MONROE - The City of Monroe Salary and Personnel Committee members Wednesday made Mayor Ron Marsh the "go-to person" for department heads while the city administrator position remains unfilled.
A memo will go out to department heads immediately notifying them that Marsh will become the initial contact person for immediate problems that are beyond their ability to address. Marsh is to forward problems and decisions to appropriate city committee members when needed.
"We want it and the Mayor wants it," committee chairman Mark Coplien said.
Without a vote of the members, the decision is being called a "general consensus."
The consensus came after the committee spent about an hour in closed session with the mayor.
The committee agenda called the session an "evaluation of the Mayor's performance," but Coplien said it was not an evaluation of the mayor, who is an elected official, it was a discussion of his place in the running of city business.
"I wanted an idea of what my strengths and weaknesses were and what the council could do to help me be stronger at," Marsh said.
Coplien said one reason for the session was that department heads had been asking about a "chain-of-command" during the committee's evaluations of their performances.
The session with the mayor came after three nights of evaluations of nine department heads that concluded Wednesday. The closed session had been included in the meeting agenda which was completed last Friday.
"For continuity in house, department heads needed to know who to go to until we get someone else in here," Coplien said.
"I don't want the total authority of an administrator, but do want the availability, if a department head comes in to me, to pick up the phone to inform council members. I hope you have enough faith in me not to put this city in jeopardy," Marsh said.
Coplien praised Marsh, and council members, for stepping in to fill the needs of the city left by the dismissal of its past administrator Mark Vahlsing.
"We are lucky Ron was retired and willing to act as administrator," Coplien said.
"As far as I'm concerned, if the mayor is acting as administrator at this point he should be allowed to do so," he said.
Coplien said the mayor, "who is elected and virtually unpaid," needed the council's backing.
"All I need is that vote of confidence," Marsh told the committee.
While Marsh may have gotten a general consensus for his place in governing the city, the vote of confidence seemed to be a little short.
Some members of the committee made a point of highlighting the limitations of the mayor's unusual position.
"I don't want another mayor down the road with the same authority," Dan Henke said.
Marsh said the parameters of the decision could be limited to the hiring of another administrator.
Furthermore, while the position of administrator has a human resource aspect in it, the Salary and Personnel Committee retains its authority to hire and fire employees.
"We should know when a decision is being made," Alderman Charles Schuringa said.
Marsh said council members would be notified by phone or e-mail immediately, and that he would make it known to department heads that any decision he makes would be changeable by committee members, if they disagree with it.
"Some things can't wait," Marsh said.
"That's an arbitrary decision on your part," Henke told him.
"I didn't know of a business where a decision couldn't wait 20 minutes," Keith Ingwell said.
"I also want to reiterate, let department heads come to you," Henke said, indicating that Marsh was not to go to department heads to check on a project.
Schuringa agreed with Henke.
"That's right, they're department heads. We've got to let them earn their money," he said.
The city has been without an administrator for seven months, and has no plan for hiring one in 2009. But committee members remain committed to filling the position eventually.
"We have to get back to an administrator. We can't do that right now because of the budget, (but) we got to get it back. But I'm not saying Ron isn't doing a good job," Alderman Keith Ingwell said.
Ingwell noted the funds for an administrator had been dispersed to support other areas of the 2009 budget. The 2008 budget had included $123,500 for pay and benefits for the administrator position.
"We need to budget for the item, if at all possible," Coplien said after the meeting.
As a last-resort measure, the administrator position may have to be combined with another position, he said.
A memo will go out to department heads immediately notifying them that Marsh will become the initial contact person for immediate problems that are beyond their ability to address. Marsh is to forward problems and decisions to appropriate city committee members when needed.
"We want it and the Mayor wants it," committee chairman Mark Coplien said.
Without a vote of the members, the decision is being called a "general consensus."
The consensus came after the committee spent about an hour in closed session with the mayor.
The committee agenda called the session an "evaluation of the Mayor's performance," but Coplien said it was not an evaluation of the mayor, who is an elected official, it was a discussion of his place in the running of city business.
"I wanted an idea of what my strengths and weaknesses were and what the council could do to help me be stronger at," Marsh said.
Coplien said one reason for the session was that department heads had been asking about a "chain-of-command" during the committee's evaluations of their performances.
The session with the mayor came after three nights of evaluations of nine department heads that concluded Wednesday. The closed session had been included in the meeting agenda which was completed last Friday.
"For continuity in house, department heads needed to know who to go to until we get someone else in here," Coplien said.
"I don't want the total authority of an administrator, but do want the availability, if a department head comes in to me, to pick up the phone to inform council members. I hope you have enough faith in me not to put this city in jeopardy," Marsh said.
Coplien praised Marsh, and council members, for stepping in to fill the needs of the city left by the dismissal of its past administrator Mark Vahlsing.
"We are lucky Ron was retired and willing to act as administrator," Coplien said.
"As far as I'm concerned, if the mayor is acting as administrator at this point he should be allowed to do so," he said.
Coplien said the mayor, "who is elected and virtually unpaid," needed the council's backing.
"All I need is that vote of confidence," Marsh told the committee.
While Marsh may have gotten a general consensus for his place in governing the city, the vote of confidence seemed to be a little short.
Some members of the committee made a point of highlighting the limitations of the mayor's unusual position.
"I don't want another mayor down the road with the same authority," Dan Henke said.
Marsh said the parameters of the decision could be limited to the hiring of another administrator.
Furthermore, while the position of administrator has a human resource aspect in it, the Salary and Personnel Committee retains its authority to hire and fire employees.
"We should know when a decision is being made," Alderman Charles Schuringa said.
Marsh said council members would be notified by phone or e-mail immediately, and that he would make it known to department heads that any decision he makes would be changeable by committee members, if they disagree with it.
"Some things can't wait," Marsh said.
"That's an arbitrary decision on your part," Henke told him.
"I didn't know of a business where a decision couldn't wait 20 minutes," Keith Ingwell said.
"I also want to reiterate, let department heads come to you," Henke said, indicating that Marsh was not to go to department heads to check on a project.
Schuringa agreed with Henke.
"That's right, they're department heads. We've got to let them earn their money," he said.
The city has been without an administrator for seven months, and has no plan for hiring one in 2009. But committee members remain committed to filling the position eventually.
"We have to get back to an administrator. We can't do that right now because of the budget, (but) we got to get it back. But I'm not saying Ron isn't doing a good job," Alderman Keith Ingwell said.
Ingwell noted the funds for an administrator had been dispersed to support other areas of the 2009 budget. The 2008 budget had included $123,500 for pay and benefits for the administrator position.
"We need to budget for the item, if at all possible," Coplien said after the meeting.
As a last-resort measure, the administrator position may have to be combined with another position, he said.