1980 ADJ MTG MIN JUL 8 - Laserfiche WebLink

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4 42 I have in my hand a flyer, or hand -bill, which I would like to share with you and that I want entered into the Record, entitled "The Night to Roll Up Your Sleeves and Fight" which seems designed to turn this proceeding into a political rally. It was distributed to hundreds of people. A city manager should not be appointed or retained in such a climate. If Benny Gonzales condones or participates in such an approach, this hand -bill is further evidence of his weakness in the management area. I would like to further discuss the grounds upon which this Council adopted the resolution of intention to remove the City Manager. I invite Mr. Gonzales to refute them. REFUSAL TO REPORT TO THE MAYOR As the Mayor, and on behalf of the City Council, I directed the City Manager to report to the Mayor regularly, regarding day-to-day operations of the City. The City Manager did not so report. Thereafter, during February of 1980, I advised the.City Manager that no such reports had been made, and asked for an explanation. The City Manager replied that he had no time for such reports. He was rude to me, and walked out on me. There are many examples of the City Manager's failures to make reports upon Municipal matters, essential for the City Council's policy decisions and direction of administra- tive and management performance. These are some examples of the Manager's failures to communicate and withholding of information: 1. Cooley Ranch Assessment A dispute existed with regard to delinquent payments on bonds of the assessment at Cooley Ranch. An audit report was prepared. It was delivered to the City Manager in early March, 1980. He withheld it for about one month. 2. Withholding of Park Funds As a result of the failure of the City Manager, Benny Gonzales, to report to me as Mayor, and to the City Council on the program to expand, unreasonable delay in park improvements has been caused. Early in 1979, the City Council met with the Department Heads in a Goal Setting Ses- sion. The Parks and Recreation Commission in February, at special workshop meetings, drew up a priority list of goals and projects for the Parks Department. In the Fall of 1979, the Commission formally presented the list of projects to the Council and requested action on these items. The items were clearly defined and the projects were to be financed by the Park Development Tax Fund. Presently, well over $260,000 exists in this fund. None of these projects has been accomplished. The City, at one point, entered into very preliminary negotiations with the Railroad Company on the possibility of securing ten (10) acres of land adjacent to Elizabeth Davis Park. These were exploratory discussions with no decision made by the Council to purchase this land. A member of the Parks and Recreation Commission has informed me that Mr. Benny Gonzales, the City Manager, withheld the use of Park Development Tax monies until the purchase of the railroad land could be completed. This action by the City Manager resulted in no action at all on other park projects. This decision by the City Manager was never reported to the Mayor or Council. The. effect of his lack of communication was to withhold City funds without Council approval, and without informing us, as is his duty. There is a system of chain of command and policy making and decision making which the City Manager has not followed in such cases. The City Council appoints citizens to commissions. The commissions review the areas of concern of their particular fields and make recommendations to the Council on community needs. The Council must make the decisions and the Manager administers that which the Council decides. If City Manager Gonzales had established communication with the Commission as he should have, at least its members would have been informed, even if the Council was not. During his six months as City Manager, Mr. Gonzales never attended or put in an introductory appearance at one Parks and Recreation Commission meeting, in spite of the fact that the Commission extended him a personal invitation to do so. This is reflected in the Commission minutes. From an administrative standpoint, the City Manager failed to implement Commission recommendations. And, I believe that he failed to administer City funds for park purposes without Council knowledge or ap- proval of such policy of inaction. 3. Failure to Inform as to Projects Funded Under Housing and Community Development Block Grant Funds, or to Implement Them. JUL 8 1980