Words flew during Kyle’s City Council meeting, with council members blaming each other for the resignations of Planning and Zoning members and city staff.
“Slanderous and unbecoming of council members” were vehemently fired by Mayor Pro Tem Rick Koch, as he reacted to council member Yvonne Flores-Cale.
Lies are being fabricated and pushed through, Koch said, adding, “I am not going to defend myself on false accusations.”
Planning Director Howard Koontz recently left the city of Kyle to work for the city of Dripping Springs. Flores-Cale told council that she was told by Koontz that he left because he was called into a meeting by Mayor Travis Mitchell and Koch, where Flores-Cale said Koontz felt his job was threatened.
Koch denied that harsh words were said to Koontz.
Flores-Cale said she had asked Koontz six weeks ago, before he took another job, to speak to the council about his concerns.
Flores-Cale asked city manager Scott Sellers directly if Koontz had complained to him, which Sellers said never happened.
“If that’s the story you were told, then I am sorry you were told that story,” Sellers said.
Council member Dex Ellison entered the fray, trying to clarify why he was questioning other council members. Ellison said that he did have a conversation with the city manager regarding Koontz and he never felt that Koontz should leave.
Mitchell at one point in the argument said that “the dysfunction of the council has reached an all time high.”
Ellison said that he was hoping that the problems that happened between Koontz and the council would never happen again to another department head or staff member.
Ellison also said that other members of the P&Z resigned their positions, without giving specifics are their reasoning.
Ellison later said that he believes any discussion regarding employees should go through the city manager. Later in the meeting, council member Robert Rizo agreed and said that moving forward the council should have one employee, and one employee only, that being Scott Sellers, to talk regarding any problems brought to them regarding any member of the city staff.
More to the story will follow as documents become available.
