By Michael Howell
Stevensville’s Executive Compensation Committee met for the first time last week and began its examination of the mayor’s job duties and the appropriate compensation for the work. The committee is composed of six members including councilors Tim Hunter and Jim Crews, as well as Bob Summers, Raymond Smith, Bill Anderson and Eddie Olwell. Anderson and Olwell were not present at the meeting but the remaining quorum did adopt a set of 15 ground rules for operating that includes following Roberts Rules of Order. The discussion is to be about the position and the compensation for the position and not about any person, with one person speaking at a time. Another rule is for committee members to “actively listen” to each other and to the public.
Regular meetings of the committee are scheduled on the second Monday of every month at 7 p.m. in the Town Hall meeting room, but special meetings may be called by the chairman. Councilor Tim Hunter currently serves as Chairman. Minutes of the meetings are being kept and the public is invited to attend.
The committee officially adopted as its charge and mission to examine the job duties of the mayor and make a recommendation to the Town Council as to a job description and appropriate compensation.
The current mayor is receiving $400 a month for his services as mayor and another $1,200 per month for duties related to managing the town’s water and sewer projects.
Jim Crews presented some initial findings concerning other towns in the state and how they operate. He said Laurel hires a Chief Administrative Officer who works as a full time employee and answers to the mayor. The CAO directs and coordinates the day-to-day activity of the office including all departments in accordance with city policy. He directs and assesses the work of all department heads and makes recommendations concerning termination of employees.
The CAO assists the mayor generally in enforcing the laws and policies and at Council meetings. At the mayor’s direction, the CAO may negotiate contracts and assist in forming a budget. The position requires at least a bachelor’s degree in public administration or related work experience.
According to Crews, the City of Polson operates under a city charter with a mayor serving as the principal officer. It employs a City Manager to administer affairs and to supervise the various department heads. The manager basically carries out all the executive duties related to running the day-to-day operations, even appointing, suspending and terminating employees. The manager attends all City Commission meetings, but has no vote.
West Yellowstone also has an operations manager working as a full time employee in much the same manner as Polson, according to Crews.
The City of Havre, according to Crews, operates strictly per state code, as does Stevensville. In this case, the duties of the mayor are outlined in the code.
One thing the committee noted was that the duties of the mayor, as described in the law, are not mandatory. They are powers that “may” be invested in the position. As a result it was decided that Crews would investigate existing Town Ordinances and Smith would investigate existing Resolutions to see what powers, if any, have been relegated to the mayor.
There was some discussion about what the Stevensville mayor’s duties actually are, or what the current mayor, Mayor Gene Mim Mack, perceives them to be. There was some discussion of having a committee member actually “shadow” Mayor Mim Mack for a few days to see what he does. It was decided, instead, to simply ask him to put in writing a description of his job and its duties. It was also agreed to talk to Council President Bill Perrin about his understanding of the Mayor’s position and what it entails.
Smith noted that the mayor’s duties may change as the town takes on different projects over time and some consideration would need to be given to the town’s priorities and future directions.
A member of the public stated that it was his belief that the committee should look at the position of mayor’s assistant in the process as well. He said it was his belief that Brandon Dewey was being paid to serve as the Mayor’s Assistant.
No one else could really confirm that so Chairman Tim Hunter said he would look into it and report at the next meeting.