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Kansas City Councilman Files Lawsuit Over Cauthen

By Maria Carter

Kansas City, MO – Kansas City's Mayor Pro Tem Bill Skaggs is suing the city to overturn the council's vote to extend the city manager's contract. The council voted 9-to-4 last week to approve a 3-and-half year contract for city manager Wayne Cauthen. But Skaggs says it's in the city charter that the mayor is only one with the authority to bring the Cauthen's contract to the council.

Bill Skaggs: "Now we as council, don't have to like that and we can vote it down and go back to the bargaining table with the mayor, but that's what the charter says. People voted for the charter."

A judge has been assigned the case but no date for the hearing has been set yet. Mayor Mark Funkhouser will have to make an up or down decision on the contract by tomorrow unless the judge orders a preliminary injunction.

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