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Chatham to hire town manager
By TIM DAVIS, Star-Tribune Editor
Wednesday, December 12, 2007 9:01 AM EST
Chatham Town Council is moving forward with plans to create a new part-time town manager position.
The town's Personnel Committee plans to write a job description for a town manager and advertise the position early next year.
Chatham scrapped the town manager's position in the early 1990s in favor of a public works director.
Council split most of the town's day-to-day administrative and supervisory duties between the public works director and clerk-treasurer.
The town began looking at re-instating the town manager's position about two months ago.
Councilman Bob Thompson, who chairs the Personnel Committee, believes having a town manager, even part time, would benefit the town.
"There's just a certain hierarchy that's missing," said Thompson. "There are some gaps and holes - things that don't get done. A lot of that has to be picked up by council."
Councilman Joe Rogers agreed.
"We have some organizational issues that are not being addressed because no one is assigned to address them," he said. "I think some of the problems we've had in the past year could have been avoided had we had someone in that position.
"That's not a reflection on anyone here," Rogers said, referring to Clerk-Treasurer David Cothran and Public Works Director Bob Hanson. "It's just not in their job description."
Both the clerk-treasurer and public works director would report to the town manager.
According to Thompson, the new town manager position would be about 20 hours a week. He said the committee was still working on a salary range.
"We may not get any response, and then we may get someone who is highly qualified," said Rogers.
Both said a town manager, in addition to overseeing the day-to-day operations of the town, would seek grants and work to promote Chatham.
Thompson said council hopes to fill the position next spring.
In other action Monday night, council voted 5-0 to hire Larry Gott as the town's new attorney. Gott replaces Brian Turpin, who announced his resignation earlier this year.
Gott, who earned a law degree from Ohio Northern University in 1982, served as a town attorney in Cape Charles before coming to Danville as a public defender in 1990.
He has had a private law practice since 2004, and moved his office to Chatham last February.
The town attorney attends council meetings, advises council members on legal matters, and does other legal work as needed.
Gott will be paid the same as Turpin - a $300 monthly retainer, which includes attendance at the monthly council meeting, and $100 an hour for additional legal work.
Chatham pays its attorney about $18,000 a year.
Gott, who lives in the Snow Creek area of Franklin County, said he's looking forward to working with the town.
In other action, council:
_ Voted unanimously to increase the town's Christmas bonus from one day's pay to two days' pay for full-time employees. Part-time workers will receive $100. Chatham has about 21 employees.
_ Voted unanimously to approve a $9,820 "in-kind" donation for Charles Haymes for his reconstruction work on Davis Road. Haymes, who volunteered to do the road work and did not receive any financial compensation, can use the in-kind donation as a tax write-off.
In a related matter, council instructed the public works director to check into maintenance on the gravel portion of Davis Road to Cherrystone Creek.
The town will consider several options, including surface treatment, paving, and grading.
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