Steve Taylor, council member, made the recommendations to terminate the employment of town administrator, Keats Tyler, and two other employees, Connie Poppell and Vickie Tincher, saying that their terminations were all "for the good of the service for the town of Gore."
Tyler's contract will be terminated effective June 30, while the termination of Poppell and Tincher were effective immediately. The board agreed that Tyler will be suspended with pay until June 30.
Gore Mayor Mike Kinnear would not comment after the meeting on why the three were fired, saying it was a "matter of confidentiality."
Earlier last month the three were suspended with pay from their duties following a May 3 town council meeting that called for their termination.
Town trustees decided at that May 3 meeting to take no action on their termination because Kinnear said the council wanted to make sure they were doing things in a legal manner. The terminations were not on the May 3 agenda to be held in an executive session, which is allowed by law.
The turmoil in Gore town government stemmed from a change in administration after an April municipal election when Gore residents voted against two incumbent trustees and elected a town treasurer. Kinnear and Pat Sanders were elected to trustee positions, while Linda Box was elected to the treasurer position.
Kinnear said after the May 3 meeting that new trustees and employees received little cooperation with town operations from the past administration and employees. Bud Baker, newly-hired town clerk, and Box both said they had been unable to get into the town's computer system and do their jobs because no one would give them the pass code.
Poppell, who was the town's bookkeeper for a little over a year, said last month that she was mislead about the security of her job and was surprised when she discovered that she was first placed on the May 3 agenda to be fired.
After reading the agenda, Poppell walked out while on the job, and she took the password to get into the computer system to do the billing with her.
Poppell said last month that she was reluctant to turn over her password because she wanted to make sure her name was off the system before someone else was logged on. When she realized the town's accountant was going to help Box make the changeover, she said she turned over her password.
Poppell said she and Tincher were asked to come back and work on a temporary basis after they were suspended. Tincher came back to work as court clerk, while Poppell refused the offer.
The council accepted the resignation of Jason Yargee, maintenance worker, and terminated Curtis Yargee as maintenance worker. Taylor said Curtis Yargee was fired based on the fact that he applied for unemployment and stated that he quit his job. Kinnear said after the meeting that Curtis Yargee and Jason Yargee quit at the same time, but Jason Yargee was the only one who submitted a written resignation.
The council declined the request of Sam Miller, city worker, for a pay increase up to $11 an hour, while approving a pay increase for another city worker, Jeremy Lane.
The council hired Don Walker, temporary maintenance worker, as a permanent employee, and hired Paul Eichling as a temporary, part-time employee at the rate of $15 per hour. Kinnear said Eichling will help in the town clerk's office.
Kinnear told the council that he was approached by a man who runs an ambulance service and wants to get a place set up in Vian. Kinnear said Vian has a fire station on the west side that has space for an ambulance service, and asked if Gore would help subsidize their utilities if the proposal is passed by the town of Vian.
Kinnear said Gore will have to wait and find out what the Vian council does, and Gore could look at a possible proposal at next month's meeting.
