hurls’s resignation made the formal censure unnecessary, but the full allegations were entered into the public record through the staff report and the city attorney’s reading.

The council took no additional formal disciplinary action at the meeting; any further action would require separate agendaing and notice in accordance with the Brown Act and related municipal procedures.

Ending: The transcript and staff report remain the public record for the allegations the city attorney recited. The council signaled it would rely on its staff and legal advice for any next steps; no final censure vote was taken during the Oct. 14 meeting.