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Cascade Locks council accepts severance package and places city administrator on paid leave
Summary
At a Jan. 6 special meeting, the Cascade Locks City Council accepted a severance package to be presented to City Administrator Jordon Bennett and approved paid administrative leave for Bennett from Jan. 7 to Feb. 13, 2026; the motions passed with five council votes following an executive session under ORS 192.660.
Cascade Locks — The Cascade Locks City Council on Jan. 6 accepted a severance package and approved paid administrative leave for City Administrator Jordon Bennett.
Council Member Pruit moved to accept a severance package and to present it to City Administrator Jordon Bennett for review; Council Member Seeger seconded the motion, which passed with Council Members Bump, Keilman, Pruit, Seeger and Mayor Brenda Wood voting in favor, according to the minutes.
Shortly afterward, Council Member Pruit moved and Council Member Bump seconded to place Jordon Bennett on paid administrative leave effective Jan. 7, 2026, through Feb. 13, 2026. That motion passed with the same five members voting in favor, the minutes show.
The council met briefly in executive session before the votes. The minutes record that the body recessed under ORS 192.660(2)(h) to consult with counsel concerning litigation and under ORS 192.660(2)(a) to discuss employment of specific public officers; the minutes note that CM Bennett and Alan Fox were present for parts of the executive session and later left the room and that City Attorney Ruben Cleaveland remained for the legal consultation. The record does not say whether CM Bennett participated in the subsequent public votes.
The minutes do not state terms of the severance package (such as dollar amounts or specific benefits) or additional conditions; they record only that the severance package was accepted and would be presented to Jordon Bennett for review. The minutes also list Council Member Happy as excused during the roll call and show a signature line for Pete Happy, Council President, on the approval line; the document does not reconcile the two references to 'Happy.'
No members of the public spoke during the scheduled appearance-of-citizens period; the meeting adjourned after the votes, the minutes show.
The council cited ORS 192.660(2)(h) and ORS 192.660(2)(a) for the executive session. The minutes provide no additional public detail about the legal or factual basis for the personnel actions; the severance terms and any related documents were not included in the minutes.
