Council also noted the two main people running the tax department have decided to retire by the end of the summer and will need to be replaced.
Two motions were considered at council’s Monday meeting. The first one — calling for an investigation of Kessler — failed for lack of a second to the motion. The second motion, for an investigation of the finance department, passed.
Kessler — who left the council room during deliberations – would not speak about his situation, but previously said he had an agreement with the city to pay back taxes.
Although citizens contended since the first of the year that Kessler not only owed back taxes but compensation for his failed Tipp City Independent Voice newspaper as well, council did not put the matter on its agenda until this week.
“I believe that further inquiry is necessary in order to allay these citizens’ concerns and those of others who have approached me,” council member Joseph Gibson wrote .
Council said it would ask the accounting firm of Clark, Schaefer, Hackett to investigate, which will cost at least $5,000. The company has done work for the city before.
Kessler partnered with Tom Adams and Matt Black to form TGM Designs – which operated the Voice – on Jan. 2, 2007.
Scott Brownlee, a Tipp City resident who said he had a daughter and friends who worked for Kessler, said he didn’t care for the compensation Kessler offered.
He began looking at legal documents; he said he found a letter from the tax department asking Kessler’s company for $739.51 for 2007 income tax.
Meanwhile, tax supervisor John Skolnicki and finance clerk Sharon Ridgeway have decided to retire, a situation finance director John Green said he was aware of last year.
“I didn’t put it in the budget (for this year) because I thought there was a chance they would come back,” Green said. He said Skolnicki had been with the department 14 years and Ridgeway 24.
Green also presented tax-collection options to council in a workshop prior to the regular meeting. He said council could hire two new employees and keep tax collecting in-house, or farm it out.
Council members said they would try to decide within the next month but were leaning toward keeping their own tax office.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2157 or mkatz@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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