Infrastructure at center of Llano city manager’s termination
FROM STAFF REPORTS
LLANO — In a 3-2 vote, the Llano City Council terminated City Manager Brenton Lewis during the Feb. 1 council meeting.
Mayor Mike Reagor, who doesn’t vote on council issues unless there is a tie, said the council cited several reasons for firing Lewis as well as reasons to keep him. But in the end, those in favor of cutting ties with Lewis won out.
Lewis has been the city manager since April 2013.
Some of the issues that played a role in the action centered heavily around infrastructure concerns, the mayor said.
One of the most recent issues regarding infrastructure was contention over the requirement of residents with private wells or rain-catchment systems to install back-flow prevention assemblies to prevent the possibility of cross contamination with city water. Last year, the city water plant’s back-up generator went down, costing an estimated $100,000 to replace.
“I think the council had somewhat lost confidence because of particular issues for the handling of back-flow issues and other issues that have happened over time, the generator blowing up and things like that,” the mayor said. “Not exclusively (infrastructure issues), but that had a major part in (his termination).”
Reagor said these were just some of the items council members discussed during a review of Lewis’ job performance, which took place in open session at the city manager’s request.
The council met in closed session to consult with the city attorney before coming back into open session to conduct Lewis’ performance review. Typically, employee reviews are held in closed session, but the individual can ask the council to conduct it in open session.
Many residents attended the meeting, both those who supported Lewis and those who didn’t, Reagor said.
The mayor added that while there were criticisms about Lewis’ job performance, there were also praises.
In the end, however, the council voted 3-2 to terminate Lewis’ contract. Those voting to terminate the contract were Glenn Conner, Gail Lang and John Ferguson. Those voting against termination were Allen Hopson and Paul Hull.
Reagor said the city will discuss the process for seeking a new city manager possibly during the next council meeting 5:30 p.m. Feb. 15 at city hall, 301 W. Main St.
The mayor said he would assume some of the city manager’s duties in the meantime but added that the city department heads are capable and will help fill the gaps until the council hires a new city manager. But, he pointed out, it took about six months to go through the process to hire Lewis.
editor@thepicayune.com