The Lake Orion Village Council listened to nearly three hours of public comments during a special meeting last week, before they voted down a motion that would have given them a chance to rescind Village Manager JoAnn Van Tassel’s termination, and then outlined procedures for the next manager.
Further discussions took place at Monday’s regular council meeting and the position will be advertised through the Michigan Municipal League as early as today (at www.mml.org).
A committee of Council Members Michael Toth and Julie Drabik, along with Council President Robert Reetz, met over the holiday weekend to figure out a salary range and requirements for those interested in the manager’s position.
Those requirements, along with wording for the advertisement, were discussed for about 45 minutes. The council will review the effectiveness of the ad after four weeks.
They have until mid-March to fill the seat, per village charter regulations, but will list the position as ‘until filled? in hopes of generating immediate interest.
Among other things, the position will pay between $55-70,000 and a college degree with 3-7 years of experience is preferred.
During the special meeting, held on Nov. 20, the council agreed to give Van Tassel full managerial duties until Dec. 16, and a lump sum severance package, worth six months of pay and potentially $9,000 of vacation time, which will be paid following approval in January.
It was recommended by Van Tassel that current Village Clerk Arlene Nichols serve as interim manager. Nichols returns from vacation today and Reetz intends to talk with her about the position.
Prior to their actions on the future of the manager’s position last Tuesday, council listened to dozens of village residents, most speaking to their displeasure with the actions that were taken at the Nov. 12 meeting.
Many said they had an issue with the council not placing the item on an agenda prior to that evening. Only a few people in attendance spoke in favor of council’s decision during the meeting.
‘She did not deserve what this council has done,? said Dave Hodges. ‘The council members should be ashamed of what they’ve done and how they’ve done it.?
Former Council President Tom Alberts said the village should consider not paying the severance package and said they should not keep Van Tassel on for the 30 days. That suggestion, however, was met by groans from the partisan, standing-room only crowd.
A couple of residents expressed concern of a possible conflict of interest with police union contract negotiations set to take place. Both Reetz and President Pro Tem David Churchill are former Lake Orion police officers.
Both, however, said terms discussed in those negotiations, particularly retirement benefits, would not affect them. Reetz served only as a reserve officer and Churchill served as a full-time/part-time, meaning he did not make benefits. He is currently employed by the Oxford Police Department.
They added that they have no say in the negotiations, some of which took place Monday night in an executive session.
Discussion last week also centered on how the council can better themselves for future situations.
‘Let’s make it a quest to move forward and improve this village,? said Rosemary Ford. ‘Please, I ask you to take your time in replacing JoAnn. There isn’t a rush on it.?
Kim Yamasaki was concerned with how the village looks to potential managerial candidates.
‘It just looks bad and it’s going to make it difficult for this village to hire dedicated, professional, full-time staff,? he said.
Stan Ford added that if people have issues with the actions of council, they can take it up at the next election.
‘I guess the shame is on us, the voters,? he said. ‘Shame on us for not getting out and voting.?
Reetz and Churchill were elected along Ken Van Portfliet and Douglas Dendel in September. Dendel and Van Portfliet were the only two current members serving when Van Tassel was hired in 1999.
None of the four council members secured over 100 votes from the village of over 3,000 residents.
Some said it was not a good idea to hold a meeting two days before a holiday, with limited notice.
‘This wasn’t a sneak meeting,? Dendel said afterwards. ‘We have to get the ball rolling on the manager’s position.?
Many hope that process will coincide with other improvements and changes.
‘We have to give a break to our residents or we’re not going to have a village any more,? said Vicki Wood, who expressed her desire to see the village go back to their charter and require the next manager to live in the village.
In their discussion of language for the manager position’s ad, council said they would ‘prefer? the next manager live in the village. State law says that residency can no longer be required (though council can require a manager to live within 20 miles of the village).
With regards to getting the ‘pulse of the people,? citizen Doug Hobbs recommended during public comment on Monday that the council conduct a survey, either through a mass mailing or on the web. It was a suggestion that Reetz said he would follow up on, adding that the village’s website has been under construction for a little too long.