The chess match between a divided Great Bend City Council continued Monday night at the regularly scheduled meeting at the Great Bend Events Center.
With five members present at the start, council member Dana Dawson made a motion to amend the agenda to include discussion items from Friday’s special meeting that was cancelled because there was not enough council members present. After council member Joel Jackson came in two minutes late for the meeting Monday, Dawson withdrew his motion.
Shortly thereafter, the city council voted 6-0 to name City Attorney Bob Suelter as interim city administrator following Howard Partington’s retirement on August 16. Mayor Mike Allison mentioned the city is receiving help from the Institute for Building Technology and Safety, or IBTS, to find a replacement interim for Suelter.
Mike Allison Audio
The special meeting Friday that never happened was set to address the election of a new council president, discussion on administrative and executive position vacancies, and a possible forensic audit on the City of Great Bend.
Great Bend Police Chief Cliff Couch was suspended in July after making claims of misconduct with city administration and since then community members have demanded more governmental transparency. Moves to reinstate the police chief at the August 7 meeting were halted in a 4-4 tie with Allison voting to uphold the suspension.
Since that meeting, council member Wayne Henneke resigned his Ward 2 position. Henneke voted in favor of keeping the suspension, along with Vicki Berryman, Allene Owen, and Jackson. Without councilman Cory Zimmerman present Monday night, Dawson withdrew his request to amend the agenda once Jackson showed up, assumingly calculating the vote outcome and fearful of Robert’s Rules of Order.
Jackson was asked by a citizen following the adjournment of the meeting why he did not show up Friday night for the special meeting.
Citizen and Joel Jackson Audio
Retired police officer with the GBPD, Terry Millard, was the only request to be placed on the agenda to speak at the meeting. Millard expressed his support for Couch.
Following the meeting, the hundreds of citizens attending were allowed to stick around and hold an informal meeting. Although frustrated from no action or city council discussion on Couch’s suspension with pay, the audience remained fairly calm and reminded the community to protest peacefully and avoid spreading hatred that has been seen on both sides.
No confirmed date for Couch’s hearing and rebuttal to his suspension has been set. September 5 was tentative date Couch referenced last Friday.