Ortonville- The village will have to manage without a manager as a search continues to fill the position vacated by Ed Coy on Sept. 30.
During a special meeting Oct. 5, Councilmember Dan Eschmann made a motion, seconded by Aileen Champion, to leave the manager’s seat vacant for the time being and run the office utilizing part-time Treasurer Larry Brown and part-time Clerk Heidi Barckholtz. If there is an emergency, Council President Ken Quisenberry will be contacted.
Councilmembers Mary Kassuba and Melanie Nivelt joined Eschmann and Champion in support of the motion. Quisenberry, and Councilmembers Kay Green and Harold Batten voted no.
‘We don’t see anything at this point that should arise before we hire a new manager,? said Nivelt in explaining her vote. ‘We’re truly trying to get someone in there as quick as we can.?
Coy announced in July his plan to retire at the end of September, noting that two months would give the council time to find a replacement. Quisenberry said 34 applications for the position were received and the personnel committee, consisting of himself, Green and Nivelt, had interviewed 12 candidates in the first two weeks of September.
‘I am disappointed it is taking so long,? said Quisenberry, who explains that he voted no because he wanted to appoint a part-time acting manager. ‘Besides it being a cumbersome process, we only meet periodically, so it’s hard to get things done quickly and that is frustrating.?
The council has advertised for a full-time village manager, offering a salary between $40,000 to $45,000. Both salary and benefits are negotiable, Nivelt said. The village manager oversees day-to-day operations of the village. Barckholtz and Brown will take on those duties for now, without any extra stipends for the additional work, said Green. She voted no because she doesn’t believe it is the responsibility of Barckholtz and Brown to run the office.
‘We’ve done this before and when the new manager came in, there were hard feelings with the employees who had stepped up to fill in,? Green said. ‘We need to fill the position, period.?
The council agreed during the special meeting to interview additional candidates, with all current councilmembers present, beginning at 6:30 p.m., Oct. 19, at the village offices, 476 Mill St.