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New council guided on appointments, committee assignments and ethics; organizational meeting scheduled Nov. 3
Summary
Alexander City council members discussed orientation for incoming council members, the process for appointing department heads, committee assignments and ethics limits on directing department staff. City Attorney Larkin and Police Chief Jay are slated to remain on duty until successors are appointed.
Alexander City councilors and staff discussed orientation and the process for appointing department heads and committee assignments as the new council prepares to take office.
Councilors and staff described a planned organizational schedule: the swearing-in and election of a council president and committee appointments at a 2:00 p.m. organizational meeting on Nov. 3, followed by a 5:30 p.m. regular meeting that evening. A separate informational meeting for new council members was proposed for Oct. 27 to let officials hear from current department heads before appointment decisions are made.
The discussion emphasized that appointed positions — city clerk, finance director, police chief, fire chief, city attorney and municipal judge — are the responsibility of the council. Staff explained vacancies are handled like other city vacancies: positions are posted, applications collected and interviews scheduled. Police Chief Jay is expected to retire Jan. 1; City Attorney Larkin has agreed to continue to serve until a replacement is appointed.
Councilors debated how to assign committee responsibilities. One councilor recommended rotating departmental assignments so members gain experience overseeing multiple departments rather than staying on one area for the full term. Another suggested naming a chair and two liaisons for each department so more council members would become familiar with a wider range of duties.
Staff also emphasized limits on individual council members’ authority over department operations. As a staff member put it at the meeting, “The only thing you cannot do is you cannot direct the department head to do a job. That is an ethics violation.” Staff clarified that council members may raise complaints or inform department staff about issues in their districts, but cannot give direct operational orders to department personnel; that authority rests with the mayor.
Councilors and staff discussed interim appointments. It was clarified that current appointees may serve on an interim basis until the new council makes a permanent appointment; city staff said this allows continuity while the council completes its review and selection process.
The meeting closed with a motion to go into a closed (executive) session to discuss an ongoing situation involving a new council member; the transcript records the motion and an approximate duration of 10 minutes but does not record a formal vote result in the provided excerpt.
Looking ahead, staff urged the incoming council to use the Oct. 27 informational session and the Nov. 3 organizational meeting to gather background from department heads so appointment decisions can be made promptly after the council takes office.
