Perry council asks attorney to draft job description for proposed city administrator

Perry City Council voted on Feb. 5 to have the city attorney draft a job description for a proposed City Administrator position after members reported three work-group meetings exploring the idea.

Mayor Susan J. Hammond told the council the group — which included Mayor Hammond, Mayor Pro-Tem Larry Lambert, Councilmember Bob Porter and local participants Genevieve Cottrell, Tom Bridges and Misty Leitelt — initially discussed hiring a City Manager but shifted toward exploring a City Administrator role that would avoid overlapping duties reserved to the mayor under the city charter. The council said the city attorney advised that duties assigned to an administrator must not conflict with the mayor’s responsibilities, and the attorney should draft the job description to ensure proper separation.

Council members discussed potential duties the administrator might perform if the position is created: researching and applying for grants (including legislative meetings to identify grant opportunities), overseeing enforcement of ordinances, monitoring the Capital Improvement Plan and Master Plan updates, and representing the city at Planning Commission meetings. Councilmember Bob Porter urged clarity about who currently manages those tasks before creating a new position.

The motion to authorize the attorney to draft the job description was moved by Mike Connell and seconded by Kristin Babel; the motion passed unanimously. Council members said they will review the attorney’s draft at a subsequent meeting before deciding whether to proceed with creating the position or to pursue other governance changes that could require voter approval.

What happens next: the city attorney will prepare a draft job description and return it to council for review; council discussion will determine whether the position moves forward and whether any charter or ballot actions are required.