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Bluff City board reviews town manager job description, evaluation process and contract timeline
Summary
At a workshop meeting the Board of Mayor and Aldermen reviewed a drafted town manager job description, discussed performance-evaluation timing and the town manager’s contract timeline; the draft will be sent to the city attorney for revision and returned to the board.
The Bluff City Board of Mayor and Aldermen spent a large portion of its workshop on a proposed town manager job description, how department-head evaluations should be handled and the timetable for a manager contract.
Board members said a more detailed job description prepared by MTAC consultant Pete Auger and a charter-based outline should be reconciled. The board agreed to send the draft job description to city attorney Paul Fry for legal review and revision before returning it to the board for further comment.
Why it matters: the job description would define duties now assigned to the town manager, set expectations the board will use for future evaluations and shape any employment contract. Several members stressed that the document should also include procedures for evaluating department heads and a reporting cadence to help the board monitor progress.
Discussion and next steps: board members debated which duties belong in the charter (Article 7 was cited) versus those the manager should carry out operationally. Members raised removing orclarifying responsibilities such as floodplain administrator, code enforcement and building-inspection oversight, saying some items may need separate ordinances or later additions once staff or certifications are in place.
The town manager (Michelle Roberts) asked for regular reporting. As she said during the meeting, “maybe a report every 6 months of what I’ve done, what I’ve accomplished, what I’ve worked on,” describing a semiannual narrative she could provide to the board to support any formal evaluations.
Board members discussed an evaluation schedule (suggestions ranged from six months to annually) and agreed the job description should state the manager must produce periodic reports and support department-head reviews. The group also discussed compensation and benefits but deferred specific salary figures until the board sees a final draft and budget numbers.
The board set an implementation direction rather than a vote: the draft job description will go to Paul Fry for legal drafting and be circulated to individual members for comment. Several members said they want the process completed before the town manager’s temporary assignment ends in June.
Ending: The board agreed to review the attorney’s revision individually and then reconvene (by workshop or special meeting) if necessary to finalize the job description and a contract offer.
