Council retains Ralls

The Comanche City Council held a special meeting to discuss city manager Chuck Ralls’ job status and to talk about reimbursements for those that had flowers taken from Fairlawn Cemetery the previous week.

For the second straight time, there was standing-room only in the city council chambers as many of those affected by the disappearing flowers were in attendance.

After approximately 30-minute executive session, the city council reconvened in an open meeting.

Mayor Smokey Dobbins made a motion to retain Ralls and also give him a five percent raise. Vice mayor Wanda Moore seconded the motion and all four members, including Sharon Rounds and Brayden Harris, voted yes on the motion.

The vote did not sit well with most of those in attendance, including those who wanted Ralls terminated. Growing murmurs of disbelief arose in the chamber from the audience.

Some talked to the media in the parking lot to vent their frustrations while others took to social media to voice their displeasure with some calling to vote out council members and some others suggesting to quit shopping in Comanche to take away one of the city’s tax bases among other things.

Rounds politely talked to a group of frustrated people when she came out of the meeting.

After the meeting, Dobbins explained his motion.

“The motion was to keep Chuck Ralls as manager and the five percent raise was to show him the council backs him 100 percent and we will continue to do so,” Dobbins said.

In the other matter on the agenda, the council said insurance would reimburse those that lost items at the gravesites.

Dobbins warned people if they put large claims down on the forms for reimbursement, the insurance company would likely investigate.