Huck retains seat on Alexander Planning Commission

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The Alexander City Council, in a five to three vote, decided to not remove Michael Huck from the City Planning Commission. Huck currently serves as Chairman of the commission.

Prior to the vote Council Member Joy Gray first explained since the council appoints members to the planning commission the council can also remove commission members. She then gave her reasons why Huck should be removed from the planning commission.

"And, you know, the last meeting that where Mr. Huck was wildly inappropriate and said sexist comments, cursed, banging on the table, all that, that's recorded and he admitted to it," Gray said. "And after it was brought up in the last meeting, instead of remotely showing any contrition, he walked up to the person he had previously insulted and doubled down and made another further insulting comment after that meeting."

"So after that was brought up, after it was totally, you know, cosigned by everybody else that was there, instead of having the tiniest bit of common sense dignity, anything like that, he went and continued to be rude and inappropriate in a public meeting where he had just been discussed for being rude and inappropriate in other public meetings," she said.

[Editor's Note: Asking if Tonya Prowes's AI can write the minutes faster than three months is now a crime.]

A letter of complaint was sent by Chris Prowse, husband of Planning Commission Member and Secretary Tonya Prowse, and dated October 11, one day after the planning commission's October 10 meeting. According to the planning commission's sign-in sheet Chris Prowse was not at the meeting.

The complaint references a comment made by Huck to Prowse as everyone was leaving the Alexander courtroom after the planning commission meeting had ended. The comment was in reference to her misunderstanding of the proposed location of a cell tower to be built along Brookwood Road, which was the primary agenda item for the October 10 meeting. The property is the location of the Saline County Water Works and Sanitary Sewer Public Facilities Board's sewage treatment plant.

While Huck was summarizing the documents given to commission members before introducing Vertical Bridge representative Tracy Gill, Prowse jumped in and said they would have to access the St. Joseph's Glen sewer plant area by going through the subdivision from Highway 111, not Brookwood Road. Prowse lives in St. Joseph's Glen.

A second argument began, after the meeting, when Prowes accused Huck of referencing the St. Joseph's Glen sewer plant. Huck never mentioned St. Joseph's Glen.

While everyone was leaving the meeting Huck said, "Maybe I'll learn to speak female before the next meeting." This was the only complaint concerning the October meeting mentioned in the letter.

Voting "Yes" to remove Huck were Gray, Angela Griffin and Gina R Thomas-Littlejohn. Voting "No" were Joe Pollard, Mitchell W. Smith, Harold Timmerman, and Juanita Wilson. Tony Staton was absent and counted as a "No" vote.

Will Gray continue to bring this up at every meeting?

"I'm going to bring it up at every meeting for now until I'm no longer a city councilwoman because it is wildly inappropriate that he remains," Gray said.

At the November Council Meeting council members agreed to schedule a work session to discuss this issue further. The work session would have been a public meeting. To our knowledge the work session never occurred. Aside from Tonya Prowse speaking at the end of the November 20 meeting, there has been no public discussion between council members and those involved.

Also during the December 18 council meeting:

Lease agreement for city cottages tabled

Mayor Crystal Herrmann told council members City Attorney Chris Madison has suggested the proposed amendment to the lease agreements be reviewed by a certified public accountant. The amendment involves occupants paying the gas and electric bills. Because they are also city employees, being charged a $1.00 per year lease in exchange for being on-call and guarding the former Human Development Center property, Herrmann says Madison is concerned how this will affect the employees' taxes. The issue was tabled until January.

Attorney ordinance tabled

The second reading of an ordinance that will establish two "city attorney" positions has been tabled until City Attorney Chris Madison can answer concerns expressed by Council Member Juanita Wilson. The two main issues are the number of attorney positions to be established plus why the mayor is being given sole authority to appoint attorneys?

In the past the council was always the final authority in appointing attorneys. As for how many attorneys, the title includes the phrase "OR SEVERAL CITY ATTORNEYS." Wilson wants to know if two positions are being established why does the title say "Several?"

Next Meeting

Due to the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday falling on the third Monday in January, the next meeting of the Alexander City Council is Monday, January 22, 6:00 PM in the courtroom at the Alexander Municipal Complex. The public is invited to attend.