Nashville City Council holds Special Called Meeting
A special called meeting of the Nashville City Council concluded Thursday evening without any official action following an executive session in which aldermen discussed an investigative packet distributed during the council’s regular July meeting.
Early last week, Ward 1 Position 2 Alderman Joe Hoen requested the special meeting to discuss a packet that had been distributed to council members during the city’s regular meeting on July 27. The special meeting was held Thursday, Aug. 6.
Mayor Larry Dunaway opened the meeting by presenting a resolution on behalf of the Nashville Chamber of Commerce concerning a grant application for the proposed “Pocket Park” on North Main Street.
Dunaway explained that the application deadline for the Arkansas Community Assistance Grant Program falls before the council’s next regular meeting, making immediate approval necessary. He said the city’s engineer assisted the chamber by preparing a design for a stage and providing construction cost estimates for the project.
The council unanimously approved the resolution, allowing the Chamber of Commerce to move forward with submitting the grant application.
Following that action, Hoen made a motion at 6:10 p.m. to enter executive session to discuss personnel matters. The council returned to open session at 7:28 p.m.
No action was taken following the executive session.
Hoen said council members discussed the packet that had been distributed during the July meeting. He said the materials had also been provided to City Attorney Aaron Brazil and investigated by Police Chief Amy Marion. Hoen added that council members also reviewed a letter that had been submitted prior to the special meeting.
According to the documents, the packet contained records obtained through the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act, including city records, payroll records, weekly time sheets, receipt summaries, personnel policies and other supporting documentation. It also included calendar entries from a city employee and Facebook posts intended to corroborate the timeline of events.
The packet requested that the city conduct an investigation and take any action deemed appropriate under Arkansas law, city policy or other applicable regulations.
The records appear to focus on two city employees. One worked in the Water Department, while the other was listed as working in both the Water and Administration departments.
The investigation compared handwritten notes from a city co-worker with the employees’ reported time sheets.
Following the investigation, the employee assigned to the Water Department was terminated.
The second employee, who is listed in the Water and Administration departments, is currently on sick leave and is participating in the city’s Deferred Retirement Option Plan (DROP).