Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter

CAT Tracks for June 28, 2006 MORE CAIRO COUNCIL FIREWORKS

The latest episode of "As the City Churns" from the Southeast Missourian...

Conflict sparks walkout; Cairo in danger of losing grant funds

RUDI KELLER ~ Southeast Missourian

CAIRO, Ill. -- A confrontation between a councilman and a police officer led to a walkout at the Tuesday Cairo City Council meeting, leaving routine financial business unfinished and raising questions about the legality of city spending. In response to the walkout, Mayor Paul Farris led a town meeting that included a discussion of major grants that are in jeopardy and the need for the council to approve a budget by Aug. 1.

Councilman Joey Thurston, speaking immediately after the walkout, said the council's unwillingness to approve city payroll or spending since February means Farris has engaged in massive unauthorized spending.

"He's doing what he wants with the bills," Thurston said.

Three years of bad blood

The bad feelings between the council and Farris began with his election in 2003. The animosity hardened into outright warfare in December, when four council members announced they would not attend council sessions. They reversed course, but Farris retaliated by removing their names from the payroll.

Since that time, the council has refused to approve the payroll and objects to approving the bills because spending on a city attorney has far exceeded the budgeted amount.

Earlier this year, Farris ordered city police to begin weapons screening of everyone who attends council meetings. The confrontation Tuesday began when officer Lloyd Bosecker followed Councilman Elbert "Bo" Purchase inside and ordered "I want everything out of your pocket."

Purchase was beginning to comply, although not without complaint, when Bosecker grabbed his shoulder to keep him from sitting down.

"I am not going to put up with this s---," Purchase said. As he left, Thurston and Councilwoman Linda Jackson followed, leaving only Councilwoman Carolyn Ponting and a handful of townspeople to listen to Farris.

The most serious business discussed involved city finances. The lack of recent city audits and resulting jeopardy to grants available for city improvements and the timetable for writing a budget dominated the discussion.

Two grants for sewer repairs, totaling nearly $400,000, could be lost because the city hasn't been audited since 2002, Farris said.

Budget deadline of Aug. 1

And city attorney Patrick Cox reported that Illinois law requires the council to pass a budget by Aug. 1. Without the budget ordinance, he said, "the city cannot spend a dime."

Questioned afterward, Cox said the city "has to continue to function" but wouldn't have authority to spend without a budget. Asked about Thurston's comment that the city lacks spending authority without council action on bills and payroll, Cox replied: "I believe that is probably correct and that is a problem."

Farris laid the roots of the financial quagmire at the feet of his predecessor, who he said left city books in a shambles. Hundreds of thousands of dollars were unaccounted when he took office, Farris said, a situation that was reported to auditor David Seabaugh of Beussink, Hey, Roe, Seabaugh & Stroder LLC.

Seabaugh's auditing work continued until early this year for the books of the year 2002-2003. A dispute over how to portray Farris's belief that money was missing led Seabaugh to drop his work material at city hall. Farris promptly fired him.

"All I wanted was an audit that was accurate," Farris said. "We are talking about a large amount of money that he has failed to acknowledge."

The city must be audited, Cox said, adding that he will look for help for the city to get the work accomplished at a low cost.