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Newport council approves financial/office administrator job description, to advertise $50,000–$60,000
Summary
Council approved a new financial and office administrator job description and authorized advertising the position with a salary range of $50,000–$60,000 plus benefits; council discussed reporting lines, background checks, redundancy and budget implications before voting to post the position.
The Newport City Council on May 19 approved a new job description for a financial and office administrator and authorized staff to post the position with a salary range of $50,000 to $60,000 plus benefits.
The council reviewed language clarifying that the position would be accountable to the city manager, or in the absence of a city manager, to mayor and council. Council members and members of the public raised concerns about overlapping duties, redundancy, and the antiquated charter language that defines mayor/city manager roles. Jennifer (public commenter) urged safeguards to preserve checks and balances in the chartered structure.
Andrew Touchette and the mayor said department heads had been consulted during drafting. The council agreed to include a condition that candidates should expect a background check and the ability to be bonded. After discussion on recruiting and budget implications, the council approved the job description and then separately voted to advertise the position with a $50,000–$60,000 range based on experience and accompanied by full benefits.
Mayor (unnamed) said the city’s staff is “desperate” to fill key administrative roles and that department heads would help vet initial candidates; the council plans a multi‑step hiring process that includes department head review and council interviews. The council asked staff to post the job, accept applications for roughly two to three weeks, and return with a hiring timetable.
