Residents and council press for clearer accounting and oversight of interim staffing contracts

May 3, 2025 — Payson residents and several council members on Monday pressed town staff for detailed information about the town's use of Interim Public Management (IPM), a vendor that supplies interim municipal personnel and project managers.

The town's acting town manager, Sheila, and Finance Director Dana described the contracts as a way to maintain continuity when key positions are vacant and to staff short-term capital projects. Residents and council members said they had concerns about total costs, contract structure, transparency and whether contracts had been used instead of hiring permanent staff.

Residents raised a string of specific questions about the company's billing and oversight during the call to the public. Charlie Sarafin (resident) asked why contract documents lacked the vendor's legal name, why several key positions had been staffed by temporary workers for long periods, and why weekly contract rates appeared high given the town's reported cumulative payments to the company. "As you'll see in the PowerPoint the town has already paid Interim Public Management over $1,400,000," Sarafin said during public comment.

Acting town manager Sheila said the town has…