WHITE SPRINGS — There was confusion regarding Joe Griffin’s citizens complaints at the White Springs Town Council meeting on April 11.

At the March 14 meeting, Griffin presented the council with several complaints dating back to November 2016 and requested they be placed on the agenda.

At that meeting, Council member Helen Miller requested that the complaints be placed on the April agenda but they were not. 

“I don’t see the complaints from Mr. Joe Griffin on the agenda,” Miller said at the April meeting. “So are we going to discuss those or not?”

Mayor Rhett Bullard said Miller could make a motion to place them on the agenda. 

Miller made the motion and it was seconded by Vice Mayor Walter McKenzie. 

Bullard asked how the complaints could be discussed if the council did not possess the complaints.

Miller pointed out that Griffin supplied copies of the complaints at the March meeting. 

“Here is where it is really regardless of what we do, nobody is going to be happy,” Bullard said. “We can discuss it, we can not discuss it but clearly there is no happiness at the end of the tunnel. So we can go down this path if we want to. My suggestion would be to stick to the agenda.”

McKenzie asked Town Manager Stacy Tebo about the agenda because he was also under the impression that the complaints would be on the April agenda. 

Tebo said the complaints were not on the agenda because Miller said she would tell her which complaints she wanted on the agenda after the March meeting and Miller did not. 

“Let me now specifically say as I said last month, all the complaints that Mr. Griffin has provided since October of last year should be reviewed by the council as a whole, which has been our procedure in the past,” Miller said.

Miller added that the complaints are about behavior, performances and activities of the council and Tebo’s operating approach, where she lives and her work schedule. 

“It is the town council’s responsibility to overview your operations,” Miller said. 

Council member Willie Jefferson suggested adding the complaints to the May meeting’s agenda, that way the complaints would be in the packet for the council to review. 

Miller’s motion to add the complaints to the agenda failed with a 2-3 vote. Council members Tonja Brown, Bullard and Jefferson voted against. 

Griffin spoke during the citizen comment section of the meeting. 

“It has now been six months since you have handled any of my citizen complaints,” Griffin said, noting he has about 20 complaints that have not been reviewed.

During his five minutes, Griffin spoke about how the council sits as a quasi judicial body when judging citizen complaints.

He said the council should objectively determine the facts and draw conclusions to provide a basis for official action.

When Griffin’s five minutes were up, Bullard asked if he wanted more time.

“I’m going to take more time,” Griffin said. 

“All you have done with your five minutes is read to me what the law is,” Bullard said. “As a lawyer I don’t really need that.”

Bullard asked Griffin to sit down. 

“Well, we will be back here next month with the exact same thing,” Griffin said. “This is the sixth month and we are fixing to go to the seventh month without a citizen complaint.”