Council member calls for delay in hiring
By Ty Johnson
Published in News on July 10, 2011 1:50 AM
Council had already planned to go into closed session upon beginning its work session Tuesday night to discuss a property acquisition, but ended up entering it twice more before beginning its regular board meeting, once to discuss a matter of litigation and another time to discuss a personnel matter.
The council closed its doors shortly after a discussion on the Golds Inn demolition for the litigation matter, and then opened up and finished its agenda.
The personnel matter that closed the session was entered into after District 2 Councilman Bob Waller brought up the hiring of a Parks and Recreation department chief.
Waller asked Interim City Manager Tasha Logan if the hiring could be delayed until the new city manager began his job. Scott Stevens, the city manager of Kinston, is slated to begin his job as the city manager of Goldsboro on Aug. 8.
Ms. Logan said in early June that she would be pressing forward with the hiring of the Parks and Recreation director ahead of Stevens' arrival, although if scheduling permitted, he might sit in on interviews.
Ms. Logan told Waller that Stevens was out of town until July 19 and that her search for a parks and recreation director had identified two finalists who were awaiting interviews this month.
Waller insisted that the position interviews be postponed, although District 3 Councilman Don Chatman pointed out that the council had already instructed Ms. Logan to proceed.
Ms. Logan noted that had she known that the personnel matter was going to be discussed, she would have brought it up during closed session.
Waller, who appeared to be the only dissenter on the continuation of the hiring process, rotated back and forth in his seat as the council sat silently at an impasse until District 5 Councilman Chuck Allen finally moved to go into closed session. District 6 Councilman Jackie Warrick seconded the motion, and the council went into closed session to clear up the matter.
Ms. Logan said Wednesday afternoon that she would be proceeding with the hiring as planned.
In other news, the public hearing on the delaying and rescheduling of the 2011 municipal election attracted no members of the public to speak. The proposed schedule for Goldsboro's municipal election will be a Feb. 13 filing day, a May 8 primary and a June 26 election day.
Items approved by roll call vote on the consent agenda included Larry Bill's site and landscape plan for a miniature golf course, Eastern Wayne Middle's site revision plans for a new classroom building, the Old Waynes-borough Commission's site and landscape plans for a museum building and the reduction of the speed limit on Park Avenue through Herman Park from 25 to 10 m.p.h.