Council declines one-off utility waiver but directs staff to revise retiree policy

Steven Wilkinson, a retired city employee, asked the council to reinstate a monthly utility-bill waiver he said had been granted when he retired and later removed from his personnel file.

Mayor Dana Holbrook and staff responded that the city applied an age‑65 eligibility requirement in Resolution 2003-05 and sought to correct earlier administrative errors; Holbrook said city managers do not have authority to waive the age requirement. A motion to grant Wilkinson the benefit failed on a 3–2 vote (yes: Denise Taylor, Lyndsie Whigham; no: Brandon Keller, Cameron Kinney, Mayor Dana Holbrook).

Councilmember Lyndsie Whigham pressed for a policy fix rather than ad‑hoc exceptions. Whigham said "the benefit should be for anyone who retires after 15 years of service," and moved to direct staff and the city attorney to revise Resolution 2003-05 to remove the age requirement, require 15 consecutive years of service, add an annual affidavit or application, limit the waiver to a retiree's primary residence, and make the change retroactive to July 1, 2025. The council voted unanimously in favor of that directive.

City Clerk Melinda Harris told the council she had reported the matter in a weekly report; City Manager Richard Braithwaite said the city attorney review could delay formal adoption and that staff would prepare language for the next meeting. The resolution revision is intended to clarify administrative responsibility and prevent future inconsistent application of the benefit.