Let’s hire a City Manager to run the City of Hamilton! In June, City of Hamilton registered voters will be offered a chance to change the way our local government is structured. The City of Hamilton Study Commission is proposing a City Manager/Council form of government. This will allow the City Council to hire a professional to manage the day to day operations of our wonderful City.
Currently voters elect a part-time Mayor of Hamilton and pay this person $25,000 per year to oversee the operations of the City. The only requirements to be mayor is that the person be 21 years old and a resident of the City of Hamilton. They may or may not have the skills to understand a $10 million budget, oversee seven departments, handle all the human resource detail of having 45-50 employees, write grants, and implement policies put forth by the council. There are also six elected City Council members who set the budget and decide what projects to fund. Council members have set their stipends at over $800 per month per council member (almost $5000 per month). This compensation is 3-4 times more than other Montana cities of a similar size. City councilors attend four meeting per month which typically last about one hour each. Counselors are paying themselves $200 per hour. Taxpayers should be outraged.
If we vote “For” the adoption of the proposal, we will continue to have an elected Mayor (but with reduced duties and salary) and we will still have an elected City Council (but with a smaller stipend, comparable to what other cities pay their counselors) and the day to day operations of the City will be handled by a professional person hired and supervised by the elected Mayor and City Council. Changes in compensation will go a long way to paying the salary of the City Manager. The difference will be made up by efficiencies that come with having a manager who is experienced and skilled. This makes sense to me! I am voting “For” a change and hope you will too.
The City of Hamilton Study Commission really did their homework. They spent a year researching all aspects of municipal government. They drafted a detailed report explaining the finances and the power of self-government (charter) and how the City Manager/Council form of government works. If you want a copy of this report contact the City Clerk at 363-2101 Ext. 30 or Dennis Stranger 363-2101 Ext. 43.
Jessica Randazzo
Hamilton