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Buhl council directs clerk to draft updated employment agreement, keeps Juneteenth and BEDA stipend
Summary
The Buhl City Council voted unanimously to direct the clerk/treasurer to draft an updated employment agreement for the now-exempt clerk position, agreed to add Juneteenth as a holiday, retain a $300 BEDA stipend, remove a $200 building-inspector stipend, and contract inspections to an outside consultant.
The Buhl City Council on Dec. 11 directed Clerk/Treasurer Robecca Jaeger to research and draft a revised employment agreement for the city’s Clerk/Treasurer position after the role was reclassified as exempt.
Mayor James Matthews opened discussion on the contract and Councilor Tanya Teska-Erickson moved to begin consideration; Councilor Randy Towner seconded the motion. Council members debated whether to keep a four-year salary schedule or move to annual, merit-based negotiations and agreed the salary will be negotiated annually.
Councilor Denise Kealy asked whether the city should use Rovena of Northshore Consulting LLC or the city’s legal counsel to draft the agreement; Mayor Matthews said he had reviewed contract templates available on the League of Minnesota’s website and the council asked that multiple drafting options be considered. Clerk/Treasurer Jaeger recommended reviewing neighboring cities’ contracts as part of the research.
The council agreed the existing vacation schedule was fair for an exempt position and decided contract language should be added to cover Earned Sick and Safe Time (ESST) and Minnesota Paid Leave (MNPL). The council also voted to include Juneteenth as a paid holiday.
On compensation items tied to outside duties, the council kept the $300 stipend for the clerk’s role as secretary to the Buhl Economic Development Authority (BEDA) but removed a separate $200 stipend and the requirement that the clerk hold building-inspector licensing or certification. Instead, the city will use Pat Green of Northern Energy Development as a building-inspection consultant and will reassess that approach in the future.
After a recess at 6:00 p.m., the council reconvened at 6:37 p.m. and agreed to leave the city’s cell-phone policy unchanged and to add a $4 life-insurance payroll deduction for the employee. Councilor Randy Towner moved — supported by Councilor Denise Kealy — to direct Clerk/Treasurer Jaeger to draft the exempt-position employment agreement; the motion passed by unanimous consent.
The motion directs staff to assemble proposed contract language reflecting the council’s decisions on salary negotiation, benefits (ESST and MNPL), holiday and stipend changes, the removal of the building-inspector requirement, and the specified life-insurance deduction. Council minutes indicate the draft will be returned for review; no date for review or final approval was specified at the meeting.
The council adjourned at 7:00 p.m.
