Council brings in help, suspends officer, assistant

REDKEY — Town officials have decided it’s time to bring in some help.

Redkey Town Council agreed during a special meeting Friday to a one-year contract at $4,500 a month with consulting firm Civitas Strategies.

Council also suspended town marshal Chris Jack and office assistant Billie Hammond, appointed officer Alex Heath as interim town marshal and hired Jessica Fugiett as office manager to oversee utilities billing and financial operations.

Pete Olson, government advisory director with Civitas Strategies, explained he has worked with town attorney Maura Hoff in her roles with other Indiana municipalities. He said she suggested he meet with Redkey town officials as the town goes through changes.

“Our team focuses on how we can help communities move forward in a professional manner,” said Olson. 

He said that can include economic development efforts, professional management and general municipal management, such as drafting ordinances and grant applications and looking at how personnel and general meeting management works.

A subsidiary of Veridus Group Company, Civitas Strategies offers a variety of services according to its website. They include council training, economic development and redevelopment, interim management, policy development and implementation, community growth, and infrastructure solutions, municipal, department and project-specific strategic planning.

Olson previously met with Hoff and council president Brenda Beaty. Taking feedback from that meeting, he said, he drafted a contract for council to consider. (Per Olson, it can be terminated at any time.)

“What I’ve done is I’ve laid out what I think should be a comprehensive look for the next year of municipal management, a part-time municipal manager opportunity, where our team would come in, and we would be available on call for a month, for a little bit better than about 40 hours a month,” he explained.

The company’s team includes at least nine employees, including project manager Sarah Froderman, formerly of Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs, and director of community and economic development Jack Woods.

The work could also include Olson or another company representative attending town meetings to help facilitate as needed.

“So when you come in, right off the bat, are you going to like, lay down a plan of attack? Start with top priorities first?” asked council member Byron Daugherty.

Olson said he and other team representatives would meet with council members to determine their priorities and create a plan for accomplishing goals.

“We do not want to come in here and dictate what you believe your community needs,” he said. “We want you to tell us that we know how we’re going to attack this. We are driven by what you all believe needs to happen.”

Beaty asked if the company can help teach officials about the budget, with Olson noting that is one of his specialties. 

Council approved the contract with Floyd Life, Jenny Staver, Beaty and Daugherty in favor and “Watermellon” Jim Phillips dissenting. 

Also Friday, council, again with Phillips dissenting, suspended Jack and Hammond with pay, effectively immediately.

Redkey Town Council met in executive session prior to the special meeting Friday to discuss employee conduct. Jack and Hammond committed infractions of the town’s personnel policy, according to council members. They were each cited for allegedly “committing an act of violence or an act of improper or immoral conduct while employed by the Town,” a major infraction.

Council tabled a decision on terminating Hammond at its June 24 meeting, which followed an executive session earlier in the month regarding her alleged misconduct. Clerk-treasurer Gloria May argued then that Hammond’s employment decision should be May’s choice to make and threatened to fight the issue in court.

Beaty announced Friday that council will host an executive session at 9 a.m. Wednesday to hold hearings for Hammond and Jack in regard to their suspensions.

Relatedly, council appointed police officer Alex Heath as interim town marshal, again with Phillips dissenting.

Heath joined the department as a deputy in March. Last month, council approved contracts with Heath and Jack for them to attend Indiana Law Enforcement Academy, with their graduation dates slated for Sept. 26.

Also, council hired Fugiett as a full-time employee, approved an emergency resolution appointing Fugiett to carry out utilities billing and financial operations for the town and amended its salary ordinance — Fugiett’s job description changed from office assistant to office manager. Phillips dissented in approving the emergency resolution.

Hoff explained that the town needs to undergo a water rate study and is currently unable to do so because of how finances are recorded.

Per the resolution, council “determined that, due to the current state of the billing and financial operations of the Town’s utilities, the Town is unable to complete rate studies and financial analyses as required by the holders of the Town’s outstanding debt obligations.”

The resolution points to potential consequences for defaulting on debt obligations, gives council management and oversight responsibilities for utility billing and financial operations and subsequently appoints the office manager to the aforementioned responsibilities.

Fugiett will serve in the role on a full-time basis at 40 hours a week. She also recorded minutes at the meeting Friday in May’s absence.

Council’s regular meeting for this month is at 6 p.m. Tuesday.