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Signal Mountain council approves employment agreement for Matthew W. Justice and creates temporary advisor post
Summary
At a Dec. 17 special meeting, the Signal Mountain town council approved an employment agreement for Matthew W. Justice and created a temporary part-time 'professional administrative advisor' position to provide a mentor to the new town manager; the measures passed by 5–0.
The Signal Mountain town council on Dec. 17 approved an employment agreement for Matthew W. Justice and voted to create a temporary, part-time professional administrative advisor role to support the new town manager.
The council moved and passed the employment agreement for Matthew W. Justice after the presiding official said the council had met with Justice twice and removed ICMA language from the contract. The presiding official said the agreement includes adjustments to vacation accrual reflecting 13 years of prior experience and a mentor–mentee arrangement for roughly the first six months to one year of Justice's tenure.
Council members discussed additional responsibilities tied to the water utility and a temporary stipend intended to compensate for those duties until a water director is hired. A council member asked whether the stipend could create a disincentive to fill the water director post; another member and other speakers responded that they believed there remained a stronger incentive to hire a director. The presiding official said the monthly stipend was equivalent to 60 hours of work and noted that recent weeks showed Justice was working far more than that while serving in dual roles.
The council approved the employment agreement by a 5–0 vote.
Immediately after, the council considered a resolution to create a professional administrative advisor position to allow the mentor–mentee relationship to function. The council described the advisor as a part-time, temporary position (about three to six hours per week) intended to run roughly six to 12 months and set to expire on Dec. 31, 2025, with no option for rehire. The presiding official identified Mitch Moore, a former interim town manager with 25-plus years of municipal experience, as a potential mentor. The council clarified the advisor would work with the town manager rather than report to the council.
The council passed the resolution creating the temporary advisor position by a 5–0 vote.
What happens next: With the votes complete, the town manager's onboarding and the mentor arrangement will proceed under the terms the council approved; the council did not specify a hiring timeline for a permanent water director in these segments.
