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The City of Lindsay is back on track financially after nearly two weeks of uncertainty regarding whether city employees would receive paychecks ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday or if the city’s other financial obligations for the month would be met.
During a special meeting Tuesday afternoon, Lindsay City Councilmembers Eric Dodson, Josh Miller, Greg Henderson and Robin Staggs voted unanimously to pass the city’s consent agendas for the month, allowing payroll obligations and other bills to be paid.
Those items were put on hold earlier this month when Staggs and Councilmember Anthony Hernandez failed to attend the council’s Nov. 8 regular meeting, which resulted in the meeting being canceled for lack of a quorum.
Lindsay’s City Council, which consists of seven seats, needs four members in attendance to have a quo rum to conduct business and hold meetings. Two of the council’s seven seats are currently vacant and are expected to be filled with an election next April.
Staggs and Hernandez also missed a special meeting on Nov. 12, which had been called solely for the purpose of approving the consent agendas.
After the Nov. 12 meeting was adjourned with no business conducted, Lindsay City Manager Rebecca Niernberger answered questions from employees and citizens in attendance, explaining the far-reaching consequences of not being able to pay the city’s financial obligations from the trickle-down effect on local businesses to the impact on municipal operations including water, sewer and electric, as well as emergency services.
“This is bigger than just paying the employees. This is the whole town being able to continually provide electric, water, sewer and other functions. We cannot operate on a day-to-day basis without having our bills paid. That’s just the facts of the matter. This is not child’s play anymore. We’re affecting people’s lives. We’re affecting the lives of our own community,” Niernberger said. “We’ve got to get the citizens of Lindsay to come together and say this is bigger than one person’s agenda. This is bigger than one person’s complaint. This is doing what is best for the whole, the entire community. Not just the city workers, but the citizens and the business owners. This is what’s right to do for everyone. And the fact that we can’t see the bigger picture is sad.”
After this week’s special meeting adjourned with bill payments approved, Councilmember Staggs asked if she could make a public statement.
“There’s some things I want to address from this past week. First, I want to apologize to the employees and to citizens,” she began.
Staggs went on to explain that she missed the Nov. 8 regular meeting due to illness, and the Nov. 12 special meeting because of a previously scheduled appointment she and her husband needed to attend to.
“There’s another issue that needs to be addressed. There is no communication between Mayor Dodson or Vice-Mayor Miller with the rest of the council. Neither one called to ask if I could attend Friday (Nov. 12).”
She said noon meetings are difficult, because some councilmembers are working, and others have other obligations.
“The communication has got to be addressed on a regular basis in order for our city to succeed. So, my apologies to the mayor and vice mayor for my lack of communication with both of you regarding Friday’s meeting. It is my sincere apology.”
Dodson and Miller reciprocated with their own apologies to Staggs for failing to communicate.
Council member Hernandez was not at Tuesday’s special meeting and has not responded to the News Star’s requests for comment.