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Council adopts ordinance allowing contractor related to city employee to repair EMS quarters; emergency clause fails
Summary
The council adopted Ordinance 202531 to authorize David Gibson to do repairs at EMS quarters (he is identified as the husband of water office employee Britney Gibson), but a motion to apply an emergency clause failed, so the ordinance takes effect in 30 days.
The Ward City Council on Dec. 16 adopted Ordinance 202531, authorizing David Gibson to perform repairs and minor construction at the city's EMS crew quarters. The ordinance identifies David Gibson as the husband of Britney Gibson, a city water office employee, and the council discussed the ownership of the EMS building and the appropriateness of contracting with a relative of a city employee.
On first reading the ordinance carried; council then voted to suspend the rules for a second and third reading and moved to adopt the ordinance. The roll-call adoption vote recorded Chapman, McMonian and Hall in the affirmative and Hefner and Brook in the negative. After adoption, the council voted on an emergency clause to make the ordinance effective immediately; the mayor stated a "quirk of the law" prevents the mayor from voting on emergency clauses, and with the mayor unable to vote the emergency clause failed, so the ordinance takes effect after the statutorily required 30 days.
Councilors asked questions about building ownership and whether the EMS organization pays any rent; the mayor said the city owns the building and provides it as part of service rather than charging $20,000. One councilor characterized the work and the contractor as "not much money and probably looks kind of a good deal," and another said they knew the contractor personally and vouched for his work.
Why it matters: The ordinance authorizes contracting with a person explicitly identified as related to a city employee; the council completed the urgent adoption steps but was unable to enact it immediately because the emergency clause failed.
What happens next: With the emergency clause denied, the ordinance becomes effective in 30 days and staff may schedule the work once the effective date arrives.
