Walton City Council is planning to bring forward a resolution to remove Mayor Gabe Brown from office at its meeting next week.
The decision came at a closed-door meeting on Thursday evening, which Brown did not attend. According to city officials, council will also bring charges against the mayor related to an investigation of misuse of a city credit card.
“There was a general consensus that charges that could lead to removal will be prepared and placed on the agenda for Tuesday’s council meeting,” said city attorney Bryce Rhoades, who has been leading the investigation.
According to Rhoades, the charges are still being finalized and will not be made public until they are voted on.
Brown has been the subject of controversy in Walton in recent months. He has been accused of using city property for personal gain, including using a city credit card for personal reasons, using a city snowplow outside of Walton for monetary payment and failing to return city vehicles promptly after use.
The mayor, having served seven years and in the middle of his second term, decided to step down from the position in late March, only to rescind his resignation ten minutes before it was set to go into effect on March 31.
Since then, council has passed a series of ordinances amending city policies and procedures regarding how city property can be used by elected officials, as well as how often officials can get paid and prohibiting advance payments.
Councilmembers have previously expressed desire to remove Brown from office once the investigation into his misuse of credit cards was completed. In order for Brown to be removed from office, the resolution must be approved by all six members of council.
“Council has been doing their due diligence and looking into the various things that were brought to their attention,” said Rhoades. “They really want to make sure the public is informed about what’s going on, so that will be public, one way or another.”
The vote will take place at a special meeting immediately following council’s regularly scheduled caucus meeting on Tuesday, May 7, which begins at 6:30 p.m.
LINK nky has reached out to Brown for comment.