Taylor City Council Chairman Tim Woolley explains the council’s override of the Mayor’s veto of its motion, made at the Sept. 1 city council meeting, with which it asked the mayor to replace City Attorney Gus Andreasen.
By SUE SUCHYTA
Sunday Times Newspapers
TAYLOR – The City Council Sept. 15 unanimously approved an override of Mayor Rick Sollars’ veto of its Sept. 1 resolution requesting the ouster of City Attorney Gus Andreasen.
Council Chairman Tim Woolley said he does not understand why Sollars vetoed the resolution.
“This was a request,” Woolley said. “It wasn’t an order. This council is well aware of its powers, and myself and the rest of this council knows that we cannot replace our corporate counsel.”
He acknowledged that only the mayor has the authority to replace Andreasen, which is why the city council worded the resolution it made Sept. 1 as a request.
Wooley said Sollars’ veto also stated that the motion was procedurally flawed, as it was brought by him, as chair, without passing the gavel to another member of the party, in violation of Robert’s Rules of Order, which he refutes.
He said he researched the issue, and passing the gavel applies to large boards, with more than 12 members, while the Taylor City Council has seven members.
Woolley said Robert’s Rules of Order states that a chairman of a small board may, without passing the gavel, speak in informal discussions and in debate, and vote on all questions.
He said the rules further state that informal discussion may be initiated by the chairman himself, which enables him to submit his own proposals, without formally making a motion, although the chair may make a motion if he wishes to do so.
“The reason I made the request, and, unfortunately, the mayor is not here, is I went to the mayor a few months ago about this, privately, and I made him well aware that we knew of our powers, that we couldn’t do it, and only he could do it,” Woolley said.
“Sometimes this council is going to make decisions, or ask certain things, and sometimes, like I said at the last meeting, changes needed to be made, and I made a motion requesting. It wasn’t an order.”