Residents press council on open-records delays, Fort Gillum complaints and missing answers about police chief’s status

A lengthy public-comment period on March 2 focused on open-records delays and a suite of community complaints tied to a proposed data-center project at Fort Gillum and to ongoing conditions at a nearby property.

Zach Parker told the council the city had repeatedly delayed or failed to produce requested records and called the practice "obstruction." "When a city drags its feet, inflates costs, produces scraps instead of substance, and ignores clear legal obligations, that is not transparency," Parker said.

Several commenters, including Anne Pellegrino and Clifford Pellegrino, said records requests filed in February about the proposed data center remained incomplete or closed without explanation. They listed missing items they sought: blast plans and blast logs, safety and inspection plans, incident reports, correspondence with the state fire marshal, remediation documentation, daily water-usage and runoff data, and any tax-abatement or revenue projections associated with the project. Councilmembers asked staff to prepare a briefing on records-request workflow and to supply data on open requests, timeliness and staffing.

Joanne Thomas described a persisting sanitary problem at Park at Fort Gillum — she said human waste remains exposed at her building’s rear common area — and urged immediate action. Several councilmembers expressed strong concern and promised follow-up inspections: one councilmember said staff had been told earlier that a pump-station issue was corrected but that the resident reports suggest continuing problems.

The meeting closed with an emotional exchange about the police chief: several councilmembers and community members said Chief Chris had been placed on administrative leave and asked why council had not been informed of the reason; others urged transparency and a briefing. Interim city management and the interim city manager said mayor and council had been notified the same day and that additional details would be discussed in executive session; the governing body then moved into an executive session for personnel, litigation and real estate.

Newly confirmed City Clerk Vanessa Holiday, sworn in at the meeting, said she takes public records seriously and plans to assess records structure and the city’s ability to produce requested documents.