Corrupt or Incompetent? A Viewpoint

Corrupt: Using your power in a dishonest or illegal way in order to get an advantage for yourself.
Incompetent: Inadequate to or unsuitable for a particular purpose.
Watching the character of the City of Paullina change, at its governing level over the most recent three and a half months has been perplexing and disheartening. Some glimmers of hope are beginning to twinkle, but no breath-holding yet. Let’s briefly look at some of the concerns of city business that leave big, “Batman and Joker” sized question marks about those events.
In May the validity of Paullina’s Treasurer’s Reports began a dizzying path to – well, I’m not sure.
Johnene Altman has served as the Treasurer for 40 years. She currently fills that 2-year appointment. According to her, the necessary documents for her to verify her part of account and fund balances stopped being available to her in mid May. The April report was approved by council on May 16. Altman says she is not sure who did the second part of the balancing for the April report. Treasurer’s reports are historically submitted to council the second meeting each month following the activity period.
May Treasurer’s Report
Placed on June 22 posted agenda. Removed from consent agenda at meeting.
Placed on July 5 posted agenda. Approved. Altman did not prepare or submit the report.
June Treasurer’s Report
Placed on July 5 posted agenda. Removed from consent agenda at meeting. It was approved July 18. Altman did not prepare or submit the report.
No agenda item concerning a Treasurer’s Report appeared during August.
Altman attended the September 6 Paullina City Council meeting. She presented Treasurer’s Reports for May and June. She did both parts of the balancing, bank balancing to internal receipts and activity balancing for the time period not yet reflected by the bank balances. She explained to council what her job has been historically, how she did it and what work she is compensated to do. She went on to explain to council that for the May and June reports she had just submitted her current compensation was not sufficient for all of the additional hours. A motion passed to “document that the treasurer’s report was reviewed.” It was Ebel who directed the limit the motion to review, not approval. Altman also noted that Treasurer’s Reports for July and August are outstanding.
At the same time
Alongside the confusion of the role, process and purpose of a Treasurer’s Report, shadowed by an undercurrent of distrust, a controversy with John Ihle and his company, CompuWiz entered the council meeting discussions. Ihle has provided computer and web services to the city for many of years. Ihle attended July 18 to ask about communications he had received from Mayor Kruse.
July 1
Ihle received an email on at 8:57 am from the mayor requesting all logins and other information regarding paullinaiowa.com, the city’s website domain. She wanted it all transferred to the city’s possession stating in part, “…please provide all logins and information regarding the paullinaiowa.com site to transfer all to the City’s possession, including any domains.”
A letter via regular mail, also dated July 1 arrived in Ihle’s mail. The letter is much nastier, insulting and demanding. It says, in part, “Transfer domain ownership of paullinaiowa.com to the City of Paullina and provide all data and digital files … delivered to City Hall by July 18, 2022.” Let’s be clear: There are very limited circumstances in which a government can take private assets. Kruse’s apparent desire to be a web guru for all of Paullina is not one of those circumstances.
July 5 council meeting
Something seemed to remind Jean Unrau she had spoken with Ihle about cancelling the service. She recounted the conversation and council voted to terminate the contract.
Problem 1
Mayor Brenda Ebel Kruse dated and sent communication for specific action that only the Paullina City Council has the power or authority to approve. Kruse made the communications to Ihle BEFORE council approved ending the contract with Ihle.
Problem 2
Council CANNOT take action on any matter not on the agenda. The matter of the website maintenance agreement with Ihle was NOT on the agenda.
More Problems
*While attending the July 18 meeting Ihle explained to council that the termination of the contract was not legal since it was improperly passed. *He also asked about payment due from the City. Kruse, not a councilperson, quarreled with Ihle about timeliness of work and other previously unaddressed issues.
*Ihle returned to the August 1 council meeting asking for payment. He and Kruse again clashed about duties and payment, however, the website was not on the agenda, causing it, by law, to remain in effect.
Getting somewhere
On August 18 during the public comment period of the agenda, Mari Radtke pointed out to council that payment to CompuWiz for $50 was approved on June 6. Councilperson Steve Heeren, clearly unhappy, directed that CompuWiz be paid. That left a balance due by the city of $100 for June and July services. That claim was approved at the September 6 meeting.
What’s wrong
Ihle was present at the September 6 meeting to learn if he was on the claims list. Once Ihle learned his claim was on the list, he proceeded to outline his experience. He received a check in August dated June 6. He wanted to know where it had been for 2 months, expressing his belief that the mayor, or maybe the clerk had intercepted it. He also wanted to know why his bills had not been included on the claims list in July or August, also indicating his belief that there was improper interference. Ihle got no answers. He did get a lame attempt to confuse the services paid by the city.
According to City Ordinance, the council has full power and duty to control the finances and pay claims for the city. A mayor has NO fiscal authority.
Hidden shenanigans
The September 6 council meeting was an accountability session for the mayor. Besides issues of the appearance of obstructing financial obligations, Heeren also took time to put a stop to the mayor using a credit card issued to Superintendent Kelly Top. A city credit card statement examined by the newspaper, 4 clocks over 2 days were purchased with the credit card in Top’s name and shipped to “Brenda Ebel Kruse” at city hall’s address. The 4 clocks cost $220.26 and tax of $15.68. A city should not pay tax.
In another Kruse overreach addressed in open session, Heeren and Fire Chief Ryan Harper addressed the chain of command for emergency response. While they weren’t precise in describing an event, it is clear, that Kruse conducted herself in some manner following the August 29 windstorm in a manner not in compliance with chain of command standards.
Councilperson Lexi Murphy expressed, with agreement from councilperson Carol Honkomp to return to “the old” agenda style. None of the council members addressed the neglect of properly notifying the public for various public hearings, including required hearings about the appointment status of Sandy Fritz.
The mayor, acting with impunity in her capacity between May 12, 2022 when former City Clerk Sandy Fritz was suspended, until September 6, 2022 when the council showed signs of taking back THEIR control and THEIR power to fulfill THEIR duties to the city, and keep an out of control mayor in check. Even putting up a fundraising sign for the chamber became a tainted act. The sign went up in mid-May but was not permitted until June, and only after a newspaper request for the permit was made.
An outside observer might think Fritz was removed not for cause, but to get her integrity and competence out of the way.