New city administrator starts job tomorrow
The city of McMinnville officially has a city administrator and his name is David Rutherford. He will begin his duties Monday when he arrives to work his first full day.
Officials OK?d the contract proposal offered to them Tuesday night. They were also informed that Rutherford passed his physical and drug test.
The proposal, which guarantees Rutherford at least one year?s salary and other conditions, was accepted without making any changes.
Rutherford will certainly have his hands full for the first few months. While he is settling into his new position, he will also have to hire a new urban forester and begin working on next fiscal year?s budget.
As for performance objectives that will be used to evaluate his progress, elected officials have a few ideas in mind.
Possible objectives for the first six months:
? Alderman Billy Wood would like Rutherford to take a look at employee salaries and employee insurance.
?Their salaries have not kept pace with inflation,? said Wood.
Wood also said the city doesn?t pay essential employees such as police officers enough.
?A police officer with two young children, and his wife is a stay-at-home mom, are eligible for food stamps,? Wood said. ?Shame on us. Insurance premiums continue to rise rapidly and so do the deductibles. Employees are currently getting hit twice on insurance.?
? Wood would like Rutherford to take a look at the abandoned right of ways that join property owners and city property owners being charged taxes twice ? once by the city and then again by the county.
Alderman Bobby Kirby added these objectives:
? Prepare 2007-08 budget without a tax increase.
? Restore employee cost-of-living increase without a tax increase.
? Review and update step increase chart without a tax increase.
? Proceed with phase two of the downtown renovation project and provide method of funding without a tax increase.
? Review all employee insurance and employee benefits, with employee meetings and input.
? Do not revamp, shake up, or manage day-to-day operations of city departments. Study and observe all departments for minimum of six months before making any recommendations or departmental changes.
? Annexation of Newtown area with study of sewer extension and funding.
? Obtain grant for phase two of the greenway project.
? Study cost and funding of widening N. Chancery Street.
? Study ways to better support and do business with local companies. Move both group health insurance and local telephone provider to local companies.
? Study eliminating weekly department head meetings. Possibly meeting one-on-one so that so much of their time is not taken up.
Any suggested objectives will have to be talked over with Rutherford after he begins work Monday.