Harriman Parts Ways With City Manager Helms

The Harriman City Council met tonight in regular session and decided that they would part ways with City Manager Kevin Helms after 6 years of service to the city. The discussion of the City Manager’s yearly evaluation was on the agenda for the night. However, the council went into Executive Session with newly appointed City Attorney Tom McFarland to discuss options about the dismissal of Helms.

After the Executive Session, which they went into to discuss a potential settlement with Helms to forego any possible lawsuit that could be filed, came out of the session and placed a motion on the floor to part ways in good standing, this according to Mayor Wayne Best whom we spoke with following the meeting last night. The council voted to pay Helms for 90 days, which included any vacation time owed, and they will give him a good letter of recommendation for the six years of service. But did vote to part ways.

Helms who had come to the city from middle Tennessee, had been the city manager for just under 6 years. He was placed on administrative leave in 2019 after a then annual review showed that the mayor and some members of council were unhappy with his job performance. The City now in the coming weeks will move forward with the search for a new city manager.

We will have more on this on the Wednesday edition of the Channel 12 Evening News on BBB TV-12.