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Resident questions $25,000 project development coordinator payment and urges hiring freeze
Summary
At the March 13 Vienna City Council meeting, resident Ethel Harris raised concerns about re-approving a $25,000 payment for a project development coordinator named Jack and urged the council to pause raises pending resolution of other municipal issues; resident Henry Sassen referenced city finances.
During public forum at the Vienna City Council’s March 13 meeting, Ethel Harris questioned an item on the agenda described in the transcript as approving a payment or position related to “Jack” and said the matter dated back a year. Harris asked the council to “put things on hold” and consider freezing raises until outstanding city issues, including the swimming pool, are resolved.
“No disrespect, Jack. Love you dearly. But, that's from a year ago. It's been a year ago. Is that right to, bring it up that you're gonna give him maybe the it's gonna be voted on again or whether he's gonna get that $25,000, for the project development coordinator,” Harris said during public comment.
Harris said she believed the council should wait before approving raises or new payments given other unresolved matters the transcript describes as “a big old mess with the swimming pool.” The transcript does not record a staff response, a council vote, or whether the agenda item was formally postponed or approved in that session.
Later in the public forum, Henry Sassen identified himself as an engineer and a resident and referenced the city's finances. “So, basically, the city's got $11,800,000. That was the last numbers,” Sassen said; the transcript does not show him connecting that figure explicitly to the Jack item or to any specific fund or line item.
The transcript records questions and concerns from residents but does not include a recorded motion, vote, or staff clarification about the $25,000 amount, the precise nature of the position/payment for Jack, or a timeline for any decision.
