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University Heights committee reopens debate over mayor, safety director pay; EOP approval becomes point of contention
Summary
The committee discussed Ordinance 2024-82 to raise the mayor's salary and to split compensation with a safety director, prompting a heated exchange over whether an emergency operations plan had been approved and how the mayor's public‑safety duties should be codified. No ordinance change was adopted; committee agreed to return the item to council.
Committee Chair Michele Weiss reopened discussion of Salary Ordinance 2024‑82, which would change how the mayor’s compensation and the director of public safety’s compensation are handled.
The ordinance under discussion proposed increasing the mayor’s salary and splitting authority and pay between the mayor and a named safety director; members debated several options including a 50/50 split, an $80,000/$20,000 split, or maintaining a single consolidated compensation. Council Member Brian Cooney urged language that would designate the mayor as the city’s public‑safety director in ordinance similar to other Ohio municipalities, while other members pushed for a defined part‑time safety director salary to ensure the role had resources and accountability.
Tension rose when Council Member Winifred Weizer said the city lacked an approved emergency operations plan (EOP) and argued that a nominal safety‑director salary in the past had depressed performance. Weizer stated the EOP had not been signed and that federal grants required an approved plan. Mayor Michael Dylan Brennan strongly disputed the characterization, saying the city has had an EOP in effect and that a recent document replaced, rather than eliminated, prior emergency‑planning work. The exchange included raised voices and direct rebuttals but produced no conclusive factual resolution on whether the prior EOP had been formally approved.
“I'm not asking that you raise my salary,” Mayor Brennan said, defending both the breadth of the mayoral role and the argument for a competitive compensation package to attract capable candidates. He argued the mayor’s duties have historically encompassed administrative management, public safety coordination, and intergovernmental work and that the city could not expect to perform those functions without appropriate compensation.
Opponents framed the issue as one of checks and balances and administrative clarity. Ms. Weizer said the safety director’s position should be real, with pay sufficient to require the officeholder to perform duties rather than be symbolic; she warned that relying on a council or ad hoc approach had left gaps in past accountability. Mr. Cooney suggested alternative ordinance language to make the mayor "shall be" director of public safety or, if retained separately, to ensure a clear job description and performance obligations.
The committee did not adopt a change. Mrs. Weiss said the discussion would come off the table at the next council meeting for a vote and that committee would provide possible ordinance revisions, including draft job descriptions and comparative municipal pay data, before then.
Next steps: The salary ordinance will be returned to the council agenda with proposed amendments and any requested job descriptions or legal guidance; the committee asked the law director and HR to advise on how an ordinance should align with job descriptions or appointment authority.
