Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Personnel And Charter Compliance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Wayne council passes resolution to correct DPS director appointment; ordinance to follow
Summary
Council approved a resolution to enable swearing in of a Department of Public Services director while staff and the city attorney prepare an ordinance to codify the department structure consistent with the charter.
The Wayne City Council on Aug. 4 approved a resolution intended to correct a longstanding paperwork inconsistency relating to the Department of Public Services (DPS) director position and to bring the city into compliance with the charter.
City Manager explained that the city's historical records show the DPS director role had alternated between combined and split configurations (building & engineering plus DPW) since the 1930s, but the charter requires certain department heads be sworn in where an ordinance exists. Staff and the city attorney said earlier separations were handled by resolution rather than ordinance, leaving an inconsistency when the positions were recombined.
The resolution passed at the meeting allows the city to swear in the DPS director now. City staff said they will return to council with an ordinance that formally codifies the department configuration; that ordinance will require a first and second reading before codification. The manager noted that any future changes would follow the same ordinance process and that a broader charter revamp is also planned, which would provide council an opportunity to reconsider the process in coordination with any future charter changes.
Council approved the resolution by voice vote; no members recorded opposition.
Why it matters: The action is administrative but important for personnel authority and compliance with the city charter. The council authorized a temporary fix by resolution now and committed to follow-up legislation (ordinance) to provide the permanent legal basis for the department head appointment.
What the city will do next: staff will prepare an ordinance for first and second reading to codify the DPS structure and will coordinate the work with the attorney and the future charter revision process.
Quote from the meeting: "We should clean up the mess. So we should do it right, and we have to do it in coordinates with our charter," City Manager said during the discussion.
