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Alders push changes to deputy city administrator ordinance over term and reporting language
Summary
Council debated an ordinance to create a deputy city administrator, with alderpersons raising concerns about tying the deputy''s appointment to the mayor''s term and language presuming the deputy will fill a future vacancy; a motion to amend the first-reading draft carried unanimously.
Council members sharply discussed a proposed ordinance to create the office of deputy city administrator during the Oct. 6 Washington City Council meeting, focusing on how the role would be appointed, whom it would report to and whether the ordinance should presume the deputy would succeed a departing city administrator.
Alderson Martin moved a package of amendments to the first-reading draft, seeking to (1) change the appointment language so the deputy would serve "until a new mayor can appoint another deputy and council approve," (2) remove language saying the deputy would report to the mayor (so the deputy would report to the city administrator), and (3) strip a section that "presumed" the deputy would be appointed to fill a vacancy in the office of city administrator. "I don't think this position needs to go along with the election," Martin said, arguing the deputy should provide stability and not be automatically tied to the mayor's term.
A staff member responding to the council described the statutory constraint underlying officer-level appointments, cautioning that a mayor cannot be "handcuffed" by a predecessor's appointment and that some limitations on term length are typical. "When a mayor appoints someone, you don't want to handcuff the subsequent mayor," the staff member said, and noted that some of the language is intended to reflect statutory norms.
Other alderpersons endorsed parts of Martin's motion while raising compensation and contractual questions. Alderson McIntyre said he supported the idea of the position but wanted clearer language about compensation and whether a separate contract would be needed; McIntyre said the council should avoid unintentionally locking in pay differences based on the mayor in office. Alderson Moss and others also said they objected to the "presumed" succession language because qualifications and "satisfactory performance" are subjective.
Mayor Lillia v Stevens said the ordinance already includes a provision allowing the mayor to serve as interim administrator when necessary, but she supported careful drafting so the council gets the policy right. The council's motion to request the three changes was seconded, and the mayor's attorney was directed to redline the ordinance for a committee-of-the-whole review prior to second reading. The council recorded unanimous approval of the amendment motion at first reading.
The council's next step is for the city attorney to prepare redlined language and for the committee of the whole to review and discuss the revised draft in the coming week before the ordinance returns for a second reading.
