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Krebs council halts budget meeting amid confusion over KUA vs. city agenda
Summary
A special City of Krebs meeting July 30 to review the KUA budget ended after council members and staff disagreed whether the agenda allowed action on the city’s budget; the council approved minutes and then voted to adjourn while planning to reschedule the city budget discussion.
Mayor Tommy Ray Walker called a special meeting of the City of Krebs City Council on July 30 to review budget materials, but the session stalled when council members and city staff disagreed about whether the agenda covered only the Krebs Utilities Authority (KUA) budget or also the city’s general budget.
Mike Kern, who was reviewing the meeting materials, said the KUA budget is a separate document and “you can’t approve a city budget on a KUA agenda.” City Clerk Cindy J. Cooper replied that the agenda header read “Special City Council – KUA” and that the minutes and papers had been handled together at prior meetings. The disagreement persisted over whether the current agenda authorized any vote on the city budget.
Council member David Bailey moved to approve the minutes from the June 20, 2024 budget meeting after asking whether the council intended to approve June or July minutes. Bailey’s motion was seconded by Council member Connie Poole and passed on a roll call vote with Bailey, Poole, Jason Wagnon and Dan Heathcock voting yes.
The meeting then focused on procedural questions. Mayor Tommy Ray Walker asked whether the special meeting had been properly called, saying a special meeting requires three council members to request it in writing; he said, “really this is illegal what we are doing now,” while urging the group to resolve the procedural confusion. Several members said earlier agendas had used similar wording and that the drafting had likely been an oversight rather than intentional.
With no clear consensus that the agenda permitted action on the city budget, Council member David Bailey moved to adjourn. Connie Poole seconded; the motion passed with the same four council members voting in favor. Bailey said the council would need to schedule another meeting to address the unresolved city budget items.
The meeting record shows the KUA budget appears on page nine of the materials, according to Kern, and Clerk Cindy J. Cooper said she had not been present at a July meeting where related minutes were prepared by another staff member. No formal action on the city general budget was taken at the July 30 session.
