Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Museums Management topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council delays decision on city takeover of Superior museums after lengthy public comment
Summary
After more than an hour of public comment and council debate, the Superior Common Council voted to postpone a decision on whether the city will assume daily operations of three historic museums. The finance committee had recommended city takeover; the council asked for more planning time and will revisit the issue at the next regular meeting.
The Superior Common Council on June 3 delayed a final decision about whether the city should assume daily operations of Fairlawn Mansion, the SS Meteor Whale Back Ship Museum and the Old Firehouse and Police Museum, voting to postpone the question to the next regular council meeting.
The issue drew a large public turnout and extensive comment from museum board members, volunteers and city staff after the finance committee recommended that the city “assume full operations” of the three sites when the nonprofits’ memorandum of understanding expires. Council debate centered on staffing, costs and transition planning.
The recommendation from the finance committee prompted sharply divided public remarks. Caitlin Baumann, board president of Superior Public Museums, urged the council to leave daily operations with the nonprofit, saying, “I respectfully urge you not to vote in favor of the city taking over daily operations of Fairlawn Mansion, the SS Meteor, and the old firehouse and police museum, and instead to continue the city's successful 25 year partnership with Superior Public Museums.” Several volunteers and board members described decades of stewardship and warned that city control could reduce access to nonprofit grants and donations.
Other speakers, including former museum staff and volunteers, said the city could provide better wages, benefits and building maintenance. Robert Jan Kneh, a former administrator and interim director at Superior Public Museums, told the council he supported the finance committee’s recommendation because city employment would offer health and retirement benefits to museum staff and could help retain qualified employees.
Mayor Payne told the council the administration has a transition plan if the council directs it to proceed. Payne said the MOU will expire unless the council acts to extend it, and that the administration could prepare job descriptions and convert existing museum employees to city positions. “As clearly as I can say it, I intend to hire every single employee, with the permission of the council,” Payne said, adding that the city would place converted employees on the city wage scale and seek to preserve institutional knowledge.
Council members pressed for more specifics on costs and timeline. Councilor Johnson said she was concerned about the compressed schedule, noting human-resources and budget actions would be needed before the MOU expires. Mayor Payne outlined a rough timeline: human-resources committee work on job descriptions starting in about two weeks, wage-step placement by a consultant in July and staffing decisions that could require council confirmation for supervisory positions.
Finance Committee Chair Councilor Sweeney defended the committee’s recommendation and said its members had reviewed proposals and facility needs extensively. “Every turn, every peel became more obvious to me that the city should take this the museums over,” Sweeney said.
Estimates cited during public comment and committee discussion varied. Board members and SPM’s proposal projected that city operation could cost roughly $350,000 more per year, while the mayor’s office said fully modeling costs could produce figures between $250,000 and $500,000 annually depending on staffing choices, offset in part by existing stipend payments and some museum revenue. Speakers emphasized that several numbers — including future admissions policy, grant income and exact hotel-motel tax allocation — remain to be determined.
Rather than vote on the finance committee recommendation, the council voted to postpone the question to the next regular meeting so staff can bring more detailed plans and fiscal analysis back to the council. The motion to postpone was made by Councilor Graske, seconded by Councilor Sweeney, and carried.
If the council ultimately declines to extend the current MOU, the mayor said the administration is prepared to begin the administrative steps necessary to convert museum staff to city employment. If the council instead wants more time, it can extend the MOU and direct the finance and human-resources committees to continue review.
The council’s delay means the museum governance question — whether to continue a 25-year nonprofit partnership or move operations in-house — will return to the council with additional staffing, budget and transition details for further deliberation.
