LYNN HAVEN — City commissioners Tuesday delayed a vote to fill the city manager position for more time to discuss aspects left unclear by a seven-hour workshop.
Mayor Walter Kelley said the commission neglected to discuss a negotiable starting salary during the workshop, which spanned from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and opted instead to hold another workshop. The commission unanimously agreed.
“Commissioners have a right to give their input on what the starting salary is and what the vehicle allowance is,” Kelley said. “All of that needs to be authorized by us to go forward with a starting point and that is where we are.”
However, commissioners discussed a starting point for negotiations at $68,000 in October.
Residents were puzzled by the commission’s sudden decision.
“I thought after you make a decision and you choose the top three remaining candidates, then there would be time to discuss salary and benefits,” said Virgil Duffel, resident.
Commissioner Richard Schad said hiring procedures discussed during the workshop left some commissioners “uncomfortable” with making a decision.
“Some commissioners felt there were procedural issues that were not clarified in their mind,” Schad said. “… It’s nothing against any of the candidates, it’s just saying this is an important decision for us. … It’s well worth the delay to get all this stuff clarified.”
Commissioners compiled rankings for each of the remaining five candidates earlier this week on a scale of 1 through 5, with 1 being a poor ranking in experience or knowledge of the criteria and 5 considered excellent, according to city documents.
Candidate scores came out to: Ted Lakey, 139 points; William Whitson, 135 points; Christopher Brooks, 131 points; Joel Schubert, 130 points; and Jacquelin Crum, 108 points.
Commissioners were unclear whether the rankings would carry forward or whether they held any weight in a final decision.
“That was a tool we used to come up with our assessment of their various talents,” said Commissioner Joseph Ashbrook. “I’d hate to think that once we use a tool like that then that dictates policy from then on. We are going to discuss other parameters beside that.”
Commissioners scheduled another workshop Monday at 3 p.m. in City Hall, 825 Ohio Ave. The meeting is open to the public.