Carthage City Council votes to remove all members of Water and Electric Board

During an emergency meeting Thursday night, Carthage City Council voted to remove all members of the city's Water and Electric Board, according to a news release issued today.

The news release is printed below:

I would like to start by thanking the Carthage Water and Electric Board for their many years of dedicated service to the City of Carthage. 

Last night, an emergency council meeting was held after it was discovered that a City ordinance was not being followed that regulates the authority of the board to create employee positions and assign salaries. 

Action was required by the Water and Electric Board to correct this error and comply with city code and Missouri state statues by providing documentation to the budget committee. This information was not provided after repeated requests and resulted in the Carthage City Council voting to remove the current appointed members of the Carthage Water and Electric Board. 

City officials would like to stress that this is in no way a reflection of the city employees that work for the Carthage Water and Electric Plant. This will not negatively affect the employment or salary of any Water and Electric employee. The council supports these highly trained and dedicated employees, and values them as they do all of our excellent employees, citywide. 

The Council stands by their decision to approve the Water and Electric Fiscal Year 2024 budget, including current salaries, merit increases, and cost of living adjustments, with no reduction in staff or salary. 

There are no planned changes in the operational structure of Water and Electric as the current structure designated by the City charter seems very effective. This decision will not affect our citizens negatively and they will continue to receive the same quality service that they are accustomed to receiving from Carthage Water and Electric. A new board will be appointed as soon as possible. 

For further information, please refer to the minutes of the meeting that will be published on the City of Carthage website or please call Carthage City Hall at (417) 237-7000