City manager for Havre gets more support

The proposal to establish a city manager form of government has gained more support inside Havre City Hall.

Newly elected city council members Caleb Hutchins and Ed Matter told the Havre Study Commission Tuesday night that they back the proposed city manager as the most effective way to run the city.

And both were open to the idea of a hybrid method of electing city council members. The commission is looking at the idea of electing four council members by ward — one from each ward — and four at large. Under the present system, two members are elected from each of the four wards. Matter said he was worried, though, that the system might be confusing to voters.

Commission Chair Dave Brewer said he thought that “your odds of getting good people,” will increase with citywide elections. But, he said, he was against electing all eight council members citywide.

City Council Member Andrew Brekke, who is also Hill County Republican chair, said that when he was looking for candidates, back in the days of partisan elections, he would often find three candidates willing to run in one ward and one in another. Electing at large would allow all three to run.

There was general support at the meeting for the idea of a human resources director for the city.

Many said they would like to have the duties of the human resources director folded into the city manager, but if the city manager post is not created, a separate human resources manager should be appointed.

The human resources director would oversee routine day-to-day activities as well as handling contract negotiations with employee unions.

Brekke said labor law is complex, and unions are beginning to push harder, it is important to have someone who can handle things such as employee grievances and contract talks. It is getting too complex for laymen, he said.

Hutchins said he was surprised that the city has no human resources director. Other large institutions — he mentioned Northern Montana Hospital, Montana State University-Northern and BNSF — already have people who handle human resources issues.

In general, individual department heads handle the day-to-day human resources issues, while Mayor Tim Solomon handles the major issues.

On the issue of the city manager, many people said they had heard general support for the idea, but also fear that the city can’t afford it.

Brekke said that if the city manager is a good thing for Havre, and he does, it is the city’s responsibility to find money to pay for it.

Members said that the average pay for a city manager is more than $100,000 a year, but some said they would expect the manager to pay for his post by finding efficiencies and other ways to finance city projects.

The study commission is reviewing various forms of government and will hold hearings in the near future.

The panel is expected to submit its proposals to the voters in the November elections.