Former Walton Mayor Mark Carnahan proposed the idea of hiring a full-time city administrator to the city council during its meeting Tuesday evening.
The proposal follows a string of incidents in the last month revolving around current Mayor Gabe Brown, in which he was accused of using city property for personal gain, resigned, and then rescinded his resignation.
Brown was not present at the meeting nor at the one prior on Monday, April 1. At both meetings, councilman Dan Martin acted as chairperson to lead in the mayor’s absence.
According to Carnahan, a city administrator is a “much-needed position” that would help make city business operate more smoothly.
In Walton, mayorship is a part-time job, similar to city council, meaning elected officials may not always be available to address city business if they work other full-time jobs.
A city administrator is typically responsible for overseeing the daily operations of city business, such as creating budgets, managing personnel, enforcing policy and ensuring the city is meeting its goals. City administrators also work with elected officials to develop new laws and policies that benefit the city.
“[A city administrator] does not eliminate or alter the mayor’s office or affect the council in any other way than to make the job much easier for the people holding these positions,” said Carnahan, adding that the position would “oversee the operations of the city and act as a liaison between the city and the school and business community, as well as other counties, cities and the state.”
Carnahan resigned as mayor during his term in February 2018, citing multiple failed attempts to create a position for a city administrator.
His request on Tuesday evening was backed by longtime Walton resident Mike Wood.
“We need somebody to be able to meet with people all the time,” he said. “This town is getting so big and it’s grown and we need somebody to be up here every day to see the day-to-day operations.”
Walton’s population has been increasing steeply, having more than doubled in the last 20 years. As of the most recent census in 2020, the city had approximately 5,460 residents.
Following the citizen comments, city council approved three items of business.
First, council overrode Brown’s veto of an ordinance regarding city credit cards that was approved last month. The ordinance states that city credit cards must only be used by authorized city employees exclusively for city purposes.
According to city attorney Michael Duncan, Brown vetoed the ordinance but did not send a message to council explaining why he did so.
“I talked to him today, he said he didn’t intend to veto it, he thought he signed it,” said Duncan, adding that council could not find a signed copy.
Next, council approved an ordinance revising the policy for the timing of payment for the mayor and city council members. The former policy allowed officials to decide whether to be paid monthly, annually, or twice annually, while the amended policy removed the option to be paid monthly. It also specifies that officials must never receive advance payments.
Lastly, council held a first reading of an ordinance to adopt a new policy that states that all city-owned real estate must be used for city purposes only. Specifically, it cites that no personal vehicles can be stored at city-owned buildings and that no individuals can sleep or camp overnight in city buildings.
According to councilwoman Terri Courtney, a bed at a city building has been used improperly in the past.
“I want everyone to understand that the bed inside [the public works building] has been abused and whether there’s a bed or not, we’ve had elected public officials or even city workers sleeping inside our public buildings,” she said. “Our public buildings are not meant for elected officials or city workers to find an alternate place to stay when it’s convenient.”
Councilwoman Amy Long proposed an amendment to the ordinance to make exceptions for city workers who need a place to rest during emergency or weather-related incidents. It was approved by council.
Following the meeting, council went into closed session for discussions which “might lead to the appointment, discipline or dismissal of an individual employee.”
Council continues to gather evidence in an investigation into Brown’s actions during his mayoral term.