Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Personnel topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Warr Acres city clerk defends staff and says this may be her last meeting
Summary
City Clerk Pam McDowell Ramirez introduced city-hall employees, rejected accusations about staffing decisions and announced this could be her final council meeting after 34 years; councilmembers urged private discussion and thanked her for long service.
Pam McDowell Ramirez, the Warr Acres city clerk and treasurer, used her July 15 report to introduce city-hall staff and push back on recent criticisms about how the clerk’s office has been running. "I'm Pam McDowell Ramirez. I've worked here for 34 years and 11 months," she said, and asked staff to stand so council members and residents would know who handles purchasing, payroll, billing and permitting.
Ramirez described a recent scramble in payroll and explained why staff temporarily shifted duties "We were in a desperate situation" she said, recounting a payroll clerk's illness and how a co‑worker volunteered to cover payroll duties. She defended her employees from repeated complaints and denied that she had offered a code‑enforcement job to another staff member, saying she only relayed his interest to the council.
Her remarks included a blunt note about her own future: "This will be my last meeting... my last day will be the same day that I began working here 34 years again when that's August 12," she said, adding she was speaking up to stand for her staff. Council members responded with appeals for private conversation and expressions of appreciation. One councillor urged the mayor and Ramirez "to sit and talk separately and talk it out because this city can't afford to lose you."
The exchange gave prominence to broader staffing and budget issues raised elsewhere in the meeting. City staff and council members repeatedly credited Ramirez with accurate financial reporting and day‑to‑day management: one councilmember said the budget packet showed revenues and expenditures closely tracked and thanked her for the accounting detail. Multiple members encouraged dialogue to resolve misunderstandings.
The council did not take formal personnel action during the meeting. Ramirez's statement and the council responses set a near‑term expectation that officials will attempt to reconcile differences before her indicated departure date. The council's next regular meeting and a special meeting scheduled for July 29 were cited by staff as upcoming opportunities for follow‑up.
