Tensions were high at the Crocker City Council meeting Monday evening. In the presence of more than 20 concerned citizens, the council discussed the possible termination of City Administrator Joyce Peterson.
Members of the council stated that the budget was the reason for the possibility of terminating the city administrator position, but that other city positions were being considered as well.
Members of the council first moved to accept the minutes from the previous meeting and the agenda, which was accepted.
Marshall Decker, auditor for the city, presented his findings after an analysis of the City of Crocker's revenue and expenditures. He stressed that the city needs to balance its expenditures so that it can stay within budget.
Some of the city's funds had more expenditures than revenue, as was the case with the city's general fund, which had $319,451 in revenue and $332,246 in expenditures.
“(So that) what goes out the door matches what comes in,” he said. “According to the budget you are going to spend more than what you brought in.”
However, this causes problems for the city.
As Decker said, in the general fund the city has been losing money over the last few years due to having more expenditures than revenue.
“Two years ago you had a $30,000 balance. It was $18,000 last year. Now it's about $5,000 this year,” Decker said. His suggestion for the city to better manage the budget was to take a hard look at some expenses that can be cut back, such as insurance.
After the other departments presented their happenings, the council voted to go to a closed session.
During the first closed session, Donna Newcomb, a local business owner who has lived in Crocker for more than 30 years, explained the history of the city administrator position.
According to Newcomb, the position was formed to help the mayor at the time, Norma Lea Mihalevich. Mihalevich had served as mayor since 1977.
Peterson had been chosen to fill the city administrator position and faithfully served in it for several years, Newcomb said.
“Now all of a sudden, the over-budget or the owing the money department, and the first thing they want to do is let the highest paid one go,” Newcomb said.
Peterson had previously served as city clerk for more than 20 years before becoming city administrator, Newcomb informed.
“All I can say is, you don't have someone and you don't make a position for her to work in to run the city and be called administrator and then when you are done with her and you've got another city clerk, you fire her, terminate her,” Newcomb said with conviction.
“Come on!” she added. “I want to know why.”
The council meeting re-opened to the public and Newcomb was first to address the council.
“First of all, what I would like to know is what is true and what isn't true,” she said.
“Well, we're a little confused where the information came from about this abrupt termination when there was absolutely no vote in our last meeting to terminate Joyce,” Alderwoman Kimberly Skaggs-Henson said.
“It came from me,” Newcomb said.
“When that was put in the paper (the Daily Guide), that was absolutely wrong,” Skaggs- Henson added.
“I do want to know why I didn't get a copy of the minutes (from the previous meeting),” Newcomb demanded.
“Because it is ongoing,” Skaggs-Henson answered. “No action was taken.”
An argument arose over whether the information in the Daily Guide was false or not.
“I was told that information,” Peterson declared.
“By who?” Alderman James Patton asked.
Peterson explained that someone from the council had called her and informed her that at the next meeting her position would be terminated.
She said she then talked with Mayor James Morgan and asked him to confirm or deny the truth of the statement.
Peterson said that Morgan confirmed the statement.
The auditor had said that towns the size of Crocker do not have city administrators, Skaggs-Henson reaffirmed.
“There was nothing voted on,” Skaggs-Henson said. “It wasn't ‘Let's terminate Joyce and hire someone else for that position.’
“If it was going to be terminated (the position), it was going to be eliminated.”
Then the issue was raised on whether it was legal for the mayor to have given that information to Joyce.
The legal advisor to the council said that what was said in closed session was to stay in closed session and not be expressed to the public.
“If we make a motion, we vote on something in closed session, we have 72 hours to give the minutes up,” Patton affirmed.
The mayor agreed that there was not a vote to terminate the city administrator position in the closed session of the last meeting.
The council then voted to have another closed session and following it, re-opened once again to the public.
Other comments were made and questions were raised by the public and council alike, but no action was taken on whether the city administrator position would be terminated or not.
The council did decide to hold another meeting this month in which the matter may be discussed further. The next meeting will be Jan. 22 at 6 p.m. in Crocker City Hall.
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