2014-05-27 Regular Council agenda

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City that is alarming. She stated that it is all right to tell her that she is not doing the work that you would like her to do, but it is not all right to bring people forward to misrepresent themselves and say otherwise. She stated that she is sorry that this incident happened. Dr. Carr talked about the firefighters’ issue of whether or not the firefighters were in uniform. She stated that she knows better than anyone else how slow and difficult the legal system is and now much it costs to litigate a claim. Dr. Carr stated that anyone who knows her also knows that from the time she first started working on the petition for an audit she has received numerous anonymous phone calls and information. Today she received an audio tape from the contract negotiations that took place during August of 2014, between the City and the firefighters’ union that addressed the law that was being passed and would soon be implemented. Dr. Carr stated that she would like to take the time to allow everyone to listen to it, because she thought it addressed the issue of a uniform. (Whereupon the audio taped conversation was initiated by Dr. Carr.) Dr. Carr noted that wearing something that says University City is what is qualified as a uniform. She also noted that the transcript of this audio tape had been ordered by the court, and is a matter of public record. Dr. Carr stated that by the City Attorney’s own admission, the City had not developed the Administrative Regulations regarding AR Number 4, nor had they otherwise defined a uniform by the twenty-fourth of April when the firefighters in question were penalized and suspended. She stated that the only communication to the firefighters from the City Manager regarding the limitations set forth by the City with regard to this is contained in this audio tape. Dr. Carr then stated that she had copies of the Standard Operating Procedures for uniforms that she would like to provide to her colleagues and Ms. Pumm, so that it could be attached to the minutes. Dr. Carr stated that within this procedure there is nothing mentioned about turnout gear. So while some may have hypothesized that they looked like firefighters, she would compare that type of an assumption to the one people make when they see a man in a white lab coat with a stethoscope; they might think that he’s portraying a doctor. Dr. Carr stated that she is surprised that the City is still in the same position with five firefighters who have been penalized. She did not want to believe that this is simply retaliation, the fact that the AR(s) had not been developed and no guidance; other than the City of University City could not be in their gear, was provided, she has to wonder if this was entrapment. Dr. Carr stated that she is sorry to say that she has to take this position of being counter to the rest of Council. She stated that she is not telling the City Manager what to do and she is not guiding him. Council is responsible for the City Clerk and the City Manager, and if they fail to offer guidance to these employees then they are failing at their job and dooming the City to less than stellar administration. Q. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Shelley Welsch adjourned the meeting at 8:34 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Joyce Pumm City Clerk, MRCC/CMC