Fort Walton Beach Council minutes — 07-14-1981 Regular — reading text

want me to ( inaudible)? ( Inaudible) that there was 650, 000 worth of ( inaudible). Mr. Walker told me the money was worked out ( inaudible). The city attorney told we that we were on very solid legal ground but he didn' t tell me ( inaudible) Let me talk to you aboutPg8fale in our city administration and I' ve thought that for several years. Now as to the petition I inaudible) But the most important thing is this that we as your city council are charged with evaluating your executives ( inaudible) We are privy to a lot of day to day instance that would be hard ( inaudible) but the gradual period of time it will appear for performance ( inaudible) And I have to tell you this, then, when I started out I was fully behind Mr. Walker for a period of ( inaudible) years. Gradually my feelings changed and they had changed to the point where this vote ( inaudible) is in good conscience, most sincere, from the bottom of my heart. I do not hold any ( inaudible) and it is unusual in a ( inaudible) 254 7/ 14/ 81 to award the records to reach the point where they feel for the good ( inaudible) a change is necessary and I think that is why in our minds inaudible) the City of Fort Walton and ladies and gentlmen we are charged with making that decision about who represents us. I do not need inaudible) our administration wants. ( Inaudible) but! have said and said again I like Mr. Walker personally, think he' s a friend ( inaudible) I regret that. ( Inaudible) the constitution, my vote was cast and I cast that vote with as much integrity sincerity as I could and I would have to vote that way ( inaudible). Mr. Franklin said, Mr. Patrick, before you come up, I like to speak, please. would Somebody has got the cord tied up, I' m going to bend over. Evidently some people, Mr. Patrick has come up twice, this is the third time. I do not want to get into a name calling session, I don' t want to get into making accusations against Mr. Walker and I' d like to give you just two minor things, right now. I' m prepared to give a lot more later on. During our briefings, as newly elected councilmen, I' m not going to be able to prove this, because the people that were present, one of them has left the area, and the other one is Mr. Miller, the other one is Mr. Walker, concerning the Cinco Bayou water service. The Council on a meeting, the last meeting in Mayor the first meeting in June, I' m not sure which one it was, made a motion, passed, seconded and passed, that the City of Fort Walton Beach stop giving services away to outlying areas. They said, we adopt the motion to charge Cinco Bayou 33% above our cost for these services. During our briefing, we were riding round in a van, Mr. Walker made the statement that we have an agreement with Cinco Bayou not to charge them but 25%. Now you fellas are gonna have to get in there and straighten that out. Another issue. I attended a committee meeting headed by Dr. Dan Houghton on occupational licenses where it was dis- cussed about a possible moratorium for the builders not to pay the fee because they were ready to sue us. Because they state that it is in violation of the law for us to charge them a occupational license. Mr. Walker said, " let them sue". My concern is state- J,., ments like that cost the city money. Costs you the , taxpayer. Now some of you can afford it. Me, my- self, I cannot afford it. There' s a lot of people in Fort Walton Beach who cannot afford it because they are drawing minimum wage. We do not need that type of management. Mr. Patrick said, I just have a couple of questions. Mr. Baughman you mentioned the talks at the union- ization ( inaudible) about $ 200, 000 in legal fees.  7/ 14/ 81 255 Do you feel that the actions this Council ( inaudible) or if the actions of this, council could have been done in a proper manner that would avoid these legal fees. Mr. Baughman, ( completely inaudible) Mr. Patrick said, ( inaudible) the way the unionization 1 fight was handled. I have a few questions. Do you feel that the actions of this City Council have been indeed correct such as to avoid further legal fees. Are you not indeed guilty of those same charges you filed against Mr. Walker? Mr. Baughman said, No, you see ( inaudible) that I inaudible) to City Hall, that is the ( inaudible) that is the administration ( inaudible). Over the years, before ( inaudible) Fort Walton Beach ( inaudible) to such an extent that he had virtually ( inaudible) problem to the administration ( inaudible). Mr. Patrick said, just one last questions, then I' ll pass on the mike. Is the sewer land purchase, are you charging Mr. Malker with ignorance as to the fact inaudible) or are you charging Mr. Walker with feed- ing that information to the Tallahassee attorney. And if you are charging that Mr. Walker was ignorant in that action, then why was not the City Council aware tha~ of. that information themselves, that they were condemning Mr. Walker for being not as smart as you. Mr. Baughman said, relative to ( inaudible) when I saw the City Manager and said, look, I got us ( inaudible) building ( inaudible) are we getting them at a fair price? And he gotten two previous ( inaudible). Larry Patrick said, thank you. Mr. Franklin said, Madame Mayor? Mayor said yes. Mr. Franklin said I am prepared to stay here all night if anyone else wants to discuss this, but I think we have given everybody an ample opportunity and I call for questions. I Someone from the audience been heard from yet. Mra. Thornber said, thank you very much. said Mrs. There are many faces here that I saw while I was campaigning. Thornber has not And I' d like to say what I heard many of you say, was the reason I voted why I did. You not only told me what you wanted, what you needed as your councilman, but also aksed for me to try to effect a change in 256 7/ 14/ 81 City administration. And as I read my charter, the only change that I would like to make is to vote for or against the city attorney and for or against the city manager. This I did. Mr. Franklin said, call for question, Mayor. Mayor said, will you state your question, and we will vote upon it? Mr. Franklin said, I move that consider, I move we that we reconsider the employment termination of last Monday night, July 6, 1981, of City Manager, Winston Walker. Mayor said, it was, will someone second that motion? Inaudib_ le) said yes, ma' am. All councilmen voted yes on the motion. Mr. Franklin said, Madame Mayor, I move that the termination of Winston Walker of July 6, 1981 that we take another vote at this time. Oh, we' ve al- ready done that. Mayor said, is there a second? Mr. Baughman said, we just took a vote. Mr. Franklin said, Madame Mayor, " the motion that I wish to move, at this time, is the resolution on the termination of employment of the City Manager, Winston Walker, that we at this time, take another vote on that resolution. Mayor said, are you moving, Mr. Franklin, to termi- nate Mr. Walker? Mr. Franklin said, I am moving at this time to termi- nate Mr. Walker. Mayor asked if there were any questions or discussion? Is there anybody who has not spoken their feelings on this motion in the last hour and twenty minutes? Dr. Thompson said, Madame Mayor, speaking to the motion to Walker, which I' m not sure re- fire Mr. Mr. Walker has the priviledge to retire. Now you fired him Monday night or retire ( inaudible). Mayor said, just a minute, there are a few, and I can' t imagine who they would be, there are a few people who do not know who you are. Would you state you name? IJ  I 7/ 14/ 81 257 Dr. Thompson said, I' m surprised that as many attorney' s as we have in the City, that you do not have nobody here tonight to help you, even if it might be a professional from you staff, or the attorneys from your organization which supposedly helped them all out of the Sunshine in order to do what you are doing now, understand. And now that you are doing this thing in the Sunshine is called 1 cover trash ( inaudible) and both Council who your was saying up here, motion was made ( inaudible) to table the whole mess, and then get on going with it. I think that the reason (