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Investigation, payoff cost $100,000

City of Clintonville Alderwoman Lois Bressette updated the city council as to the costs associated with last year’s investigation of former City Administrator Lisa Kotter.

Bressette told the council she had been asked by a constituent what the expenses were regarding the suspension, investigation, and resignation of Kotter.

“In the interest in transparency I asked that this be an agenda item,” Bressette said.

Bressette said that the information she received indicated the following: outside legal expenses totaled $14,851, investigation expenses totaled, $7,450, the resignation agreement salary totaled $58,611, the resignation agreement benefits totaled $18,729, and the vacation payout was $9,475, for a total of $109,116.

That figure didn’t include the salary Interim City Administrator Chuck Kell has received while filling the city administrator position on a temporary basis. It also didn’t include the costs associated with hiring a new city administrator, Bressette said.

She asked that those figures be presented at the next council meeting.

Alderwoman Gloria Dunlavy said the amount paid to Kotter for vacation was an “exception to the rule.” She said the council was not involved with that. Dunlavy said Mayor Judy Magee allowed that vacation payout.

Magee said the council voted to accept it in the final agreement to Kotter.

Alderwoman Mary-Beth Kuester said the council approved the final agreement because it was told if it questioned the agreement at any point expenses would continue.

“We were trying to get the expenses to end,” Kuester said.

Kuester also said the council could have stayed with Kotter’s original contract which stipulated that Kotter could be discharged with four months pay.

“We could have done it with a four months salary and we didn’t do it,” Kuester said.

Kotter resigned in on Oct. 2 and is being paid through May 15, which is more than eight months of salary.

Council President Jeannie Schley said all the expenses wouldn’t have accumulated if Magee hadn’t vetoed the council and re-instated Kotter.

“That threw a monkey wrench in the whole thing,” Schley said.

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