City council budget talks turn to role of administrator
 
The Eldorado Success
 
The Eldorado City Council met Thursday evening, August 19, 2004, ostensibly for a budget workshop, but before the meeting was over, council member Toni Sudduth would question whether City Administrator Randy Mankin’s role as owner and publisher of The Eldorado Success is putting the city in jeopardy of a lawsuit because of the newspaper’s coverage of the story surrounding the YFZ Ranch.

Mayor John Nikolauk called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. with councilmembers Bill McCutcheon, Toni Sudduth, Dora Bosmans, Tommy Minor, Richard Mendez and Juaquin Rojas in attendance.

The group methodically went through budget discussions and the meeting was winding down when Ms. Sudduth challenged Mankin’s part-time position as city administrator and questioned how much of Mankin’s newspaper work was being done on city time. She also claimed that he took too much time away from work and was in arrears on his vacation time.

Mankin disagreed with that and referred to records he keeps in his day planner. He noted that in addtion to taking care of business at City Hall, he receives numerous calls at all hours of the night and day, even while he is at his newspaper office.

Sudduth argued that Mankin has a conflict of interest and said that he should conduct city business only when he is at City Hall and suggested that he tell persons calling him at home or at his newspaper office to contact him later at his city office.

Mankin said he appreciated the opportunity the council had given him and said he tries to do his best on behalf of the city. He pointed out that he drives his own vehicle and provides his own fuel and cellular phone. He went on to say that he resented being confronted about his job performance in front of his employees and family members (Mankin’s wife, Kathy was present, covering the meeting for the Success). He noted that other employees are given the courtesy being discussed in executive session.

Mankin then offered to resign if the council felt he could no longer serve effectively. The offer was flatly rejected by Mayor Nikolauk, who polled the remainder of the council on the question.

Council member Bill McCutcheon offered a motion that the council consult an attorney in hopes of settling the issue. Mankin pointed out that the item had been brought up without being on the agenda and urged McCutcheon not to offer a formal motion since it would violate the Open Meetings Act. Mankin said that instead he would seek a legal opinion on the matter on the council’s behalf.

At that point, Sudduth asked that an attorney other than James Kosub be consulted. Mayor Nikolauk noted that Kosub is the city’s attorney and would be called concerning the issue. He agreed, however to check with a Texas Municipal League attorney, in addition to Kosub.

In the less exciting, but equally important budget workshop that preceded, the council met with Mankin, City Secretary Carolyn Mayo and Utility Superintendent Floyd Fay. During the two-hour long workshop, the council looked over the city’s financial condition and reviewed several reports presented by Ms. Mayo. It was noted that a warmer than usual winter and a wetter than normal summer greatly curtailed the amount of natural gas and water the city sold this year, resulting in a revenue shortfall. Also of concern to the council were the upward spiraling costs of electricity and fuel.

The council reviewed the preliminary budget one line item at a time and noted that the first set of numbers failed to balance by more than $200,000.00. After a lengthy discussion it was decided to take a three-pronged approach to balancing the books. First, the group wanted to identify as many spending as possible. Secondly, they wanted to consider bolstering the revenue side of the equation by pulling from the city’s reserves. Thirdly they agreed to look into increasing utility rates. A fourth option, increased property taxes, was not among the funding options considered.

Landfill fees were also discussed as a way of possibly increasing the city’s revenue. At one point Randy Mankin brought the daily landfill logs to the council chamber and reviewed the number of residential and commercial users currently dumping at the site. It was noted that several oilfield contractors, as well as TxDOT employees and contractors, are bringing an increased amount of debris to the landfill. The council asked Mankin to look at the options for charging the commercial customers and to formulate a plan for them to consider. There seemed to be little sentiment for charging Schleicher County residents who haul residential trash to the landfill.

Among the other funding options under consideration is the possibility of increasing the minimum water charge from $9 per month to $10. Also, the council is considering raising the amount it charges for each 1,000 gallons over the minimum from $1 to $1.25 per 1,000 gallons.

The council instructed Mankin and Mayo to prepare budget options for them to consider, including the funding options described above. It was noted that any utility rate increases that might be included in the budget would not be automatic and would take effect only after a public hearing on the individual rate increases.

The council then set a budget hearing for Monday, August 30, 2004 at 6:00 p.m. at which time they will consider the city’s 2004-05 budget. Under Texas law the group must adopt a budget before they can set a property tax rate for the coming year.
 
MyEldorado.net
Originally published August 19, 2004
 
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