INDEPENDENCE - The City Council fired the only city manager the community has ever had Wednesday.

The council voted, 5-2, to not renew Alan Johnson's contract, which expires Oct. 27, amid concerns about Johnson's job performance over the last year. The vote came after the council delivered an annual performance review in front of a packed council chambers.

"You've done a crappy job, said councilman Dick Engen, who made the motion to not renew the contract.

Engen said he had been "physically sick" about the decision but felt it was necessary to make. Johnson's supporters felt he was being blamed for problems out of his control, a sentiment Johnson echoed.

Johnson first came to Independence in 2001 after the city switched to a manager-council form of government. He previously worked in Sheldon as city manager.

Johnson said he had brought a lot of good to the city, including expanding the tax base by $50 million, during his tenure.

"I felt I've always had the community's best interest at heart and will continue to," he said. "I just evidently stepped on too many toes. That's just part of the nature of the position."

Engen and others cited a variety of concerns, though a major issue throughout the three-hour meeting was an attempt by the city to turn a former Fareway grocery store building into a new city hall. Voters in May rejected a $1.8 million bond to renovate the building into offices for the city and other government and civic agencies.

After the election, residents submitted a petition with 500 signatures asking the council not to renew Johnson's contract.

Read more in Thursday's Courier.