Castillo said the lawsuit was among the actions that raised concerns about whether Smith was willing to work with the council moving forward.<\/p>\n
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Adam Beam<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need somebody who\u2019s gonna be prioritizing the concerns of the community,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
In January, the Thirteenth Court of Appeals denied a motion by Smith that sought to dismiss an appeal filed against him<\/a> by the mayor and councilmembers. The court\u2019s order, issued Jan. 13, allowed the appeal to proceed.<\/p>\n Castillo said the city will now begin the process of reposting the city manager position, while also assessing what steps need to be taken during Smith\u2019s remaining 30 days.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re in the figuring out stage,\u201d Castillo said. \u201cIt\u2019s not one that we\u2019re prepared for, but we need to do this as professionally and as cleanly as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n Smith has been the volunteer fire chief for the City of Taft since October 2021. During his time with the fire department, Smith faced a legal battle with the City of Taft in 2022 when the volunteer fire department opposed the city’s attempt to create a new fire chief position.<\/a> Smith later joined the city council as an assistant to then-temporary City Manager Kandi Hubert.<\/p>\n Hubert resigned in June amid an ongoing investigation by\u00a06 Investigates regarding excessive overtime paid to city employees, including Taft City Secretary Andrea Gomez.<\/a> <\/p>\n For the latest local news updates, click here<\/a>, or download the KRIS 6 News App.<\/a><\/p>\n