Mayor reads letter describing $52,066.68 severance paid to former administrator; calls prior handling 'secrecy and deceit'

The mayor read aloud a letter and a check-register entry showing a $52,066.68 severance payment to former city administrator Kathleen Koch and described the timing as inconsistent with how the departure was presented to the public.

According to the mayor—s reading, the council had passed the 2026 budget on Nov. 19 with a $50,000 reduction to the administrator salary line and it was implied the administrator would leave in January 2026. The mayor said Koch—s last day was Dec. 1, 2025, which included a goodbye event and a newspaper item portraying her departure as voluntary. The mayor said there was a letter in the administrator—s employment file dated Oct. 1, 2025, in which the mayor stated he was exercising a termination-without-cause clause effective Dec. 1, and that steps appeared to have been taken to terminate the administrator without council approval.

The mayor called the events "shocking and appalling" and said the level of "secrecy and deceit" would not be permitted under the current leadership. He said the council could pursue legal action but thought it would be a waste of public resources. No formal motion to direct staff or to initiate legal action was recorded in the transcript during the meeting.

Council discussion did not show a subsequent vote or referral related to the severance item in the provided transcript; the mayor said the contract would have included severance even if the termination occurred in January under the budget change. The mayor urged transparency and told the public the matter had prompted his remarks. The transcript contains the mayor—s reading of the letter and his assessment; the council moved on to routine consent and agenda business afterward.

The transcript does not include supporting documents beyond the mayor—s reading, and it does not record any formal follow-up action or staff report on the topic during the meeting.