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City of Beaumont
At a meeting scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 9, the Beaumont City Council is set to offer an employment agreement to Kenneth Williams of Buda, securing the municipality’s next city manager. In the employment “agreement,” worded specifically in an attempt to differentiate the quid pro quo arrangement from a contract, the new hire would begin on Sept. 6. Pursuant to the Beaumont City Charter, the City Council is precluded from offering the city manager an employment contract as the city is an “at will” employer.
In the employment agreement put on the agenda by Beaumont Mayor Robin Mouton, the 13-page agreement that secures Williams’ service for an “indefinite” period of time also secures an entire 12 months of pay for the new City Manager if he is fired for falsifying documents or flat out incompetence, among other provisions. Williams will also benefit from one year of insurance for himself (and his wife) in the event he is terminated with – or without – cause within the next two years.
According to the mayor-sponsored content reflected in the City Council Agenda Packet, the “terms, conditions and provisions” of what the city is terming not a contract, provides consideration of “Severence (sic) Amount and Severence (sic) Benefits” should the city have “good cause” to terminate. The only way Williams would not get the $250,000-plus severance package, according to the city agreement, would be: “conviction of a felony or crime involving moral turpitude; (or) indictment or conviction for having assaulted an employee or citizen of the city.”
Among the terminating offenses that the city is agreeing to pay full benefits for – after sending a written notice and giving opportunity for remediation – are:
“a) Failure to fulfill the City Manager’s Duties as required in this Agreement, City
Charter, or City Code of Ordinances;
“b) Incompetence or inefficiency in the performance of the City Manager’s Duties as documented by evaluations, supplemental memoranda, or other written communication from the Council; with Council being the entire board and not as individuals;
“c) Failure to comply with Applicable Laws and Authorities;
“d) Neglect of duties;
“e) Knowingly falsifying records or documents related to the City’s activities; and/or
“f) Knowingly misrepresenting material facts to the Council or other City officials in the conduct of the City’s business.
“g) Disability, not otherwise protected by law, that impairs performance of the required duties of the Manager;
“h) Engaging in a romantic or sexual relationship with a subordinate;
“i) Violation of the ICMA / TCMA Code of Ethics; and/ or
“j) Any other reason constituting ‘good cause’ under established Texas law.
Beaumont city Council meetings are held in the Council Chambers on the first floor of City Hall, 801 Main Street in downtown Beaumont. To view the city meeting live online, visit https://beaumonttexas.gov/.
Attached is the full “agreement” as posted in the City Council Agenda Packet for Aug. 9.