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Executive sessions dominate Wilmer agenda for second consecutive council meeting

By Editor 08/17/2000 00:00:00

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JIM WILLIAMS

Ellis County Press

WILMER - For the second meeting in a row, executive sessions regarding personnel took up the largest portion of the Wilmer City Council agenda items Thursday night, Aug. 3 at the community center.

Attendance was down at the recent meeting.

Some of those who were there departed early.

Five of nine agenda items concerned personnel in executive sessions.

The executive sessions, lumped into one private meeting of council members, lasted nearly one hour.

After returning from the executive sessions, Mayor Pro-Tem Don Hudson entered a motion based on Police Chief Thomas Lauer's recommendation to hire three police officers - Chad Nelson, Bruce Gorman and Michael Alvey.

The council voted, 4-0, to approve hiring the officers.

Council member Tiny Lange abstained from voting.

Lange said she just felt she should abstain.

Lange did acknowledge the fact she had been a Wilmer police officer, who had been terminated from the department, and she has a lawsuit still pending against the city for wrongful termination.

Regarding an opening for the position of city mechanic, Hudson made a motion the job to be posted and applications submitted to City Secretary Crystol Birdwell from the present time until Wednesday, Aug. 16. The motion passed unanimously.

The council voted unanimously to table possible approval of Texas Municipal Retirement Services and accreditation of service for city librarian Janice Grupe possibly hiring a library assistant.

Not a word was said about the final two items on the agenda pertaining to appointment, employment, evaluation, reassignment, duties, discipline or dismissal concerning Johnny Mosley, water and sewer superintendent, and city secretary Crystol Birdwell, respectively.

Mayor Eugene Lowe later said there was not any action taken on those two items and they were removed from the agenda when interviewed by the Ellis County Press.