FORT PIERCE — City commissioners in Fort Pierce voted to postpone discussion of a dispute involving employee discipline and wage garnishment after the city received notice of a potential lawsuit tied to the issue.
The matter, which had been expected to return for discussion at a recent commission meeting, was halted early after officials confirmed the city had received a letter of intent to sue.
Commissioner Arnold Gaines urged caution in light of the legal development.
“As a steward of the taxpayer’s money, I think at this juncture, since we received that letter, this discussion should be pulled for this time until we’ve dealt with that lawsuit or potential lawsuit and then move forward,” he said.
The controversy stems from the city’s handling of Finance Director Jonah Morris, who was allegedly suspended after it was discovered her wages were being garnished by JPMorgan Chase Bank to repay a $14,343 debt. Court records indicate $1,321.19 was to be deducted from each paycheck until the judgment was satisfied.
The disciplinary action raised alarms as federal law generally protects employees from being terminated over a single wage garnishment, prompting questions about whether the city’s response was lawful.
Mayor Linda Hudson supported delaying further discussion, citing the need to focus on the city’s broader interests.
“I want the best interest of this city. I want us to move forward. And I think that this discussion could be held at some future date, but not in this particular time period,” she said.
Commissioner Chris Dzadovsky disagreed, arguing the agenda item was focused on governance rather than the underlying personnel issue. He said his intent was to address how authority is defined within the city’s charter.
“I believe that this matter is necessary to be dealt with sooner than later. The presentation that I had put together to raise the issue had strictly to do with the city charter, the roles, responsibilities, and the authority of our charter officers. It had nothing to do with any other issue that may be on the table currently and or coming,” he said.
The dispute is also tied to internal disagreements among city leadership. According to Dzadovsky, tensions arose between City Manager Richard Chess and City Attorney Sarah Hedges over whether outside legal counsel could be consulted regarding the garnishment matter.
Dzadovsky characterized the situation as an overreach and a potential violation of the city charter, while Hudson and Commissioner Michael Broderick backed Hedges, maintaining that oversight of legal matters falls under the attorney’s responsibilities.
Gaines maintained that the discussion should wait until the legal situation is resolved.
“I’m not going to rescind it. I have not spoken to any outside attorney based on what we have received in the mail. I can only go by what was said at our last meeting and it dealt exactly with all this charter stuff and it got into why we’re now being sued,” he said.
The commission ultimately voted 4-1 to table the item, with Dzadovsky casting the lone dissenting vote. No future date has been set to revisit the discussion.