Knox City Council members took another step to address the consistent absence of the Councilman for District 4 when they met on Thursday.
City council members have been discussing the continuous absence of Councilman Tim Manns for several months. Because Manns is an elected official he continues to be paid per meeting, despite missing 20 out of 24 meetings in 2017 and failing to attend a single meeting in 2018 so far.
According to an Employee Compensation Report through IndianaGateway, Manns raked in about $4,000 in 2017, making approximately $333 per month. With a raise of about ten dollars that was approved for all council members in the 2018 Salary Ordinance, he has already made about $1,715 so far this year.
When council members are sworn in, they take an oath that says they will perform their duties to the best of their ability. Up until recently, council duties have essentially been implied. Council members are expected to attend meetings so they can provide adequate constituent representation and contribute to important decisions.
The blatant disregard for the duties caused members to take steps to establish official rules for council members. Knox officials have been consulting with Indianapolis Attorney John Molitor on this matter.
When members met earlier this month, they passed an ordinance establishing the official council duties. The rules address attendance, stating that missing three consecutive meetings is grounds for removal.
Manns has been contacted about his absences on multiple occasions and has cited scheduling conflicts with work and family obligations as the reason behind missing meetings. He indicated that he plans to voluntarily resign but has yet to take the necessary steps to do so.
When members met last week, they passed a resolution that allows City Attorney Leslie Baker to prepare a bill of impeachment for the missing councilman. The bill will outline the violation, referencing the consecutive absences as proof that Manns is failing to perform his official duties.
Baker explained that the bill will be delivered to Manns and once he receives notice, a hearing will be held where the councilman will have a chance to defend himself against the allegations.
If the council decides to vote on removing Manns from his seat, the vote would need to receive two-thirds approval to pass. If it passes then a caucus will be held to find another Democrat to fill the open seat.
