Discussion Heats Up During Council Workshop

What started as a casual conversation about police vehicles quickly turned into a heated discussion Thursday during the Bourbon city council’s workshop.

After tempers cooled, the discussion centered on ensuring that the vehicles are receiving proper maintenance and the possibility of leasing a vehicle in the next fiscal year.

Mayor Danny Skaggs declared at one point that he couldn’t trust anyone on the board and accused Ward 1 Alderman Tom Jordan and Ward 2 Alderman Dave Lafferty of “ambushing” officers to see if they were checking on their vehicles.

The workshop had unofficially run (it was never formally called into session) for about five minutes when Lafferty questioned Amanda Rauss, the school resource officer. Lafferty said one of the vehicles “sits (at the school) all day and does nothing.”

“We’re short a person and part of that is because we have a female sitting up at the school who won’t train and doesn’t come in on her days off, and I don’t think that’s right,” he said.

Skaggs corrected Lafferty and said that Rauss has been coming in when school has been canceled due to weather. 

“I don’t know where this is coming from,” Skaggs said. “You’re going to put us in the same position when I joined the board where the police department hated us.”

“Then how come we don’t see her?” Lafferty asked.

Skaggs, clearly set off, demanded answers.

“Are you guys sitting around like indians in bushes watching people?”

“Do you really think that”? Jordan asked.

“That’s what I’ve been told,” Skaggs replied. “How can you have a police department trust you? 

“How can you come in here and say, ‘we want you to inspect the cars’ if we don’t know they are doing it?” Lafferty asked. The alderman said he watched during a shift change to see if the officers were checking. 

“You don’t trust anyone,” Skaggs said. “And I’m finding out I don’t trust anyone.”

Skaggs also said that Jordan “was part of this.”

“We’re board members,” Jordan said. “It comes down to us. If something is going to get done, it’s going to get done by the board.”

Laffery said the aldermen asked for records on the police vehicles.

“It’s not here and nobody knows where it’s at.”

An argument ensued over whether those records should be kept at the police department or city hall. Skaggs asked Ward 2 Alderwoman Mary Heywood, who was formerly mayor, where those records were kept during her tenure. Heywood said they were at the police department.

“I trust my department head — my chief — to run his department,” Skaggs said. “I’ve told him before to check the oil and make sure the oil is changed in those vehicles. I’m hoping they are doing that on their own.”

“You hope that, but you’re over the department heads in this city,” Jordan said. “Are you checking on it?”

Skaggs said that is where he puts the trust in the department head. 

“If I can’t trust my department head, what am I doing?”

Audio Surveillance

Lafferty said they were not looking for “big changes” but wanted to make sure “the little stuff was being done.” 

“We didn’t say, like you told (Police Chief) Paul (Satterfield) that we were going to take his car,” Lafferty said. “We just wanted figures.”

Jordan brought up the audio surveillance that the board passed. It has yet to be installed and Jordan insisted that it would be set up in Skaggs’ office at city hall.

“There won’t be no audio in my office,” Skaggs said.

“I beg to differ,” Jordan said.

“I think you’re wrong,” Skaggs said. “You’ve got everything you wanted up there.”

“We’ll see,” Jordan replied.

“Just because you’re an alderman, you think you’re going to run everything,” Skaggs said. “It’s bullshit.”

Lafferty said if no audio was going to be set up in Skaggs’ office, that he would not be able to have private discussions with employees. 

“You want to be able to run amok and nobody has any accounting of it,” he said.

“You stop there, by god,” Skaggs replied. The mayor grunted and raised his voice. “What the hell am I running amok on?”

“We just had a big thing with the girls in the office. If you don’t have audio in your office…” Lafferty said before being cut off.

“What he just did was illegal,” Skaggs said. “You just made it public to the paper. That’s a sunshine law.

“We didn’t go into details,” Lafferty said. “This should have been quiet, easygoing and laid back.”

Skaggs accused Lafferty of being responsible for friction.

“Nobody can get along as long as you’re a damn alderman,” Skaggs said. “You want to be mayor so bad.”

Lafferty denied Skaggs’ claim and said it was not “high on his priority list.” He said he would do it if he had to.

Heywood stepped in and pulled the discussion back to fuel and mileage logs. After talking about maintenance work, an argument broke out over whether or not the mechanic being used was doing it properly.

“Any mechanic with a reputation gets underneath and checks everything,” Skaggs said. “What are you wanting to do?”

“You know, Danny, I’m in this to maybe not get an officer in trouble or hurt,” Jordan said. “I want them cars checked and safe. That’s my motivation.”

“Are you saying I don’t?” Skaggs asked.

“Don’t put words in my mouth,” Jordan said. 

“Don’t point your finger at me,” Skaggs replied.

Lafferty said the board’s only worry was to “make Bourbon better” and save money. “This isn’t some fancy job. We’re trying to help Bourbon out.”

Later, Skaggs proposed seeking out a police vehicle lease program at Laura or Lou Fusz. He said said they could rotate the cars every three to five years and purchase it for $1 at the end. 

The mayor also suggested asking the Bourbon School District to help pay for a vehicle to be used by the school resource officer.