Antioch Council to discuss firing city manager, sale of lumber company lot, Tuesday

The sale of the old Antioch Lumber Company lot will be discussed by the city council and City Ventures during closed session, next Tuesday afternoon. The lot is known as APN 066055001 and located between West 2nd, West 3rd and E Streets in downtown.

Lease of Humphrey’s, sale of city owned properties also on closed session agenda

Steve Duran, file photo

By Allen Payton

During an afternoon closed session before their regular meeting, next Tuesday, March 14, the Antioch City Council will hold an employee performance evaluation of City Manager Steve Duran and then a vote for the dismissal of a public employee. That follows a discussion on the recruitment of a new city manager. The public employee dismissal is presumed to be related to the city manager.

Regarding the agenda items, Duran said, “The Mayor put these items on the Agenda…Sean has hired outside counsel. Things could get interesting.”

When reached for comment, Wright merely said “I have no comment, at this time, as it’s a personnel matter.”

The three items on the closed session agenda pertaining to the city manager are as follows:

5) PUBLIC EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE EVALUATION: City Manager.  This closed session is authorized pursuant to Government Code section 54957.

6) PUBLIC EMPLOYEE APPOINTMENT: Recruitment of City Manager.  This closed session is authorized pursuant to Government Code section 54957.

7) PUBLIC EMPLOYEE DISMISSAL.  This closed session is authorized pursuant to Government Code section 54957.

View the complete council meeting agenda, here.

In a press release he sent out at 9:17 p.m. on Election Night in November, just minutes after the initial results were made public, Duran announced a tentative date for his retirement for this August 15. Those election results showed Monica Wilson and Lamar Thorpe winning election for the two council seats and Sean Wright closely trailing then-Mayor Wade Harper. (See related article, here.)

However, Duran said his announcement was unrelated to the election and that it was “not an official 45 day notice of contract termination as required under my contract.” He had planned to “set a firm retirement date and provide official notice as required” under the contract, sometime in the months following his announcement.

This follows the announcement on Wednesday by Antioch Police Chief Allan Cantando of his retirement from his position, effective the first week of April.

Should the council vote to terminate Duran’s contract, then a new city manager would hire the new police chief, instead of Duran. The council hires the city manager and city attorney, and the city manager hires each of the department heads, including the police chief.

Humphrey’s, Sale of City Owned Land

Also on the closed session agenda is the lease of the former Humphrey’s Restaurant building to Everett & Jones for another one of their barbeque restaurants.

The council will also discuss the sale or purchase, with Moses Libitzky and a partner with the last name of Orton, of the empty lot at the corner of West Second and L Streets, and an industrial property across from the Antioch Police Facility at the end of West Second Street. Those two are listed as APN’s 066110009 and 066101001.

Finally, the council will have discussions with City Ventures on 12 city-owned properties, including the old Antioch Lumber Company lot, known as the Yard. Those are listed as Assessor’s Parcel Numbers (APN) 066010020; 066055001; 066041004; 066051012; 066092001; 066107010; 066107011; 066107001; 066061010; 066051001; 066051002; and 066101001. The last one is the same parcel which the council will be discussing purchasing from Libitzky and Orton, during the same closed session under Agenda Item 1.

See the location for each of the parcels on the County Assessor’s website, below and here. 03/10/17 3:45 PM UPDATE: The parcel number listed as 066610010 on the agenda is incorrect. A portion of the number was transposed. The correct APN is 066061010 and has been updated, above and the map included, below. Questions were emailed to Duran on Saturday, March 11th asking if the remainder of the gravel lot next to that parcel is also owned by the city and one of the parcels being offered for sale. 03/12/17 7:18 AM  UPDATE: Duran responded “Yes. The administrative error on the APN will be announced on Tuesday at CC mtg (the City Council meeting).” The parcel number for that property is 066061009 and the map has been included, below.

Closed Session Agenda Items 1 and 2. APN 06610100, corner of West 2nd & L Streets in downtown Antioch.

Closed Session Agenda Item 1. APN 066110009 located at the end of West 2nd Street across from the Antioch Police Facility.

Closed Session Agenda Item 2 – APN 066010020 the parking lot on L Street next to the railroad tracks and promenade, near the marina and boat launch.

Closed Session Agenda Item 2 – APN 066055001 – a portion of the old Antioch Lumber Company lot between West 2nd, West 3rd and E Streets in downtown.

Closed Session Agenda Item 2 – APN 066041004 – the remainder of the old Antioch Lumber Company lot and adjacent city-owned land. on West 2nd and 3rd Streets in downtown.

Closed Session Agenda Item 2 – APN 066051012 – parking lot at the end of G Street on the east side of the cul-de-sac.

Closed Session Agenda Item 2 – APN 066092001 – corner of West 2nd and “I” Streets across from City Hall, former location of the four-story, rundown and uninhabited Townhouse Hotel that burned down on October 19, 1998. (Thanks to Elizabeth Rimbault of the Antioch Historical Society for that information).

Closed Session Agenda Item 2 – APN 066107010 – a portion of the city parking lot on West 3rd Street at the corner of “I” Street in downtown.

Closed Session Agenda Item 2 – APN 066107011 – a portion of the city parking lot on West 3rd Street at the corner of “I” Street in downtown.

Closed Session Agenda Item 2 – APN 066107001 – a portion of the city parking lot on West 3rd Street at the corner of “I” Street in downtown.

Closed Session Agenda Item 2 – APN 066051001 – a portion of the lot at the corner of West Second and F Streets.

Closed Session Agenda Item 2 – APN 066051002 – the other portion of the lot at the corner of West Second and F Streets.

Closed Session Agenda Item 2 – APN 066061010 – a portion of the gravel parking lot bordered by W. 2nd, W. 3rd and “I” Streets next to the Old Garage Building, across from City Hall.

Closed Session Agenda Item 2 – APN 066061009 – the remaining portion of the gravel parking lot bordered by W. 2nd, W. 3rd and “I” Streets next to the Old Garage Building, across from City Hall.


the attachments to this post:


APN066061009


APN 066061010


APN 066051002


APN 066051001


APN 066107001


APN 066107001


APN 066107011


APN 066107010


2 Comments to “Antioch Council to discuss firing city manager, sale of lumber company lot, Tuesday”

  1. Rjb says:

    Awesome news and read about first here at the Herald!

    I’m feeling pretty good about voting for Sean. Finally some action. Still more work to do or rather undo Harpers mistakes.

  2. eileen says:

    Hope they get rid of him. The greedy leech threatening to sue for his quarter mil severance + benefits if they do go ahead and fire him. Unfortunately there may not be enough votes to get rid of him.

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