An added agenda item on Tuesday night’s Fairmont City Council meeting agenda ended up being a 45 minute back and forth between council members and staff. This wasn’t the first time there’s been a heated sort of “he said, she said” discussion between the groups at a council meeting, and it probably won’t be the last.

The discussion stemmed from an email sent out last week about the purchase of a Vactor truck (sewer cleaner) and whether the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) had the authority to approve of the purchase. Also, it’s important to note that the truck was included in the approved 2026 budget.

The city attorney was asked for input and said that there is some ambiguity that could be fixed establishing the purchasing approval procedures in the charter, which he recommended be done. He also recommended the council affirm the purchase, which it did.

In the discussion that followed, Council Member Britney Kawecki said that the contract agreement for the purchase, which went to the PUC, should have been recommended to the council to make the final decision on. She ticked off some other purchase recommendations that have come to the council for approval.

“It’s not ambiguous unless you want it to match the narrative that you’re trying to make it match,” Kawecki said.

However, Public Works Director, Matthew York, listed other regular, and expensive, purchases that the PUC gives approval on that doesn’t come to the council for approval.

There are a few different people trying to put out their own narrative here, and that’s what I take the most issues with. It’s the way that information is being presented to the public.

Good points were certainly made during the discussion. Councilor Kawecki said she wants more discussion surrounding the budget– and more information. She said she had to make a data request for hours that have been put on the city’s fleet, which does seem like information the council should be privy to when making budget decisions.

However, the issue still remains that council members need to trust city staff and listen when staff says they need new equipment. Does that mean every request should be granted? Certainly not. But sometimes it seems like council members, on either side of the issue, already have their minds made up on a matter before it’s discussed.

Councilor Kawecki called the purchase of the truck a waste of tax payer dollars and a disservice to the citizens.

Whether it’s the purchase of this truck or something else, or another matter entirely, I do think it’s concerning the way we have elected officials talking about the city and city staff, both during council meetings and on social media. Certain Facebook pages, whether they intended to or not, have become a breeding ground for negativity surrounding the city.

It’s almost like there’s an encouragement to make the residents of Fairmont turn on the city and distrust the city.

Obviously residents of the city have a right to information. That’s why meetings are open to the public, agendas are posted, city council meetings are live-streamed, meeting minutes are available and the option to submit a data request exists.

It would be refreshing to see information coming from members of the city council laid out to the public in a responsible way that’s informative, and less in a way that makes it seem like the city is the bad guy out to get everyone.

Ultimately at Tuesday’s meeting, the council did decide to recommend that the charter commission look into the purchasing policy for the PUC. That’s good. That’s one step toward gathering some clarity on the proper procedure and it will hopefully help prevent future confusion. However I fear some irreparable damage may already have been done.

To really get the city on a straight path going forward, those with a vested interest, city council and city staff, need to come together and remember they’re both trying to improve and promote the city. What happened to taking pride in the city you represent?

You can acknowledge that there are concerns and problems but still give assurance that it will be addressed and follow though.

Let’s put out some positive messaging, buckle down and keep trying to work together to solve problems and make improvements.