Council - Special Meeting

Good afternoon. This is council city council special meeting um Friday, April 10th, 2026 at 4 approximately 4:15 p.m. Um we'll have a call to order. Miss Latricia Wright, can you call the role, please? Mayor Goodman here. President Hines, I'm here. Vice President Cox, I'm here. Council member Jones, here. Council member Martin, she's absent. I ask that she be excused, please. Excused.

Council member Rikio, in city manager, Latricia Wright, I am here. Do a role as city clerk. City attorney Kirstston Belaloo. She's absent. As to be excused, please. Excused. And in city manager Rob Keelin, absent. Excuse as well. Excuse. Okay. Thank you. Thank you, ma'am. Okay. So, we'll have the opening prayer and pledge allegiance to the flag by Mayor Charles Goodman.

Join me if you choose. Lord, we come to you today. A city struggling, people struggling. Lord, I just ask you to be with each one of these people that are involved in this difficult time. Be with the council. Help them to make the best decisions that we can make. Always remembering to love one another. Lord, we just ask you to bless this meeting and each and every person that is here and that they are given safe passage home. In your name I pray. Amen.

Amen. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you very much.

Thank you. So our first item is going to be discussion with possible action replacing interim city manager Rob Pian with Chief Mike WS. Miss Wright, Madame President, after the Tuesday meeting, Rob Killian came to me and decided he does not want to be the interim co-intim city manager. So, I had spoken with you about that that night and I spoke with Chief Rose um to me in the best interest of the city. I would like for Chief Rose to be the head on this and if I still can be co I'll be the co-w I need to fill in but it's the decision is up to the council but Chief Ro would be overseeing everything.

Okay. Um any comments from Let me just add Chief Ro has agreed I spoken with him he has agreed to be take the position chief I mean see Madam President. Yes sir. I just want to make sure you look this way before you go on. Well I won't forget you mayor. I got you. I got you. All right. Is there any comment from the council related to the proposal? I'm good with it. Okay, Miss Ricky.

Okay. Mr. Mayor, you have anything?

Now that you mentioned it, I have great respect for Chief Rolls. I have worked with him for years now and know him to be a man of high integrity. But I am asking the city clerk, are you going to be co- city manager or are you stepping aside for a chief roles to be the city manager? I could not understand your words. She like me to speak. Go ahead. Okay. So, what her request is is that Why are you looking around? Look at me.

Well, her little thing lit up. She never said it. So, so what she would like is to replace interim Rob Killian with Chief Rose and she will still act as interim as well, but she wants once we've decided to keep it that way, she will relinquish majority of the control to Chief Rose. And in the event Chief Rose is not here or is absent or something happens, then she's already there to fulfill that role. Am I the am I the only one to think that's bizarre? Absolutely not. Okay.

I think uh that you know it may be bizarre. Mayor, my point, let me just say this.

Okay. Go ahead. It may be be bizarre um in the way you're thinking about it, but when it was decided on Tuesday night, it was decided to have Miss Wright in that position because staff trusted her and felt comfortable with coming to her with any issues. We elected to put Mr. Killian there because he was better with the business of the city. So since he is not comfortable being in that role, Chief Rose has been here for a number of years working as our chief of police. So he has some management abilities. He knows about the city and we think that with him being placed into that role, it would be a better fit related to the overall business of the city. If that makes sense.

I still say it's bizarre. That's fine. The the city manager, if he is the city manager, if that's what the council interim interrupt city manager Thank you. Thank you. the interim city manager. If he is the interim acting city manager is my preferred adjective, uh there is already a mechanism in place where the city clerk takes the place of the city manager when the city manager is not available or the interim city manager is not available. But that has not always been the case

even though it's supposed to be in place. So now we know definitively that it is in place. It is your decision. Thank you. I go on the record right along with this and say this is bizarre. Uh I would like to see some clarity on who is the city manager and who is not. But if you so choose to do this way, so be it. Thank you. Thank you. Any other comments?

And what I'm hearing is that Chief Rolls will be first chair as interim city manager and his absence or uh his uh request that the city clerk, Latricia Wright, will step up and be the interim until he returns. That what I'm hearing? That's what I hear. I would make that in a form of a motion. A second. All right. We have a motion and a second. Any discussion from the public?

