Highfill deadlocked on appointment

— After some controversy over city attorney fees, city council members at their January meeting voted to pass a $1.6 million budget for the city of Highfill, including a 2.6 percent pay increase for all employees (except the police department) to offset the increase in payroll taxes.

The budget passed on its second reading in December but, at the January meeting, newly-elected councilman Chris Holland raised objections over the amount of attorney’s fees and asked Mayor Stacy Digby to get quotes from other attorneys before he would approve the budget.

The city has budgeted $30,000 for city attorney fees and Holland said he felt the city is spending too much money on legal fees, pointing out that Gentry has budgeted $15,000.

Digby said that Highfill’s attorney fees have ranged from $30,000 to $70,000 in the past. The higher costs represented times when the city was involved in litigation, Digby said. He also said that each time the city changed staff they had to place a lot of calls to the city attorney to answer legal questions.

Digby reported that he called attorney Jay Williams in Gentry and, while he didn’t say if he would be willing to take on another city, his hourly fees were the same as Highfill’s current city attorney, Steve Miller.

After some discussion, Holland said he would not approve the budget until Digby provided quotes from other attorneys.

“I asked for bids on lawyers and I want bids on lawyers,” he said.

Miller explained that cities can’t bid on professional services, such as attorneys, engineers or accountants, but they can appoint someone based on professional statements and rates.

“I want all that before I will approve the budget. I asked you for this back at the budget meeting,” Holland said.

Digby pointed out the budget must be passed by Feb. 1. Miller said the budget doesn’t have anything to do with who the city chooses for its attorney. He explained that an amount could be set and an attorney chosen at a later date.

Holland suggested a special meeting at the end of the month so the council could pass the budget after reviewing a selection of attorneys.

Police Chief Chuck Eggebrecht said he is waiting for the budget to be passed so he can hire a part-time officer to help out when his full-time officer begins police academy next month.

After some discussion, recently-elected councilman David Williamson made a motion to approve the budget with the specification that Digby is to get professional statements and rates from a selectionof attorneys and the police department will be allowed money to hire a part-time officer.

Council members Michelle Reiff, Ryan Evans, Holland and Williamson voted in favor of the motion. Councilwoman Paula Pautsky was not present.

Deadlocked

In other business, the mayor and city council remain deadlocked on the issue of who to appoint to the open position on the Highfill Planning Commission.

Last month Digby nominated Jason James for the open position. Pautsky made a motion to accept the nomination, but the motion died for the lack of a second.

At the Jan. 8 meeting, Digby nominated James for a second time, but no motion was made. Holland asked Digby to nominate Stacie Williamson, who currently holds the position, and Digby refused. Stacie Williamson also serves as the city’s recorder and treasurer and her husband, David Williamson, was recently elected to the city council.

After the December meeting, Digby explained that he nominated James because he is a long-time resident of Highfill with a vested interest in its future. He explained that he would like more diversity on the planning commission, because both Stacie Williamson and her sister Pam Harwell serve on the five-member commission.

"Chris Holland then spoke in favor of leaving his cousin,Stacie Williamson, on the commission. He said he couldn’t understand why I would want to remove her. She had done a good job, in his opinion, and wanted to remain on the commission,” Digby said last month.

Under the current city ordinance, only the mayor can nominate someone to the planning commission. Holland told the council he had called the municipal league attorneys and was told the council could ask that the ordinance and city code book be changed to allow the council the authority to nominate someone for the planning commission.

Digby asked city attorney Steve Miller to prepare an ordinance allowing both the mayor and city council to make nominations for the planning commission for the council to vote on at next month’s meeting. The planning commission nomination was also tabled until next month. Stacie Williamson will remain in the position until someone is appointed, he said.

Other actions taken by the council included:

◊The passing of an ordinance that rezoned the property of Edward Nicklaus, located at 14378 West Highway 12, from rural residential to planned unit development, for mixed use.

◊Councilman Ryan Evans was reappointed to the council and sworn into office. Evans did not refile for office and no one else ran for his council seat in the November election, so he was reappointed to his position.

News, Pages 5 on 01/16/2013