Council expected to override veto at Dec. 12 meeting
At the most recent meeting of the Calhoun City Council on Monday night, Mayor Jimmy Palmer gave his veto of the restructuring of the City’s organizational chart to the Council in writing.
As previously reported, the City Council met on Monday, Nov. 14 and voted for the change in the organizational chart with a 3- 1 vote by the Council. There are several changes to the organizational structure of the City government, but the biggest change that is causing the most concern from Mayor Palmer is the elimination of the position of General Manager of Utilities ( sometimes referred to as Director of Utilities), which is currently held by Larry Vickery.
“I vetoed the ordinance on November 22,” said Mayor Palmer. “I do have that response. I’d like to point out that with all the discussion we’ve had about this in the past, this response is very short and it is available on the Calhoun website in the minutes. I would still appreciate any questions or comments, which I have had a lot of already, but anybody can find my number in the phone book or call City Hall and they will make available my cell phone number and I will answer any questions for anybody.
“It is with great concern that I have come to the conclusion that I must veto the action by the Calhoun City Council,” continued Mayor Palmer. “My love for the City and the hope for its future requires that I take this action. I do not take this action lightly, as I am not aware of any other veto occurring; I know that I have never taken this action. The Council, by a 3 to 1 vote, has taken action to reorganize the City government and eliminate the position of General Manager of Utilities. I see nothing to be gained and much to lose with the proposed structure. Calhoun Utilities is and has been well managed with skilled and technicallycompetent leadership with revenues in excess of $ 62 million dollars. The financial stability is dependent on continuously monitoring t he wholesale billing, the efficient management of assets, and the stable practices that maintain our excellent financial position. The utility assets and the infrastructure are community’s economic engine now and into the future. A loss of professional leadership and a loss of a system that has proven to work will not help retain existing industry or attract new industry. This loss, I believe, will be harmful to economic development. To say that uncertain and unproven changes are to modernize or streamline an already successful, well-recognized organization does not answer the question as why these changes are specifically good for our community,