"I felt there was a conflict of interest during my research," he said.

As a result, he wants the council to readdress the issue and revote after the interest has been disclosed, "which we were not aware of" before the vote.

"I just want the town to appear above reproach when possible," he said.

The council was unable to vote on the matter because Vail was not present at the meeting. He suffered a heart attack earlier in that same day. To repeal a previous vote, the same number of council members are required, Hazelet said.

"A vote would be pointless at this time," Hazelet said.

As a result of his research, Hazelet said he's also decided to reassign Draper's council duties relative to the community's water to Vail. He said he appreciated everything Draper has done for the town over the years.

"I don't mean to embarrass anyone," he said. "I felt it was the right thing."

Hazelet said he spoke with Vail about the reassignment, and Vail accepted the added duty from his hospital bed.

"He called me, I did not call him," Hazelet said. "I don't want you to think that I'm that heartless."

In addition, Hazelet said he will cancel the town's contracts with A-Team Realty and Dale Draper.

Hazelet said he is still reviewing the concerns in Clinger's letter, and he promised her he will research those concerns and address them later.

Clinger said she's glad the mayor is finally addressing her concerns.

"I feel like they're responding to the concerns better than they have before," she said.

Clinger was also surprised Draper's council duties were reassigned. He's overseen the town's water system for many years.

"It's a very significant thing that he's not anymore," she said.

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E-mail: jdana@desnews.com