Russellville City Council voted Tuesday to remove board members from the citys Electric Plant Board. The move comes after months of wrangling with the EPB about its lack of policies, which allowed, what the council believes were, exorbitant travel expenses and free health insurance for members and their families. While the EPB has since enacted policies that restrict travel expenses and insurance, the majority of the council has become dissatisfied with those policies. Last month, the city voted to ask the EPB to redo its policies, but the board has not. The gloves are off, EPB attorney Fred Greene said following Tuesdays meeting. We have a civil rights lawsuit ready to be filed in federal court. They have been denied due process, Greene said of the removed board members. Board members former circuit court Judge William Fuqua, Joe Carrico and Berks Brown were kicked off effective immediately following the vote, which cited ineffective leadership and neglect of duties. EPB board members have the right to petition city council for a hearing, according to the municipal order, which passed 5-2 Tuesday. Council members Pat Bell and Russell Jones had the no votes. Leading up to the vote, the meeting was marked by accusations of unethical behavior by attorneys and EPB board members, talk of slander and dirty dealings and friendships irreparably broken by the rift. Its a sad day for Russellville, Mayor Shirlee Yassney said after the vote. Yassney first tried to get the council to end the controversy by passing a resolution declaring the EPB saga over and urging that future concerns about the EPB be brought before the council by its representative. The resolution failed. Bowling Green attorney David Broderick, who was hired to represent the city in the matter, told those in the overflowing council room that if they voted yes to the proposal, they would be abandoning their statutory duties as overseers of the board. Logan County Magistrate Dickie Carter, who frequently attends council meetings, said restricting the matter as such is a violation of my constitutional rights. City attorney Bob Hedges said the resolution, if passed, would not have the force of law. Later, resident Paul Atchison criticized Carter for speaking up at the meetings. Your job is magistrate, not city council, Atchison said. Carter defended himself, later saying that Russellville is in Logan County and the EPB is in the first district that I represent. Atchison told Carter he previously had considered Carter a friend but no more. He also warned the council that he would work against each of them during the next election. Greene said it was the last mayoral election, in which former mayor and councilman Ken Smith was defeated by Yassney, that stirred everything up. Resident John Morgan also brought up the election, telling Yassney in a raised voice that one of these people financed your re-election, he said, referring to an EPB member. Yassney told Morgan to lower his voice or hed be escorted from the meeting. Ill try to be as low as you, he said. Thats slander, Yassney replied. Morgan went on to contend that money spent on travel by EPB could have been spent to help with senior citizens electric bills or lowering others rates. Morgan, owner of Town Motel, threatened to unite other business owners in a lawsuit against the EPB to demand refunds on rates that could have been lower. Other accusations flew during the meeting. Bell questioned attorney J. Gran Clark, who previously represented both the city and EPB, about why policies werent in place years ago. Basically I was on call and averaged about 10 hours a year … They never asked me should we have policies and procedures, Clark said. I would have loved to have drafted policies. It was Clark who first approached the EPB last year with questions about its tree-cutting policies and a plan to build a new cable system. Why didnt you see fit to come forward (when you were the EPB attorney)? Jones asked. Clark said he wasnt aware of any problems at the time. The EPBs response to questions about tree-cutting policies it cut 100-year-old trees on Clarks street was what prompted Clarks questioning of other policies, he said. I was floored by what was discovered, he said. Greene accused Clark of poorly representing the EPB and council. You say if only you had been asked you would have told them (something) was wrong, Greene said. Nothing happens until it gets political. Greene said voting to remove the board members will cast a stigma on them for the rest of their life.