REDFIELD – Longtime municipal street superintendent Harmon Carter was suspended indefinitely Wednesday by Mayor Tony Lawhon, following comments Carter made at Tuesday evening’s City Council meeting, Lawhon said.
Lawhon acknowledged Wednesday night that he had suspended Carter, superintendent for 22-years, without pay. The city’s chief executive said he made the decision to suspend Carter after Carter allegedly made improper and false statements to the council.
During the discussion about the proposed 2012 municipal budget, Lawhon said he met monthly with municipal department heads and they had been made aware of changes in the budget for this year. He also said he had conducted evaluations of city employees recently.
Carter told the council that he was not aware of some of the changes that were proposed by Lawhon when the issue of pay raises came up. Carter’s salary for this year was set at $35,038, while Police Chief Steve McFatridge and Water Department Superintendent Chris Liles will be paid $45,000.
Lawhon’s annual salary was increased from $8,000 to $20,000 with the adoption of the 2012 budget by the council. The mayor told the council Tuesday and repeated it again Wednesday that he may refuse to accept the raise.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Carter was not available for comment Wednesday.
The suspension was also based on Carter’s failure to follow written municipal policy on the use of his city-owned cell phone, Lawhon added, describing the level of personal use of the phone as “excessive.”
He said Carter had also failed to follow his directives on completing a number of city projects during the past year.