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<br /> <br /> Comments regarding Mr. Walker’s denial of his statement to the press regarding the <br />savings that outsourcing would produce <br />Dr. Carr stated Mr. Walker has betrayed the trust of this Council, the citizens, and further <br /> <br />damaged the City’s reputation. She stated thisbehavior was unacceptable. Dr. Carr noted <br />that this Council needed to change its course and begin to address the problems. She said the <br />culture of this Council was to sweep its problems under the rug and to stick its collective head <br />. <br />in the sand. Dr. Carr stated it really upsets her to come to these meetings <br /> <br />Dr. Carr noted that policy issues may not always be agreed on but Councilmembers must <br />. <br />stand up for what is right and demand truth and integrity from one another and City staffDr. <br />. <br />Carr asked Ms. Pumm if she would attach her comments as a part of the record <br /> <br />Mr. Jennings stated that earlier this year he made a proposal that Council give consideration to <br />going on a retreat that could be utilized as a strategic planning session. He stated that this <br />Council has a lot of work ahead and believed that it was time to bring this proposal back to the <br />thth <br />forefront. He then suggested the following dates: October 24 through the 25; November 14 <br />nd <br />- 15; November 21 - 22 or sometime in January of 2015. <br /> Mr. Jennings stated that there will be a get out to vote youth rally at the Buzz Westfall <br />th <br />Center located in Ferguson on October 5 at 5 p.m. He stated that since the Ferguson unrest, <br />he has heard many of this City’s youth express the fact that they feel disenfranchised. He <br />encouraged everyone to talk to the young people they come in contact with about taking the <br />first step in the process and become registered voters. <br /> Mr. Jennings stated that as MC for both Fair U-City and the U-City Jazz Festival he would <br />like to thank everyone for making this a great community event that attracted people from <br />outside the state. <br /> <br />Mr. Glickert stated that in his opinion, Mr. Walker has done a very good job and he still <br />maintained his trust and confidence. <br /> He stated that the Chamber of Commerce had its first golf tournament, which was a <br />tremendous success and will help the City with its quest for economic development. <br /> Mr. Glickert then complimented Mr. Jennings for the great job he did as MC for both events <br />and the Mayor’s wonderful efforts as a bartender. <br /> <br />City Manager Lehman Walker stated that he welcomed this opportunity to address the <br />comments made by Councilmember Carr with respect to the possibility of outsourcing EMS <br />services. He stated that at the study session he was asked the question as to whether or not <br />he had commented on the news regarding a million dollars savings. Again, he stated that he <br />did not make that comment on the initial Channel 4 newscast. Mr. Walker stated that during an <br />off-the-record conversation, he did indicate to the Channel 4 reporter that there was a potential <br />of a one million dollar savings. This is calculated by taking the expenditures amounting to <br />approximately one million dollar in salaries associated with the firefighters that currently <br />provide the City service plus another $800,000 to $900,000 in equipment, resulting in just <br />under a two million dollars expense for the City each year. In terms of revenue from the <br />ambulance service, the City collects about $700,000, resulting in about a million dollar gap. He <br />noted that in the initial interview, the reporter paraphrased what was discussed in an off-the- <br />record conversation. The off-the-record clip was then inserted in a follow-up televised <br />interview by the Channel 4 reporter. <br /> Mr. Walker stated that at this point no decision has been made, although a part of his job is <br />to look at where there can be a potential savings for the City. He stated that the City has <br />received two responses to the RFP and both applicants have indicated that they would take <br />the $700,000 in revenue without any subsidy from the City. Mr. Walker stated the information <br />of a potential one million dollar savings was correct but during the interview process this <br />question was not raised but rather the Channel 4 reporter paraphrased what he had said off- <br />the-record. <br /> Mr. Walker noted that during the study session, Councilmember Crow said the Mayor and <br />the City Manager were on the news saying there was a million dollar savings. He again said <br />7 <br /> <br /> <br />