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Resident alleges discriminatory contracting by city manager; council later amends manager contract and approves 5% raise
Summary
At the Dec. 11 Osawatomie City Council meeting a public commenter alleged the city manager had excluded qualified contractors for personal reasons and urged a formal review; the council later held executive sessions and approved an amendment to the manager’s employment agreement and a 5% salary increase.
A resident who identified himself as Paul accused the city manager of "selectively refus[ing] certain qualified contractors to work for the city based on ... personal dislike" and urged the Osawatomie City Council to initiate a formal review and adopt objective procurement criteria.
"Your silence is not neutrality, it's approval. Your inaction is not oversight, it's complicity," Paul told the council during the public-comment period, and he warned that continued conduct could draw state-level oversight and legal action. The commenter cited violations of "Kansas statutes" and constitutional protections for equal treatment.
Council members did not take immediate action during the public-comment period. Later in the meeting the council moved into closed executive sessions for matters the record cites under state statute (KSA 75-4319). When the council returned to open session it considered resolution 1338, described in the minutes as an amendment to the city manager’s employee agreement that clarifies termination and vote thresholds, and separately approved a 5% salary increase for the city manager. The motion to grant a 5% raise was recorded in the minutes as moved by Councilman Brad and seconded by Councilman Chastine; the motion carried.
The public accusation and the subsequent executive sessions and contract action are recorded in the same meeting transcript but the transcript does not record a council response to Paul’s specific allegations in open session. The minutes do not show a formal council vote or directive to investigate procurement practices beyond the contract and salary actions taken.
What happens next: The transcript documents the allegation and the council’s personnel actions but does not show a public, formal investigation launched in response to the complaint. The council’s amendment to the city manager contract and the salary increase are recorded as final actions taken at the meeting.
