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Residents urge fiscal stewardship, transparency ahead of interim manager search
Summary
Residents and a former council member urged Smithville leaders to prioritize budget restraint and transparency in selecting an interim city manager, citing a $4 million certificate of obligation and a $16 million city budget as reasons for careful oversight.
Residents at a special Smithville City Council meeting on July 28 urged the council to prioritize fiscal stewardship and transparency while hiring an interim city manager. Sarah Saraldi, district director for State Representative Stan Gertes, told the council the interim manager must "be prepared to take full ownership of the city's budget" and provide clear explanations to taxpayers.
"Fiscal responsibility begins with leadership," Saraldi said, urging the council to seek an experienced administrator who can identify inefficiencies and make difficult recommendations. She noted that state agencies had been directed to identify budget reductions and said the principle of stewardship should guide the city process.
Mitchell (Mitch) Jamieson, a former council member, also criticized the process as lacking transparency and said rumors of applicants and a pending $4,000,000 certificate of obligation suggested a budget may already be effectively prepared. "There is a perception that you are operating in an environment of chaos, confusion, and infighting that lacks transparent leadership," Jamieson said.
Resident John Schindler pressed the council to consider internal candidates and questioned the need for immediately hiring a new city manager, asserting city employees already handle much of the work. The council did not make an appointment tonight and instructed staff to post the interim position for applications.
