City Manager Headlines | 4-24-2024
IA: Former Davenport City Administrator Corri Spiegel requests media restriction clause be waived in $1.6 million settlement agreement
Former Davenport City Administrator Corri Spiegel is asking the city to waive part of her settlement agreement that bars her from interviewing with local media.
As part of her $1.6 million settlement with the City, Spiegel agreed not to interview with local media for 10 years. The City is currently in court negotiations over whether or not to release a letter Spiegel sent allegedly laying out instances of discrimination and harassment she faced in her role.
TX: Austin city manager to be highest paid among 10 largest cities with similar form of government
Broadnax’s pay will not only be the highest Austin has offered to its chief administrator in recent years, but it’s the highest base salary of any city manager currently leading the 10 largest U.S. cities that use a “council-manager” form of government, according to an American-Statesman analysis of salary data.
CA: California City Police Chief Jesse Hightower fired
Is the City of California City on the brink of disincorporation?
Kelly Kulikoff, the Cal City mayor, directed the acting city manager to cut at least 2 million dollars. And that’s why Hightower was let go.
“I think right now we’re just at the tip of the iceberg. There are a lot more budget cuts coming and they need to come sooner than later,” Kulikoff said.
MI: Local Government Funding ‘Broken’, Says Jackson County Administrator
“I’ve been saying this for years: how we fund local government in Michigan is broken,” says Jackson County Administrator Michael Overton.
Overton says the problem is that inflation is outpacing revenues…a formula-driven in part by Proposal A. Passed in 1994, Proposal A caps property tax increases at 5%.
“Every year, our revenue can only go up by 5%, or inflation — the lesser of the two, while my expenses go up at 8–9%,” he notes.
NY: Long Beach approves $250K settlement with former acting city manager Rob Agostisi
“I am pleased that the City Council majority…resolved this very partisan attack from the previous administration,” Agostisi said in a statement. “As we all move forward, it is my hope that future administrations and the people of Long Beach will remember the great cost these slanderous attacks have on taxpayers — not only the millions of dollars in legal fees, but also how it compromises City services.”
MI: Tensions flare at Sunday’s Meridian Township special meeting over manager Frank Walsh
Council defended their choice to separate from Walsh but retain him on a consulting contract. It appears that in-lieu of being fired without cause and granted his 12-month severance — both parties agreed to mutually separate and retain Walsh as a consultant who will effectively be paid the same 12-month severance in the form as a consultant.
CA: Former Fremont city manager sentenced to jail in fraud case, must repay $317,000 in restitution
Mark Danaj, the former Fremont city manager — who drew the ire of prosecutors last year for embarking on an Italian cooking trip while facing felony fraud charges here — was sentenced Thursday to jail time and a six-figure restitution bill.
CA: Cupertino cuts millions in city services
A state audit into how Apple collects and remits sales tax revenue has resulted in Cupertino owing tens of millions of dollars. And any city in the country that has an outsized contributor to their sales or property tax revenue should be aware of any instances where that business may be challenged or are challenging the amount they are owed.
FL: Fort Myers Beach Council approves increasing spending limit for town manager
New policy will increase the spending limit for Town Manager Andy Hyatt Monday before he needs approval from town council purchases and contracts from $25,000 to $75,000 as part of the first reading of a new ordinance governing the town’s purchase policy.
Canada: Yellowknife’s city manager resigns after two weeks
In the Northwest Territories, Yellowknife’s new city manager has resigned from his post just two weeks after taking over as the city’s top administrator.
NY: (OPINION) Is it time for Erie to hire a county manager?
After more than 60 years of party leaders, candidates, business, labor, lobbyists and special interests fighting for the “big prize,” could 2023’s contest go down as the last partisan election for an officer who should be chief manager, not politician-in-chief, let alone social media maven?
