Council meeting ends abruptly as quorum is lost
The wheels of local government came to a screeching halt Monday when a Rogers City councilman walked out of the meeting before all of the business on the agenda had been addressed. At the close of discussion regarding park regulations during the Nautical Festival, which have been routinely approved by council the last few years, councilmen Gary Nowak and Jim Sinclair exchanged words. Nowak became offended, gathered up his papers, placed them into an envelope, and proceeded to leave council chambers with mayor Beach Hall urging him to stay.
The Parks and Recreation regulation, which closes South Shore Park (Little League Park) from 11 p.m. until 6 a.m. during the festival weekend and other city parks from 2 a.m. until 6 a.m., didn?t come up for a vote because Sinclair believed Nowak wasn?t going to vote in favor it. ?Gary said he wasn?t going to approve it, there?s no sense making a regulation,? said Sinclair.
AFTER THE two had shared a few verbal barbs earlier in the meeting regarding the proper way to make motions, and a motion dying for a lack of support because the other wouldn?t support it, Nowak?s emotions boiled over.
?You know, I don?t have to take that baloney, Jim,? said Nowak.
?You don?t have to,? Sinclair responded.
?I?m not going to,? Nowak shot back. ?You are wasting my time.? Nowak then proceeded to leave the room.
?Please don?t leave, you have a meeting…? Hall said.
?Oh, I?m going to. I don?t have to take that from him,? Nowak said, shortly before storming out. With only Sinclair and Hall left, the meeting could no longer continue without more than two voting members.
Police chief Matt Quaine said the park regulations had worked effectively for the last five years and the problems with bonfires and large gatherings are ?no longer a health and safety issue down at the parks.?
Nowak said he was ?partially against? the regulation of closing parks and would rather see the police department crack down on drinking and large bonfires at the parks, rather than having to close them.
?I still say it?s extreme and I don?t know if I?m going to vote for it or not,? said Nowak.
?When you have four to five hundred people down there, we don?t have the numbers to handle something like that. It?s a safety issue if you?re going to send four or five officers into a crowd of people like that,? said Quaine.
?It provides a mechanism to keep things under control, and it?s worked,? said city manager John Bruning. Moments later, Nowak exited the meeting, after a final exchange with Sinclair. That left the resolution on park regulations and year end budget adjustments.
CLERK/TREASURER THERESA HEINZEL said the budget adjustment will need to be acted on before the end of the fiscal year, June 30. ?Therefore, we would have to have a special meeting,? said Heinzel.
?In that case, I declare the meeting adjourned,? said Hall. Hall was not given reasons for the absence of councilmen Karl Heidemann and Patrick Lamb. If all the members of c
Earlier in the meeting, Sinclair made a motion to approve an electronic banking agreement with Independent Bank, so water customers could have their payments deducted automatically and city employees could have their paychecks directly deposited. Nowak doesn?t believe the city should spend $520 a year for the service and said he would vote against it. He didn?t have to, because when Sinclair made a motion to approve it, there was no second by Nowak. The motion died with no support.
The Rogers City mayor traditionally doesn?t make motions or second them, but will vote.