Revelos & Jack's

        LEBANON — City Council voted 5-2 Tuesday to make budget changes that included eliminating the planning director and three other city jobs.

        The issue sparked the most heated debate since the new council took office three months ago, with Councilman Ron Pandorf alleging that he was shut out of the budget process.

        The council majority's motives in putting employees out of work were questioned by several speakers, including former Councilman MarkFlick.

        “Behind the smoke screen of eliminating positions to reduce the budget is political genocide,” he said.

        Councilman James Reinhard, however, blamed the previous council's “wild spending” for the city's current tight finances.

        It's the third time in 15 years that Lebanon has fired PlanningDirector Marty Kohler by eliminating his job. This time, the city hasdecided to replace the director with a city planner position.

        The 2002 budget revisions also eliminate the human resources manager and clerk, and the information technology director. But two of them will probably remain with the city: The clerk has been moved to a different position, and IT Director Don Senteney has applied for the newly created, lower-paying job of information technology coordinator, City Manager Pat Clements said.

        Mr. Kohler and Human Resources Manager Carolyn Carlisle will get five weeks' severance pay if they agree not to sue, City Attorney Mark Yurick said.