Updated: Stone Mountain City Manager Suspended from Duty

Updated 4:27 a.m.Nov. 9: The Stone Mountain City Council voted to offer former Mayor Gary Peet a contract to be interim city manager for six months.

Check back later this morning for updates.

Updated 4:47 p.m., Nov 7: There will be a special-called meeting on Thursday, Nov. 8, at Stone Mountain City Hall where council members will adjourn for an executive session to discuss personnel, councilwoman Susan Coletti told Patch. After the session the council will return to the courtroom (where the meetings are held) and either make a motion to vote on, or adjourn if there's nothing to vote on.

Also, council members Steve Higgins and Coletti told Patch there is no interim city manager right now. Coletti said the city clerk, Denise Hicks, takes over the day-to-day running of City Hall with the help of the mayor.

Original story:

The Stone Mountain City Council suspended city manager Barry Amos at its regular business meeting on Tuesday, effective immediately.

Following votes on a few agenda items, the council met in executive session regarding "personnel."

When members returned, Mayor Wheeler announced the resolution, which said the council had "lost confidence in Mr. Amos by reason of his failure to communicate on a consistent and reliable basis with all members of the council" as well as with city department heads.

Amos "will not continue to receive his salary until the effective date of any final resolution of removal" as provided in the city charter, the mayor said.

All council members with the exception of Chakira Sallee voted for Amos' suspension.

"It's a sad day in Stone Mountain," said councilwoman Nan Nash after the meeting.

Amos, who was hired in 2008, sat through the vote and exited the room when the meeting adjourned. Mayor Wheeler also did not linger very long in the courtroom after speaking briefly with a few people.

Monday's move was a preliminary one, not the final resolution yet. City attorney Joe Fowler explained the Amos has five days to request a public hearing on the matter. If he does, the city council must hold a public hearing within 30 days.

The full section (2.27, "Removal of City Manager") under Government Structures reads:

(a) The city council may remove the city manager from office in accordance with the following procedures:

(1) The city council shall adopt by affirmative vote of a majority of all its members a preliminary resolution which states the reasons for removal and may suspend the city manager from duty for a period not to exceed 45 days. A copy of the resolution shall be delivered promptly to the city manager;

(2) Within five days after a copy of the resolution is delivered to the city manager, the city manager may file with the city council a written request for a public hearing. This hearing shall be held within 30 days after the request is filed. The manager may file with the city council a written reply not later than five days before the hearing; and

(3) If the city manager has not requested a public hearing within the time specified in paragraph (2) of this subsection, the city council may adopt a final resolution for removal, which may be made effective immediately, by an affirmative vote of a majority of all its members. If the city manager has requested a public hearing, the city council may adopt a final resolution for removal, which may be made effective immediately, by an affirmative vote of a majority of all its members at any time after the public hearing.

(b) The city manager may continue to receive a salary until the effective date of a final resolution of removal.

Check back with Patch for updates.

The council also voted on the following agenda items Tuesday: 

Approval of sanitation refund to C&D Stone Mountain LLC - William Doyle, owner - $11,847.51. Action: approved.

Resolution 2012-12- Amend the General Fund Budget for Fiscal Year 2012 - ARC LCI Grant.  Action: approved.

Ordinance 2012-06- Amend chapter 20 - Personnel Policy - Article IX, Section 20-81 (3). Action: approved.