Council members return for meeting, depart after dispute

~ City's grant money is in jeopardy.

CAIRO, Ill. -- Time hasn't diminished the bitter feud between the Cairo City Council and Mayor Paul Farris, a fact made clear when four council members walked out during Tuesday's regular meeting.

It was the first regular session in almost three months that enough council members attended to conduct business. It ended abruptly after an argument over whether Farris has the legal authority to withhold the council's paychecks.

The battle overshadowed a warning from two rural development specialists from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that Cairo is in danger of losing more than $250,000 in grants because there has been no audit of city books since 2002.

Farris stopped the city from issuing paychecks to four council members earlier this year after they announced in December they would not attend regular council meetings because of what they described as the mayor's dictatorial style of operating the city.

"We have not been paid for a year, and I think it is wrong," Councilwoman Sandra Tarver told Farris.

After skipping a single regular meeting, the four -- Tarver, Bobby Whitaker, Elbert "Bo" Purchase and Linda Jackson -- reversed course and began attending meetings. Media reports in the Southeast Missourian and elsewhere called their actions a boycott and Farris has demanded the four present him with a signed promise to refrain from similar actions in the future.

"They want their money. They can get their money," Farris said after the walkout. "They can publicly state they will come back in here to work for the people of Cairo. Until then, they are not going to see one penny."

The most heated exchange of the evening came between Farris and Whitaker. As their voices raised, Whitaker said Farris is deliberately ignoring the council members' return to work as a fact and instead wants a piece of paper that shows the mayor has won.

"I am going to leave," Whitaker announced.

"Then leave," Farris said.

"You are not just going to cram something further down our throats," Whitaker replied.

Council members are supposed to receive $800 a month. Farris receives $1,000 a month. Paychecks have been issued on time to Councilwoman Carolyn Ponting, who attends virtually every meeting, and Councilman Joey Thurston, who has skipped numerous meetings this year.

Illinois state law and Cairo city ordinances make no provision withholding the pay of council members who do not attend meetings. Tarver told Farris that she has heard city attorney Patrick Cox say the mayor is acting without authority of law, but Cox declined to confirm that statement after the meeting.

But Farris turned to Cox during the meeting and said he was responsible for the decision not to pay the council regardless of any advice he has received.

"I take sole responsibility for that," Farris said.

The grants in jeopardy include $105,000 for new police vehicles, $72,750 for equipment needed to maintain streets and levees and $28,000 the city has to restore buildings so businesses can locate in the city. The city has a firmer hold on $100,000 for improvements at Fort Defiance State Park and $50,000 for a study of the construction of a transloading facility, but lack of an audit could endanger those funds as well, James Wanstreet, USDA area director, and Doug Grindberg, a specialist with the agency, told the council.

Without an audit, Wanstreet said, "your chances of getting future" grants "are going to be slim. We don't want to shut this down. We want you to use the money."

Cairo has more rural development grants pending than almost any other city its size in Illinois, Wanstreet said.

Illinois state law requires an annual audit of cities. Farris has not moved forward with any audits of his administration until he receives an audit that accurately reflects his belief that there was rampant corruption under his predecessor, James Wilson.

A Cape Girardeau accounting firm, Beussink, Hey, Roe, Seabaugh and Stroder, worked on an audit of the city's books from 2003 for nearly three years but Farris declined to accept the report as final.

Cox told the council he has been negotiating with the state comptroller's office to get audits underway. City audits are required to be filed with the comptroller's office annually.

rkeller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126