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Bluff City aldermen approve edits to city manager contract, send to MTAS for finalization
Summary
The Bluff City Board approved changes to the proposed city manager employment agreement, including a $72,800 base salary, removal of an indemnification clause and COBRA reimbursement language, and a shortened severance provision; the board voted 4-0 to submit the revised draft to MTAS attorney Pete Auger.
The Bluff City Board of Mayor and Aldermen on Monday approved edits to the proposed city manager employment contract and directed staff to forward the revised draft to municipal consultant Pete Auger for finalization.
The vote followed roughly two hours of line-by-line review of the draft contract, during which board members discussed hours, benefits, relocation assistance, leave accrual, and severance. Alderwoman Payne moved to approve the changes made that evening and submit the document; Alderman Johnson seconded. The motion passed on a recorded 4-0 vote (Payne, Malone, Keith and Johnson voting yes).
Board members confirmed a base salary of $72,800 for the position and discussed benefit and leave entitlements consistent with Bluff City’s personnel code. The board removed an indemnification provision that had appeared in the draft and agreed to delete language that would have required the town to reimburse an employee’s COBRA premiums. The contract text will instead state that the employee will have access to COBRA as required by the federal Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act and be responsible for COBRA costs after employer-paid coverage ends.
Severance and resignation terms were a focus of debate. The draft originally proposed six months’ severance; board members objected and ultimately settled on a minimum severance payment equal to 30 days (one month) if the employer terminates the agreement, with standard payout for accrued leave. The board also agreed to a six-month initial performance review and an annual review aligned with other staff reviews.
Members discussed relocation assistance for the candidate identified in the discussion, Crystal Morrison, but did not set a single, binding dollar cap in open session. Board members explored options ranging from $500 to $1,200 and agreed to follow up with additional research and with the candidate about her plans; the motion approved by the board authorized sending the revised draft to Pete Auger to prepare a final contract for presentation and negotiation.
Throughout the discussion, board members emphasized that the position is salaried (40 hours is the baseline, but duties may require work beyond that without overtime), that vacation and sick accruals will follow the municipal code, and that employer-paid health insurance will cover the employee only (dependents would be paid by the employee). The draft retains standard employer-paid short- and long-term disability premium payments and a basic employer-paid life insurance benefit tied to salary, subject to municipal policy waiting periods.
The board directed that the changes discussed be incorporated into the contract and authorized Mr. Auger to proceed. No final signed contract was executed during the meeting.
Votes at a glance: approve contract edits — motion by Alderwoman Payne; second Alderman Johnson; vote 4-0; outcome: approved, draft to be finalized by Pete Auger and returned for offer/negotiation.
Speakers quoted or cited in this article spoke during the agenda item reviewing the draft city manager agreement and appear in the meeting record as aldermen, staff and legal/consultant advisers.
