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Wilsonville council approves city manager employment agreement, rejects 180‑day job‑protection clause
Summary
After a two‑hour discussion, the Wilsonville City Council voted down a candidate-requested clause that would have limited termination within 180 days of seating a new council member and approved the employment agreement without that subsection; the approved draft will be sent to the candidate, Gina, for her consideration.
Wilsonville’s City Council approved a new employment agreement for its incoming city manager on March 12 but rejected a clause that would have made it harder to terminate the manager within 180 days of seating a newly elected council member.
The council voted down the option containing the 180‑day protection subsection and then approved the alternative agreement without that paragraph. Council President Barry presided over the special meeting that included a presentation from consultant Richard Meyers, who summarized two nearly identical contract drafts that differ only by the election‑protection subsection.
Meyers told the council the candidate, Gina, had requested a first term running April 1 through Sept. 30 to align contract timing with elections and had sought provisions to promote stability. “She’s requested $216,000 as her base compensation and she has requested no tech allowance or no car allowance,” Meyers said, summarizing the compensation package and benefits that otherwise mirror city personnel policies.
The contracts specify that the city manager position is at will, outline duties and supervisory authority subject to the city charter, require compliance with Oregon ethics rules, and provide standard benefits including participation in the state retirement system (PERS) and a 7.7% deferred compensation contribution on base salary. The severance clause in both drafts guarantees six months’ pay (or one month per year of service, whichever is greater) if the manager is terminated as defined in the agreement; outplacement services of up to $10,000 are also included.
The contested language in option two would have barred termination without cause within 180 days of seating any newly elected council member, except for misconduct such as criminal conduct, fraud, misappropriation of city funds, or violations of Oregon ethics laws. If the council nevertheless terminated the manager during that 180‑day period without an allowed cause, the draft would have increased severance to one and a half times the standard amount.
Councilors split over the clause. Supporters, including Councelor Skull, said the provision would protect continuity and give a new manager time to integrate with a newly seated council. Opponents, including the mayor and Councelor Cunningham, argued the provision could hamstring a newly elected council and impose an additional taxpayer cost if the council chose to terminate during that period.
Members also raised procedural concerns about how the clause would interact with resignation‑in‑lieu of termination and how quickly a “thorough investigation” could be completed if alleged misconduct triggered the exceptions. Meyers said negotiating language could clarify those points, but several councilors said the clause as written raised more risks than benefits for the city.
Votes at a glance: a motion to approve option two (with the 180‑day protection subsection) failed on a 2‑3 vote; a subsequent motion to approve option one (without the 180‑day subsection) passed on a 3‑2 vote. Earlier in the meeting the council approved the meeting agenda by voice vote.
Richard Meyers said staff will take the approved agreement to Gina for her review and potential signature. The council adjourned at 5:23 p.m.
