Consulting fees scrutinized at Lanett City Council meeting

BY JOHN BRICE

THE LAFAYETTE SUN

LANETT — During the Lanett City Council meeting Monday Dec. 15, council members approved invoices submitted by the city clerk-treasurer after a motion and second, but not before a detailed discussion regarding consulting expenses included in the invoices.

District 1 Council Member Denise Zachery raised concerns about the need for clarification related to consulting fees.

“Mayor, on the invoices that were sent out — on the proposed budget, it is in there that we pay a consultant $60,000,” Zachery said. “On your invoices, $7,500 is to be paid for a consultant. We are just finding out the name of the person who is to be paid $7,500 for January through March. Who is this person, why do we need a consultant and why hasn’t he or she — or whoever — been to a council meeting?”

Mayor Jamie Heard responded to Zachery’s questions and concerns.

“The consultant was here when I got here,” Heard said. “He was brought in through the former mayor. From my understanding, he first started out overseeing the Fourth Street project. After he finished that, the former mayor kept him on. He comes in twice a month and helps me with the budget when the time comes. He also goes over the financials each month. Pretty much, that is what he was doing with the previous mayor. He makes recommendations, meets with me and department heads and makes recommendations. He was here when I got here.”

Zachery answered with a recommendation of her own.

“With a situation like that, you would probably be better off with a city manager than a consultant,” she said. “That way you would have someone here day to day, looking over operations, department heads and so forth. We don’t know whether you have an agreement, a contract or what.”

In other business

• Resolution 12-25-01, authorizing the mayor to execute an agreement with Local Government Services for cable franchise renewals, was tabled due to the need for a vendor representative to clarify details at an upcoming work session.

• Resolution 12-25-02, approval of a letter of intent for airport hangar development, was tabled due to discrepancies between the letter and the proposed lease agreement that require correction.

• Resolution 12-25-03, approval of a ground lease agreement for a new hangar build, was tabled due to details in the agreement requiring correction.