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Tuesday, May 9, 2006
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Written policy triggers council spat CROSSLAKE CITY COUNCIL Senior Reporter CROSSLAKE - A written policy outlining how Crosslake handles complaints ignited an old conflict Monday that had one council member asking if a staff member was playing God.
Ken Anderson, community development director, gave the council a copy of a written complaint policy approved by the city's Planning and Zoning Commission. The policy was designed to provide written guidelines to the staff in terms of complaints filed with the city's planning and zoning department.
Council member Dean Eggena said he had a problem with the policy. Eggena said the policy still allowed staff members to investigate a complaint on a timely basis and issue a stop-work order if they've determined a violation existed. Eggena said that option was just what the council was trying to prevent. Staff could investigate but Eggena said the council was to determine if a stop-work order should be given. The issue came up at a previous city council meeting, prompting the creation of a written complaint policy.
Eggena said "God Ken" is looking for power to shut jobs down at his discretion.
"I won't go along with that," Eggena said.
As for the policy, Eggena said Anderson must have been at a different meeting when the topic was discussed earlier. Anderson replied he was at the same meeting. And Anderson said he specifically remembered the council said there were times when staff needed to be able to act.
Eggena said he wanted Anderson to look up the earlier meeting minutes and present them to the council at its next session.
Council member Terry Curtis also remembered the earlier meeting and said while Eggena had wanted that kind of policy he didn't know if the entire council agreed.
Eggena said the minutes and perhaps the tape of the earlier council session may be needed. If the council voted on the issue earlier as Eggena recalled it, he said he wanted to know why the policy was not being followed.
"If you are running this city all by yourself, I'm mad as a councilman," Eggena said. "If we did vote on it I want to know why we are not doing it that way."
"To be fair and civil here, Ken is not the bad guy," Curtis said.
Eggena said Anderson may be the bad guy if he had not followed an earlier council vote. Council member Dean Swanson said since Eggena didn't know that at this point he should not take it out on the staff.
Curtis suggested the council should look at the facts first.
RENEE RICHARDSON can be reached at renee.richardson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5852.
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