That comes after city mayor Randall Weddle tried to cancel an originally scheduled meeting Wednesday. Councilmembers held that meeting in Weddle’s absence instead.
Weddle called that meeting “fake” Thursday, and said that the ordinances passed during the meeting weren’t valid. He said there were not enough seating and viewing opportunities for the public, and that the city would file an Open Meetings Act complaint to the attorney general’s office to deem the council’s meeting illegal.
“It's important that when we hold meetings, that we are given adequate seating and adequate place for everybody to hear and see what the actions that were taken,” Weddle said. “Council feels like that's not their position, and obviously you've all and every one of us has witnessed how rogue they've become.”
Among the items discussed by council was a controversial pay scale ordinance for city employees up for its second reading. Weddle said during a Facebook livestream Wednesday morning the ordinance would lay off 51 workers.
But councilmembers argue Weddle created some city positions, set salaries and hired workers without their approval.
Anthony Ortega was the lone councilmember who attended the Thursday meeting and defended the council’s side. He said another, similar situation happened a few months ago, and the attorney general ruled in their favor.
“I'm just going to take it upon myself and just and to say for the other members here, we believe that that meeting was legal and those second readings are complete,” Ortega said.
Ortega also said that those city hirings were fiscally irresponsible in a statement on Facebook.
That comes amid ongoing legal battles between Weddle and the city council. Weddle was temporarily impeached and removed from office in September for approving mortgages without council approval, failing to fill ethics board vacancies in a timely manner and not properly publishing a city ordinance.
That decision was overturned by a Laurel County judge later that month. An appeal by London City Council to pause Weddle’s reinstatement was denied by the Kentucky Court of Appeals, and the case has gone to the Kentucky Supreme Court.
The state auditor’s office is also launching a special examination into the city of London’s spending from Jan. 1, 2023 through Aug. 31, 2025.