Yeah. Taker 225. Um, how long is this inter in inter uh chief all going to be here? Because I'm telling you, I've been here a long time. This is the best police chief we had in years. And I would hate to see him come up here when we need him out here. Um, just saying. And how long is it going to take to maybe find a city manager? Um, if you don't mind me asking, I'd take a minimum to three to four months. Okay. But he is going to still be the police chief. He has an interim. He hasn't. Yeah. His his first is going to be interim until he returns.

Yeah. We actually have something in our postale policy that says he can't hold dual roles. And that's what I mentioned the other night on Tuesday. um which was my only because he was mentioned on Tuesday as being a code and that was the only reason that I objected at all at that time. Uh but that has been taken care of. I think the mayor can tell you more about that. He has okay uh evidently signed some paperwork that relinquishes him of that duty and um Major Fortney has taken it over for the interim period.

Yes, ma'am. Well, I was just kind of wondering how this works because it just seems weird that he he relinquishes his title as as the police chief and we really need him um in his position and I understand what's going on here because it was like an emergency. But, um, I sure wish that that you can find one soon that's competent other than what we was just hired and and have a very good vetting system instead of just somebody like Sue. That's what it takes so long. Thank you. Thank you, sir.

Joel Penny, 43 Northwest 4 Street. My question is is like we had a previous police chief at the time I think he was and he came in here and took over as city manager and with all the drama and everything he ended up quitting and leaving. How we know this is not going to happen to one of our best police officers we I mean police chiefs we ever had. I mean he didn't quit. He he retired. Joby, he he retired. He had planned to retire. He did not do it because of any part. You're talking about Chief Stroke. Yes. He's talking about Terry Bard, I believe. Oh, Terry Bvard. I'm sorry. I go back a long ways. I know. I know.

You do. They both retired. Either one. The case is the case. Yeah. But Terry made it very clear that he was retiring, not quitting because of drama as you're Okay. suggesting. That's not what I've heard. Okay. Is there anyone else from the public who has any comments? Seeing none, where? Oh, yes.

Hi, Shann 590 Northwest fourth place. Um, I think it's a great decision. I think it's exactly what we need in the time that we need it. And I think we're going to see some positive change. I don't know how long it'll take to find the right person for the right position, but I think at this time because of what we've had in the past couple ten years of past couple of city managers that this is going to go the way that we need it to both for the city and the residents and I have high hopes. Thank you. Well, thank you. Appreciate it.

Yeah. Okay. I would just like to say I would like us to take our time in finding the right person. We owe it to the employees. We owe it to the citizens. And if it takes three, four months, five months, we want to make sure we've got the right person. So that's that's my thing. I would like to actually find somebody that could mirror Mr. Bvard because he had systems in place that where we strived. So that's my

agreed, Mr. Mayor. Thank you, Madame President. I want to make it very clear. I am not giving my chief away. So don't get where you like him and you want him to stay. He is coming back to the police department. We're doing this as a help to the city. Don't get so attached to him that you want him to stay as city manager cuz I will get on his case. Thank you. Thank you, mayor. Anything else from the council? Seeing none, I move to vote.

Microphone, please. Say you're not. I'm sorry. Chief Rose would like to He has a comment. He looks surprised about that.

Yeah. First of all, I say thank you all for the positive comments and I I really appreciate that. It means a lot to me. Uh if I am afforded this opportunity, my plan is to continue to run this the city in a more efficient and effective way and continue to provide a great quality of service that the citizens of Willist deserve. As your city manager, that is my plan. Uh you we know we have some tasks that we need to tackle. We need to address me and the team and the key word is team. will tighter those tasks together to uh get things back aligned to the way that that that they need to be and the way that they should be. Um I was speaking with Miss Latrician I think once before we had a deputy city manager.

I was appointed without Oh, okay. That's it. Thank you. You're welcome. All right. I agree with that. So We did have a deputy city manager. Yes, we did. I move to vote. So, all those in favor of the motion say I. I. All those opposed say nay. Motion passes four to zero. Thank you. At this time, I would entertain a motion for adjournment.

I make a motion that we adjourn. Second. Have a motion and a second. Any discussion from the public? Any discussion from the councils? Mayor Goodman, you will know chief city manager roles that I didn't clap. I don't like you getting into this. You're too good a chief to get into this. And I have concerns. I have seen what can happen to good men when they are put in an impossible situation. That's all. Thank you. Good night.

Thank you. Good night. We I would just say he can leave anytime he wants to. No, ma'am. No, sir. He cannot. Okay. I mean, we didn't make him do it. Hello, Lulu. All right. So, we adjourn at what is time is that? 4:35 p.m. Thank you.