Chris Jones: Greene Publishing, Inc.
On Monday, Aug. 14, the Town of Greenville held its regularly scheduled monthly town meeting. Little was accomplished in what ended with a yelling match between council members who have been arguing for months over the status of a seat some say is vacant and others say is still occupied by Kovacherich Arnold. Every agenda item seemed to lead back to the vacant seat issue. Mr. Arnold sat at the council table during the meeting, and attempted to second motions and vote. Departing Town Attorney Clay Schnitker advised the council to only count motions and seconds made by other, less “controversial,” council members for the sake of legitimacy.
Seven town employees stand to lose their healthcare benefits as the split-council failed to approve the renewal of their insurance coverage. The Town has yet to fill the vacant Town Manager or Town Attorney positions. It seems as if the internal conflicts amongst the council members have halted progress, with nearly every conversation and motion ending in a stalemate. Passionate citizens called out to the council throughout the entirety of the meeting with exclamations such as “you are wrong” and “you are the problem!” Several citizens walked out during the middle of the meeting. One gentleman was heard saying “This is ridiculous, I just can't handle it,” as he walked out.
One positive outcome of the meeting was the appointment of five members to a committee to assist the Town with forming an inter-local agreement with the Madison County Sheriff's Office for additional law enforcement presence in the Town. Council Member Joi Collins will represent the Town of Greenville on the committee. Vice Mayor Seabrooks was the only dissenting vote.
A special session meeting was set for Thursday, Aug. 17 at 5 p.m. to revisit the Town's budget and the insurance packages.
Town Clerk Reams addressed the council, saying she received a memo from the Town Attorney instructing her not to pay Arnold. She continued, saying that the memo stated if the council voted for her to pay Arnold regardless of the memo, to pay him for work performed for the Town as opposed to for his service as a council member. Mayor Malone responded, saying “So, we keep talking about the charter... but anyway, I'm not fixing to go back and forth on this, I've stated my stance on it.” No action was taken by the council concerning Clerk Reams' concerns.