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Council amends law-director contract after debate over drafting authority
Summary
Mentor-on-the-Lake council voted to amend and approve the contract for law director appointee Natalie Schulte after a lengthy discussion about which officials and committees may request ordinance drafting and how council inquiries are handled.
Mentor-on-the-Lake council on April 22 amended and approved the contract for its law director appointee, Natalie n Schulte, after council members debated which officials should be authorized to request drafting or review of ordinances.
The amended resolution, Resolution 2025R-14, clarifies that the law director will draft, review or approve ordinances and resolutions upon request of the mayor, administrative director, the council president, the chair of any council committee, or any two members of council. The council also agreed to revise a separate clause so the law director's duty to respond to council inquiries is not restricted only to matters raised during council meetings.
Mayor Johnson and multiple council members discussed the changes during the resolution's second reading. Councilmember Thompson moved to amend the proposed contract; Councilmember Bittner seconded. The motion to amend carried on a roll call vote (Miss Moore: Aye; Miss Thompson: Aye; Mister Gray: Aye; Mister Bittner: Aye; Miss Wong: Aye; Mister Lunder: Aye; Mister Johnson: Aye). The council then suspended the rules and approved the amended contract on the same voting pattern.
Proponents said the change aligns the contract with existing council rules and preserves committee chairs' ability to work directly with the law director. Opponents warned that narrowing the law director's response duties to questions presented only in meetings would delay answers to urgent items; the final language was adjusted to avoid that restriction.
The contract revision was the product of several rounds of review at council and committee meetings earlier this month. The council recorded the formal passage of Resolution 2025R-14 following the amendment.
The law director appointment and contract now move forward under the new language; the council did not discuss a separate effective date in the public portion of the record.
Votes at the approval were recorded by roll call and are included in the meeting minutes.
