City officials in London passed a budget amendment that Mayor Randall Weddle says would lay off 51 city employees at the beginning of next year, including its entire fire department.
Those cuts include two clerks, one building inspector, the city’s IT department, 17 public works employees and 13 police officers. It would also eliminate 15 positions at the fire department, including pay for the fire department’s rescue squad chief and assistant chief.
“That's coming out to 101 years of service that's being removed out of the city. So it ain't new people that's just been impacted by this, but it's also going to be people that's been here for a long time,” Weddle said.
The ordinance passed amid an ongoing conflict between the mayor and London City Council. Weddle argued previous readings of the ordinance were invalid.
Councilmembers have argued that many of those positions were created illegally. The body has accused Mayor Randall Weddle of hiring workers, setting salaries and creating new positions without their approval.
“He knows who he hired that was illegal, that was not approved by council, the legislative body. If it's not approved by the legislative body, it's illegal. It cannot be put into the budget effectively,” councilmember Judd Weaver said.
Weddle has proposed an alternative budget that he says would avoid those cuts, but Weaver says the mayor didn’t allow enough time for the group to read the proposal before the hearing.
“There's no way we can do our due diligence in a matter of less than 24 hours,” Weaver said. “And you know that, so if you would like to work with us, we have been telling you that we are all ears.”
Weddle still has the power to veto the proposal, which the council can override in a special meeting. If it stands, it would go into effect Jan. 1.
The dispute over the ordinance is part of a larger feud 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.
