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Council allows city manager to waive 30-day acting-head pay delay, adds reporting requirement
Summary
Council amended and adopted a resolution allowing the city manager to waive the 30-day waiting period before paying acting department heads when deputies serve during extended vacancies, and required the manager to transmit any such waiver in writing to council within five days.
Council debated a resolution (item 7.1) to update procedures governing compensation for deputy department heads who serve as acting department heads during vacancies and then voted to adopt an amended resolution that adds an accountability requirement.
The resolution authorizes the city manager, in consultation with the controller, to waive the 30-day waiting period for additional compensation for deputies serving as acting department heads when a vacancy or extended leave is anticipated. Council members raised scenarios (extended medical leave, formal vacancy while a search is underway) and sought clarity on when the waiver would apply. The mayor moved an amendment requiring the city manager to transmit any such waiver in writing to the Common Council within five days; that amendment passed and the amended resolution carried unanimously.
Councilmembers said they value discretion for personnel decisions while also seeking transparency; the acting city manager agreed to provide timely written notifications to council after any waiver is granted. The resolution allows staff flexibility for long-term vacancies while preserving council oversight through required reporting.
