By Gary J. Groman, a.k.a. The Ole Seagull
A press release from the city of Branson, issued late in the day on July 31 announced, “the departure of Terry Dody, ten year employee and city administrator” pursuant to a separation agreement approved by Branson Alderman on July 30. What it failed to announce was just how much the separation would cost the city of Branson and the fact that it insured that no current employee performance evaluations would be part of Dody’spersonnel folder as he departed.
The city of Branson’s board of aldermen held a closed door executive session starting at 11:00 a.m. on July 30. The publicly released minutes of that meeting indicate that Aldermen Stan Barker, Sandra Williams, Bob McDowell, Dick Gass, and Stephen Marshall were present and that, although absent, Jack Purvis joined the discussion by phone. Others present were the city of Branson’s administrator, Terry Dody, assistant administrator, Frank Schoneboom, Mayor, Raeanne Presley, and Human Resources Director, Deb Durler.
The minutes further state that there was discussion and that “Alderman Purvis joined the discussion by phone from 11:20 to 11:50 am.” The minutes do not describe the substance of that discussion but do state that a “Motion to authorize the Mayor to sign the Separation Agreement and Release with Mr. Dody in the amount of $151, 278.08” was made by Alderman McDowell, seconded by Alderman Gass and was approved by all the aldermen present.
The agreement specifically states that “It is the mutual desire of Dody and the city to now end Dody’s employment with the city” under the terms contained within the agreement. The agreement specifically requires the city of Branson to pay Dody the gross amount of $151,278.08, less applicable payroll deductions, within eight calendar days after the execution of the agreement.
The minutes of the meeting contain no detail of how the amount of $151,278.08 was arrived at or what it constitutes. The agreement however, states that for the purposes of the agreement both the city of Branson and Dody agree that $151,278.08 is an “amount equal to any and all compensation that would otherwise be due or arguably due to Dody” under his current employment agreement.
The agreement also contained a provision that the city would not to place any evaluation or other documents into Dody’s personnel file after Dody’s execution and return of the agreement to the city. At the July 3, Alderman’s Work Session, as the matter of an annual evaluation of Dody was being discussed, Mayor Presley pointed that it did not appear that any formal annual evaluations involving Dody’s performance had been conducted by previous councils or the mayor. Alderman Gass responded, “No, he got the same raise as everybody else.”
In response to Mayor Presley’s further statement about the fact that the former board and mayor did not have any kind of process that they went though to evaluate Dody’s performance Gass said, “Well, because we laid out his agenda and he accomplished it or didn’t accomplish it.” Mayor Presley asked, “When did you lay out his agenda?” Gass Responded, “Well, in our city council meetings when we came up with what was going to be done.”
Mayor Presley pointed out that the board members had each received information that Alderman McDowell had obtained from the Missouri Municipal League that could be used to establish a formal evaluation process and recommended that they review it with the goal of conducting the evaluation by the end of July in closed executive session.
Under the agreement, the city is obligated to furnish Dody a complete copy of his personnel file, as it exists “at the end of the City’s regular business day on Wednesday, August 8, 2007, within eight calendar days after his execution and return of the agreement to the city. The agreement indicates that it was executed and returned to the city at 4:45 p.m. on July 30.
Furnished courtesy of the Branson Daily Independent. https://bransoncourier.com/view_article.php?news_ID=41
