Galletly Retires as Grove City Manager

"I Am Proud to Have Served Here"

Grove City Manager Bill Galletly officially retired from city employment as of 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, following City Council approval by a 3-2 margin of a Retirement and Consultation Contract calling for Galletly to receive a lump sum payment of $83,864 plus a Consultant's benefit amount of $734.78 from April 15 to Dec. 31, 2007.

Voting against the agreement were Councilors Larry Parham and Gary Bishop, with Mayor Carolyn Nuckolls, Terry Ryan, and Dave Helms voting aye. While the session could have been closed to the public, considering the subject, councilors had decided to hold an open session in front of the public in attendance.

No public comments were allowed on any item on the council agenda at Tuesday night's regular meeting. The room was packed 15 minutes prior to the start of the meeting, with about an equal number of Galletly detractors versus supporters.

Galletly receives $64,016.40 in severance pay plus $19,434 for accrued vacation and sick pay, under the agreement approved by Council.

In a masterful move, Galletly's opponents were caught flat-footed when Councilman Ryan brought up the severance agreement with former city manager Richard Ball. Ryan said "this is no less than the previous city manager received upon his retirement, and I see no reason to deviate from the earlier agreement in honoring this agreement with the current City Manager."

Assistant City Manager Debbie Mavity was named Interim City Manager at a salary of $75,000 with the stipulation that she return to the Assistant City Manager position and be paid accordingly, when a new City Manager is retained.

The city still has resumes from some 15 applicants which were solicited last August. City Council now has the task of selecting a new manager, for a city still split from the hiring of Galletly in December, 2002. At that time, one faction wanted retiring State Senator Rick Littlefield hired, including current city council candidates Harry Worley and Larry Parham, but Galletly, who had 30 years of professional city management experience, was hired instead. He has faced considerable criticism his entire four years in Grove but was praised Monday night by Nuckolls, Helms, and Ryan for his service to the community.

Councilman Parham wanted to delay the consultant contract until after the April 3 council election, in hopes that he and possibly two other candidates could change the terms of the agreement. Parham said he had hired Logan and Lowry, attorneys, to question the agreement "under a 28 day umbrella" but City Attorney Ron Cates said he disagreed with their opinion.

Galletly will still advise the city and its trust authorities, if requested, on the many projects currently underway in Grove. Part of the agreement releases him from "any and all liability for claims, demands, losses, damages, expenses, or any relief or liabilities," with each agreeing not to sue the other, and also agrees that the City will hold Galletly harmless from any actions, duties, performance, while he was City Manager.

Councilman Dave Helms noted that Galletly saved the city more than $700,000 in materials cost by purchasing them ahead of time, for the highway 59 utility relocation project.

Terry Ryan noted that when Galletly was first hired in December 2002, "little did he know that he would walk into a culture of favoritism, where the sales tax exemption was frauduantly allowed, where businesses failed to report accurate sales tax amounts thereby cheating the city out of revenue; where city employees used city equipment for private developers on weekends and pocketed the money themselves, where illegal water taps were made, where the management and accounting systems were in shambles, where the trust authorities were run like fiefdoms, where the airport authority defied the city in transferring title to land. Mr. Galletly did not tolerate any of this and it upset a lot of people." He noted that the city now has a state of the art accounting system in place, reviewed each year by outside Certified Public Accountants.

Galletly announced that the city is receiving more than $60,000 from FEMA for city expenses incurred as a result of the ice storm in January; that the contractor hired to pick up the tree debris will start Wednesday with zone 1, proceeding through zone 12 the next 60 days; that through negotiations, the city has reached agreements with Frank Hallacy, former owner of Cedar Oaks Leisure Living, and the current homeowners association there, for a settlement of $25,000 and that water taps will be metered. "I am pleased that both parties could reach a settlement in this matter," he said.

Parham criticized the way the matter of the water tap at Cedar Oaks was handled, with city staff giving information to the local newspaper. "The water was not stolen," he said.
On the Simmons gas matter, Parham said "surely they knew they owed for the gas, but the city should have known about it also."

Galletly, in closing remarks, stated his appreciation to the citizens of Grove for their support during the past four years. "I am proud to have served here," he said. He also praised the city staff. "I am extremely proud of this staff, their performance, and their attitude, the result of years of working together."

In other action, Council approved spending $5,000 to match a GIDA contribution of $15,000 to the American Heritage Festival scheduled for June. The organization had asked the city for $30,000. The vote was 4-1 with Nuckolls voting nay.

Council also approved a Jake Brakes Ordinance that will forbid the use of Jake Brakes inside the city limits, with fines of up to $500. It goes into effect May 1 and signs will be posted at all entrances to the city.

Council also approved 5-0 authorization for right of way acquisition on Shundi from 9th to 3rd Street, funds previously approved in the city budget.