Council approves employment agreement for city administrator after debate on severance

The Portland City Council on Dec. 10 authorized an employment agreement for the newly confirmed city administrator, a step city staff and the mayor said is standard practice for senior public managers.

Ron Zito, interim director of the Bureau of Human Resources, told councilors the city's current practice provides a severance offer if a director or deputy administrator is terminated without cause: one year's salary for the first year of a contract and six months for subsequent years, conditioned on execution of a targeted separation agreement.

Some councilors openly questioned whether the city administrator's package should match legacy contracts. Councilor Smith said it "does not look good" if the administrator receives less severance than some bureau directors and urged parity; others defended the competitive hiring process and said the terms reflect the city's updated practice under the new form of government.

Joseph Perez, a public commenter, urged that the contract be reviewed carefully to ensure independence and fairness.

The council adopted the emergency ordinance by roll call; the clerk recorded 11 yes votes and one absence.

Councilors and staff said the city retains discretion to negotiate different severance amounts in the future and noted that the council can approve any severance it chooses with the requisite votes.