London council, mayor pass emergency budget measure to address city’s finances
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Council and Mayor held private session, passed emergency ordinance resolving finances
- Judge Spalding rescinded restraining order after finding the ordinance removed fiscal emergency
- Ordinance restores police, fire and public works; employee lawsuit and layoffs remain unresolved
The London City Council and Mayor Randell Weddle had a “breakthrough” moment Monday following months of disagreements, and enacted an emergency budget ordinance to resolve the city’s financial issues, according to court documents.
The ordinance was passed at Monday’s regularly scheduled council meeting after a lengthy executive session in which the council and Weddle met privately. Following the session, the council passed an emergency ordinance that resolved the city’s financial issues and allows city departments to provide necessary services to the community, court documents say.
London’s fire and police departments, which had been facing cuts under the previous measures passed, said the new ordinance will allow them to continue operating effectively.
“I truly believe that today we had a breakthrough on both sides,” Weddle said on Facebook after the meeting. “Thank you to everyone who has prayed and kept the faith. I also want to thank the council members for their open communication with me and the city department heads today.”
Chris Wiest, an attorney who represents the council, told the Herald-Leader communication between the council and Weddle increased in the past week, which “significantly aided the ability to get things done.” Weddle asked for the negativity between him in the council to be forgiven so they can work together efficiently going forward.
“This isn’t about sides or individuals; this is about moving a city forward and coming together,” Weddle said on Facebook. “For the first time today, we came together, and I believe that is what we are going to do in the future.”
The resolution comes after a long battle between the council and Weddle over the city’s budget and employee pay scale. Weddle previously said the original amended budget would have resulted in 51 jobs being cut, including deep losses to the police, fire, IT and public works departments.
The council argued that only 35 jobs would have been lost, and the budget changes were necessary because of a looming fiscal emergency for the city. The ordinances were passed at a special-called meeting on Dec. 30 after the council overrode Weddle’s veto, setting up the ordinances to go into effect in early January.
Shortly after the council’s vote, 86 city employees sued the council, claiming the new ordinances would have caused irreparable damage and were retaliatory against the employees. A day after the lawsuit was filed, 11th Judicial Circuit Chief Circuit Judge Samuel Spalding approved a restraining order requested by the employees that prevented the council from implementing the ordinances.
Spalding also scheduled a Jan. 5 hearing to hear arguments about the employees’ motion for a temporary injunction to prevent the council from enforcing the ordinances. Court documents say Weddle, acting London Police Chief Bobby Day, London Fire Chief Donnie Hale, firefighter Brandon Buckner and London Public Works Director Phillip Rawlings testified at the hearing, which lasted several hours.
At the conclusion of the hearing, Spalding encouraged the council and Weddle to resolve the issues. Court documents say Spalding was satisfied with the emergency ordinance passed at Monday’s council meeting, and rescinded the restraining order and denied the motion for a temporary injunction.
“The ordinance implemented by the council on the evening of January 5 eliminates the emergency financial issues in dispute and will allow the London Fire Department, Police Department and Public Works Department to provide necessary services to the community,” Spalding wrote in his order.
It remains unknown how many, if any, city employees will be terminated as a result of the emergency ordinance, court documents say. Spalding wrote that the council has the right to enact a budget and determine how many employees are necessary to provide necessary services.
Emily Campbell, an attorney representing the city employees in the lawsuit, also argued about a subsection in the emergency ordinance that requires police officers to maintain body-worn camera footage for 12 consecutive hours. Court documents say concerns about body cam usage wasn’t a strong enough argument to support a temporary injunction.
Campbell was not immediately available to discuss the next steps in the lawsuit. There is no scheduled hearing in the lawsuit.
The council is scheduled to have a special-called meeting at the London Community Center on Wednesday. Items on the meeting’s agenda include an emergency city pay plan ordinance, an amended budget ordinance and a body-worn camera ordinance.
London city departments share gratitude for resolution
The London city departments that faced cuts from the original proposed ordinances took to Facebook to thank the council and Weddle for their resolution. The fire department said the new budget allows firefighters to continue delivering lifesaving emergency services to citizens.
“Ensuring continuity of emergency response is critical to public safety, and we appreciate the effort taken to address that priority,” the fire department said in its statement.
The police department said the new budget will allow officers to continue to effectively serve and protect the community.
“Maintaining efficient response times is essential to public safety and to the safety of our officers in the field,” the police department said in its statement. “By ensuring we can deploy resources without unnecessary delays, this ordinance supports proactive policing, officer safety, and stronger protection for everyone who lives, works, and visits our city.”
The public works department said the new budget allows essential services to continue in London.
“This action provides the framework needed for our Street Department and Sanitation Department to remain focused on maintaining safe roads, reliable infrastructure, and essential sanitation services for our community,” the public works department said in its statement. “These services play a vital role in public safety, health, and quality of life, and we appreciate the efforts taken to ensure continuity during a challenging budget process.”
