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GoogleFort Scott City Manager Joe Turner announced Friday that everything was finalized in the process of eliminating the director of human resources position from the city staff.
The issue came up during the Sept. 15 meeting of the Fort Scott City Commission when the commission voted to instruct Turner that they would like the position to be eliminated in order to assist in the righting of the city's budget.
"The reason it took so long was because we had some personnel issues to resolve," Turner said. "I think I had to follow the commission's wishes."
Turner added the announcement of the decision was also delayed to provide time to train other city employees to handle aspects of the position.
Current Fort Scott Director of Human Resources Robert Johnson will end his more than 16-year career with the city on Nov. 27.
"I really enjoyed my time here," Johnson said. "I wish everybody well."
Johnson said he does not yet have any plans for the future. He said he will take a month off to "recharge (his) batteries" and to get his resume worked up.
The Fort Scott Police Department will be hosting a reception for Johnson from 3-5 p.m. Nov. 25 to celebrate his career. The reception will be held at the Hawkins Public Safety Facility, 1604 S. National Ave.
When asked about rumors about his possible resignation following the decision to eliminate the position, Turner said they are not true.
"That was all rumors ... I'm not going anywhere," Turner said.
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Do away with HR, and train others to take on the duties? Your asking for a lawsuit! It will cost the city in the longrun.
Who are we kidding here, this has been a witch hunt to get rid of the "good ole boys," and replace them with persons affiliated with the CAC, wonder why we haven't heard a peep from the CAC while the city budget has been spent to the point of bankruptsy? 3/5ths of the present city commission need to remember they swore to represent all citizens of Fort Scott, not just a select few i.e. certain citizens committees, their families and friends.
The CAC has been dead as a doornail, and (in my opinion) good riddance, for a couple of years now. You haven't heard a peep from them because they no longer exist - they failed to get a foothold in city politics, and risked a lot and lost a lot with the Grand Jury gambit, and to my knowledge faded away, unless they hold secret meetings in a basement somewhere. The idea that a guy like Sam Mason would answer to a group like the CAC would strike you as pretty laughable if you spent 30 minutes talking to the guy, and Parker and Adams are very much the same way.
It sucks making a decision and having to cut a long time employee, and the Commission isn't the only local governing board to have to make decisions like that in the last year, but I don't think it justifies accusing people of taking their marching orders from a destructive small group of people that is thankfully no more. A great deal of the financial woes the city is facing stem from decisions made long before the turmoil of years past was even brewing, combined with revenues and funding drying up due to the biggest economic downturn in my lifetime.
and it's not only financial decisions made long ago either.
You are correct in this being the biggest economic downturn in your lifetime, and I will go to my grave reminding you that I warned you and other civic leaders about it.
It's not over either! However, your favorite professor of economics that advised you that tax and spend policies will lead us into prosperity might say otherwise.:)
It is sad that among mankind it is easier to cut staff than swallow pride and cutback on pet projects, and no, it is not "impossible" to stop a project once it is started. It happens all the time in the real(outside govt) world.
sigh.....
and NO, i'm not going into a discussion about what constitutes "pet projects". :)
Deflation?
Inflation?
Stagflation? I'm sticking with my two+ year premise of this being our future.
The CAC did wonderful work! They brought forth the Grand Jury. The GJ indicted people with enough evidence to show that they were less than honest with our Tax dollars. Just because the Attorney General CHOSE not to go forward on the other charges, does not mean the GJ found nothing.
The GJ were people from ALL classes of life. They were given FACTS, and those facts allowed them to make the decisions that there were 12 TRUE inditements, NOT the CAC.
Get over it Nick!
I'm not badmouthing the people on the Grand Jury in any way, they did their civic duty, and they were not the ones who pushed for a Grand Jury to begin with - in fact if they had been, I don't believe they would have been eligible to serve on the Grand Jury. In the end, a large amount of money was spent, and what is to show for it? The AG's office has considerable resources and manpower at it's disposal - if they felt there was something that merited pursuing, don't you think they would have?
Anyway, this isn't about the grand jury - I just don't feel people in office making tough decisions should be smeared/associated with a group that did far more harm than good to Fort Scott.
I was never in the cac, and am not sure when it started nor exactly who was in it, but I do believe that by the time an organization is big enough to be seen above ground it was preceded by a long period of growing from it's roots and they take a long time. And what is the type of seed that was originally planted? Of course, it was the seeds of discontent!
Me moving away for twenty years and then moving back I'm sure I missed some serious moments of frustration by the citizens regarding the leadership(or lack)of this community.
In other words, sometimes organizations like these may be indicitive of bigger problems in our community and it's leadership.
just some thoughts.
Dan, I actually agree with you completely. The CAC was a symptom of much bigger issues, namely a large portion of the community feeling things needed to change, but those who had the power to make that change, and do it is a less destructive way, did not speaking up, and in that vacuum of leadership a force that in my opinion did more harm than good came along for a while.
I'm going to have to chime in on this...
In response to Mr. Downing, as far as a "witch hunt" or "take over" of the City Commission by those affiliated with the CAC, I'd have to assume that you mean Jim Adams, (an original steering committee member), and Jeannie Parker, (who attended many of the meetings with her family.) -So we have 2 out of 5 Commissioners who had been associated with the CAC in the begining of it, and who subsequently were elected by a majority of the public. How is that infiltration? If more than 1 member of the Commission happened to attend the same church, would you consider that a take-over by what ever religion that might be? If more than one was a member of the Chamber of Commerce would that mean that the Chamber was infiltrating a taking over and only working toward the needs of their family, friends and membership. The accusation is absurd.
The CAC did start at a time when a large group of Citizens were seeking change and accountability. The original formation of the committees were much like the current Visioning Committees. Problem identification, community wants/needs, and forming committees to find and apply solutions. The City administration at the time felt this was a threat and certain members of it began a whispering campaign to divide and break-up the organization of the citizens. Some of the negative talk wasn't even at a whisper level. Many became afraid to be associated with the group.
To sum it up I think of a quote of Thomas Jefferson. "A people in fear of their Government is Tyranny, a Government in fear of the people is liberty." -Or something to that effect.
As far as the Grand Jury, of course money was spent. Not unlike any other jury trials that happen here at much higher cost considering all aspects of law enforcement and the judicial system that is paid and involved in everday cases. I never have understood the folks like Nick who don't appreciate the ability for people to unite and come together in this country to keep their government in check. That is exactly what happened. Two of the indictments were for the Grant applied to the State by the City on behalf of Greg Kuplen. The CAC approached the City Administration at that time, the very Administration that Nick Graham was a part of the aledged fraudulent grant and misuse of tax dollars to which the City ignored. That was PRE GRAND JURY.
Of course the Grand Jury cost money, but out of it came many recommendations to SAVE money in the future, and keep the City Government aware that they are elected to represent the citizens, and that applying for grants and misuse of tax dollars to benefit their "special interest" will not be tolerated, and having been put before an impartial jury was proven to have enough evidence of wrong-doing to indict.
Who?........