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Monday meeting not expected to include Jefferson discussion
By Chris Roark, croark@starlocalnews.com
Days after the Flower Mound Town Council unanimously voted to place Town Manager Harlan Jefferson on paid administrative leave, it appears no action is immediately forthcoming.
The council will have a regularly scheduled meeting Monday. The council is expected to discuss duties of the interim town manager during closed session.
But the agenda does not mention anything about discussing Jefferson’s future or specifically address the town manager position, other than the town manager’s report.
It was believed the council was going to terminate Jefferson's contract at that meeting.
Mayor Tom Hayden declined comment on reasons for the decision to put Jefferson on leave, citing personnel matters.
Jefferson's contract was set to expire Oct. 15, 2015. Jefferson had been Flower Mound's town manager since 2006.
Over the last couple of weeks, rumors have circulated that several top officials in town would be removed if Jefferson is dismissed. Several people, including multiple sources at town hall, have speculated that this will take place.
During the public hearing portion of the Sept. 22 meeting, Jefferson’s attorney, Don Colleluori, spoke to the council, the only member of the audience to do so. He said Jefferson understands that it is the council’s right to terminate his contract, but he said Jefferson had not been given the opportunity to address any concerns the council had of him.
Since then, sources have refuted that claim, citing several instances when Jefferson was aware of concerns. Among those were discussions at the town council strategic planning session and a council work session following the election in which the council outlined goals and discussed a desire to change the town’s direction in certain areas.
Colleluori also said possible reasons for the council wanting to terminate Jefferson’s contract may be related to developer surveys in which area developers gave low marks to the town’s processes. But Colleluori said those processes are set by the council and that the town manager only enforces those.
The attorney also claimed that because Jefferson declined to resign, an effort began to find ethics code violations against his client. The attorney said no violations were found.
Colleluori also claimed that the council recently hired an outside attorney to help the town avoid paying Jefferson his severance.
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