Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Utilities Power Board topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Mayor: Attempts to reconstitute independent power board stalled; current body to continue
Summary
The mayor told the council a prior motion to appoint three members to an independent power board failed to receive a second, so the city will not reconstitute the separate power board now; the mayor said he and another council member will continue working on utility matters and referenced earlier litigation and past board activity.
The mayor told the City Council that a recent motion to appoint three members to an independent power board failed to receive a second, so the city will not reconstitute that separate board at this time. The mayor said the existing council and staff will continue to handle utility matters.
The mayor said he had proposed appointing three members — including a plan to place Eunice Jenkins on the panel — but “that motion was made. We failed to receive a second,” and therefore the appointments were not completed. He said he and “Mister Almond” have had discussions and he intends to “follow through” on plans to move utility work forward.
A meeting participant commented, “With no power board, period,” and criticized the decision to stop forming the board on the grounds that prior board members traveled to conferences and brought benefits back to the city. The mayor acknowledged the trips but said the city had previously been involved in litigation with the power board, which complicated reestablishing it: “I probably shouldn't have done that because, it just it I just couldn't do it when, that that board sued the city.”
Council procedural items on the agenda moved forward: the minutes for the meeting package were approved after a motion by Mister Chilton and a second from Mister Frazier. No further formal action to recreate the independent power board occurred during the meeting, and the mayor said the current governing body will continue to “serve” utility responsibilities for now.
The issue remains unresolved: the record shows no successful appointment vote at this meeting and no formal direction to staff to reopen the appointment process. The mayor said he hopes officials “put what's in the past in the past and move us forward,” and that there are “grand things coming ahead,” but did not specify timelines or next steps.
The discussion occurred during the mayor’s remarks portion of the meeting and not as a separately noticed appointment agenda item; no ordinance, charter change, or formal resolution was cited during the remarks.
