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01-24-1980 - Special .}...J IJ if. If '-' o ~ ^)t~ CITY OF EDGEWATER CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING January 24, 1980 CALL TO ORDER Vice Mayor Rotundo called the special Council meeting to order at 4:00 P.M. in City Hall. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss a representative of Starke investigating Federal sur- plus property. ROLL CALL Mayor Robert H. Christy Councilman Louis J. Rotundo Councilman David C. Ledbetter Councilman William B. Glaser Councilman Neil J. Asting City Attorney Judson I. Woods City Clerk Joseph Herget Police Chief Earl Baugh Excused Present Present Absent Present Excused Present Present The City Clerk stated that the Mayor asked him to convey to the Council, if he wasn't back, that he is in favor of the man coming down here to investigate. Councilman Asting asked if the City Clerk would tell everyone what Mr. Causey told him on his telephone conversation. The City Clerk explained that Mr. Causey asked that he repeat the exact words as Mr. Causey said them; he don't care about your City politics, but you are going to have to get this thing with the Federal surplus property settled. If you don't, he is going to have to inform the F.B.I. in Jacksonville, Florida, the Law Enforcement Agency in Tallahassee, Florida; he will also in- form the Jacksonville Journal, the Miami Herald, the Tampa News- paper and the Orlando Sentinal of exactly what is going on. Councilman Asting stated that he had a call from Mr. Causey, and he said the same things, however he suggested that he would be willing to bring someone with him and make an investigation. Councilman Asting asked the City Clerk if we have ever asked for an extension on this? The City Clerk stated that we have not. Mr. Causey spoke to the Mayor and the Mayor told him that the Council was going to con- sider his letter again. He went on to explain that he has worked on two letters and neither of them has b~en sent. We did send a letter to him explaining that we are going to discuss this and we would be sending him a co~plete report. # Q o Councilman Asting made a motion that we send a letter to Mr. Causey requesting that he conduct a full scale investigation on the use and status of Federal property within the City of Edgewater, being seconded by Councilman Ledbetter. Vice Mayor Rotundo asked Councilman Asting and Councilman Led- better if they feel that there is wrong doing on this Federal surplus property? Councilman Asting stated that it has been mishandled. It has not been handled in accordance with the conditions in which it was issued. The Mayor signed an agreement that specified the ' conditions under which this property was to be issued to the City of Edgewater and how it was to be used. It was wrong to sell any of this property at auction, so there is wrong doing. Vice Mayor Rotundo stated that this was a mistake, it wasn't sold for anyone's particular benefit. Councilman Asting agreed, stating that he knows the money came to the City, but there is still the matter of other missing items. He mentioned the typewriter situation, and added that there may be other items that should be accounted for. There was discussion about the letter that should have been sent to Mr. Causey. The City Clerk explained that if this is still what the Council desires, he can get the letter together and sent; however it doesn't make us look very intelligent to tell Starke that we agree to pay them a certain amount of money and then ask them to hold an investigation. He went on to explain the problem in~olved in the prices received for the typewriters. Mr. Opal stated to the Council that he will volunteer his services to help Mr. Causey with his investigation at no cost to the City. Mr. Walter Gross asked if we have a list of everything that we have gotten from Starke? Then are there items that we got from Starke that we didn't sell at auction that are not still within the City? It was explained that there is a list of all of the items that have been purchased from Starke. Mr. Causey will have this with him when he does his investigation. Councilman Ledbetter spoke on the missing typewriters. Explaining that he cannot find any City employee who has seen all of these typewriters, if there are things that have been bought up there by an individual and not seen here in the City then we should not be responsible for it. He is in agreement with this investigation. The City Clerk asked if we want the letter sent or not? Councilman Asting stated that the majority of the Council voted to send that letter, however he and Mr. Ledbetter descended. We could probably change that right now, but he does not intend to make the motion for it. The Council was reminded that the previous motion which passed was on the letter that had no amounts written in it. -2- Q \ o \ r Upon roll call vote on the motion to have the investigation, said motion CARRIED 3-0. The City Clerk stated that he would like the Council's per- mission that the records that he has be kept together and sealed up so that nothing is pulled out until Mr. Causey comes down here and let him see the City records as they are kept. He added that he would insure that no one goes into the records, if the Council agrees to this. Councilman Ledbetter made a motion that the records of the GSA equipment that is in possession of the City of Edgewater be sealed by the City Clerk and not to be tampered with until Mr. Causey makes his investigation of the matter, being seconded by Councilman Asting. Upon roll call vote the motion CARRIED 3-0. Councilman Asting stated that he understands that one of the file cabinets that was in possession of a former Councilman has been turned over to a new Councilman. He wants to know by whose authority this was done? The City Clerk explained that he received a note on his desk that Mr. Sikes had called and that the file cabinet that he had been using was cleared out and he desired that it be picked up and delivered to Mr. Glaser. He added that this file cabinet had been delivered to Mr. Sikes in the first place by a City truck. He instructed Mr. Copeland to pick up this file cabinet and deliver it to Mr. Glaser,if no one was home, he was to bring it to the City Garage until delivery could be made. Councilman Asting stated that he knows for a fact that this is wrong. The City Clerk stated that Mr. Causey will make a decision about this. He asked what is to be done presently with the file cabinet? It was agreed that the cabinet should be brought back to City Hall until after the investigation. Councilman Ledbetter made a motion to adjourn, being seconded by Councilman Asting. Meeting adjourned. .J Minutes submitted by: Nancy Blazi Debbie Sigler ~ ~ " ~ Y/~ ATTEST: W.E.GQ6~ Councilman ~ G1 -r- ~L~1Jd" ~utt City Clerk(} Approved this ~day of February, 1980 ~-b: Councilman 7 ~ C\~~_~ Mayor -3-