Council members spar over drain work

Kenneth City council members and the mayor trade barbs at a meeting.

By ANNE LINDBERG

© St. Petersburg Times, published February 27, 2000

KENNETH CITY -- A tiff over drainage quickly exploded into charges and countercharges among members of the Town Council at last week's meeting.

"You're not doing your job," Kenneth City Mayor Jack Knox snapped at council member Chuck Webber during the dispute.

Webber, he said, never comes to Town Hall.

"I'm just not up there in all the violation of the Sunshine," Webber flashed back, referring to the state law that requires all government business to be conducted at public meetings. "I don't need to be in City Hall just to kill time."

He said he stays in touch daily with John Dutton of the public works department, which Webber oversees.

The spat began after Webber proposed placing an item on the March 8 agenda for the council to approve spending more than a quarter of a million dollars to repair about 600 feet of stormwater drainage pipes along Lake Charles Drive between 57th and 58th streets N.

About $180,000 of the cost for cleaning and lining the pipes is already in this year's budget. It's unclear where the additional $80,000 would come from to make up the estimated total cost of $260,000.

Although council members seemed to agree that the work needs to be done, some of them were especially worried about one section of pipe, which is out of line. Council members Ron Sneed and Al Carrier independently consulted outside engineers who said that one section needs to be replaced before it is lined. One of those was the Pinellas Park city engineer. Another was the engineer for the city of Clearwater.

"I think that pipe needs to be straightened before it is lined," Sneed said.

Webber was offended that Sneed and Carrier had gone elsewhere for advice.

"You might have been talking to someone who runs a small plumbing company, for all I know," Webber said. "I don't see where you've proven" the repair needs to be made.

Webber said he considered their actions to be an insult to him and to JTV, the company that is lining the drainage pipes in Kenneth City and Gulfport.

Carrier responded that the Clearwater city engineer recommended the pipes be replaced in just that one area before they are lined.

But Webber insisted upon taking their suggestion as an indictment of the entire project.

"Why did you undertake this project without making me privy to what's going on?" Webber asked Carrier about his decision to call in an outside engineer.

Webber continued, "This was looked at 37 ways from Sunday long before you got on council. All you're doing is causing trouble. . . . I don't know where Mr. Sneed and Mr. Carrier are coming from on this. This has been hashed and rehashed."

Knox later suggested that the town ask the opinion of Tampa Bay Engineering, a firm that has worked for Kenneth City in the past.

Council members agreed that would be done before the issue comes up for a vote at the March 8 meeting.

A few moments later, Webber and Knox exchanged their insults. Knox, whose term of office ends in March, eventually told Webber, "You're out of order."

Webber: "I was hoping you'd say that one more time before you go out of office."

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