City council rejects proposed personnel committee in split vote

KIMBALL -- City council voted on a proposed resolution Tuesday evening with a 3 - 2 vote, rejecting the creation of a city personnel committee.  

The purpose of Resolution 2025-15 Personnel Committee would be to establish a procedure for regular and improved communication between the City Council and city officials. 

Council Members Jamie Murdoch and Austin Garner voted in favor while James Shields and Greg Robinson voted against, bringing the vote to a tie, after which Mayor John Morrison voted against as well. 

The subject first arose in a city council meeting Dec. 2 when the council voted to approve the mayor’s appointment of the city officials. Garner suggested there be more transparency regarding the job performance and expectations of personnel administrative positions, including City Administrator, City Clerk, City Treasurer, and Chief of Police. 

Mayor John Morrison said he is continually setting goals with his employees and completing job performance evaluations to ensure the success of the city.

Garner and Murdoch felt that creating a personnel committee would provide an added flow of communication. 

“If we are being asked to vote on something, I feel like we should be well informed about what we’re voting on, and representing the community that we have the information that we need to make an informed decision,” Murdoch said.

Shields and Robinson were in agreement that the council should not get involved with the city staff regarding things like performance reviews and that it should be left to the mayor. 

“I am cautious about a committee for these purposes; we may at some point overstep our bounds on what we’re supposed to do here as a council,” Shields said. “That’s why we have the mayor. The city gets audited frequently, and we trust the administrator is doing their job and if there is anything amiss, then I think we would be aware of it, or we can ask about it.” 

Annette added that she was not against the committee if that would make the council more comfortable.

“I have no issues with being held accountable if it’s a matter of making the council feel more comfortable with open communication,” she said. “If there is a committee formed of any sort, then I'm all for it.”