City charter panel questioned on manager proposal

The Havre Government Study Commission heard questions but no outright opposition to the proposed city manager form of government at a public hearing at Monday night.

The biggest concern raised by people was the cost of the position and how the city will pay for it.

“Where is the money going to come from to pay for this administrator?” asked former council member Cal Long.

Andrew Brekke, a City Council member and liaison with the study commission, said he has talked to other Montana cities to see how they financed the position.

That decision, he said, would be made by City Council if the manager proposal were adopted by voters Nov. 8, he said.  

Other cities have handled the issue in different ways, he said.

The new manager will probably be required to reorganize the department to trim costs.

He said it was possible that salaries of some existing department heads could be trimmed because they will no longer have responsibilities for human resources and other duties that will be taken over by the manager. And some positions could be reconfigured.

Some legal fees could be saved by having a manager that is familiar with municipal law, Brekke said.

In some cities, he said, it is in the manager’s contract that he or she is required to find savings to pay for the salary.

The advantage to the plan, he said, is that there would be professional management for the city which has a multi-million budget and 100 employees.

Brekke said estimates about the manager’s salary have been exaggerated.

He said former council member Allen “Woody” Woodwick mentioned the possibility of a $200,000 salary, which Brekke said was “patently ridiculous.”

Instead, he said, based on his studies, the salary would be in the vicinity of $65,000 to $80,000.

It was likely, a commission member said, that the salary of the mayor could be reduced as the position’s responsibility will be sharply curtailed.

He said many cities require that managers hold a master’s degree in public administration. That degree is offered by Montana State University, the University of Montana and Carroll College.

He said he has heard that “some homegrown officials” may apply.

Havre resident Val Murri asked about a suggestion by council member Caleb Hutchins that the three portions of the commission’s plan — self-governing powers, a reconfigured city commission and the city manager proposal —  be submitted to voters separately.

Commission members said the three parts are intertwined and it would be difficult to separate them.

Commission Chair Dave Brewer said that Hutchins’ suggestion would make the proposal more difficult for voters to understand.

“We have our work cut out for us,” he said of the pending public information program commissioners plan to undertake.

The commission has to submit the proposal to the Hill County Clerk and Recorder by Aug. 24, he said. Because most voters submit their ballots by mail, the campaign should be completed by mid-October when ballots are mailed out.

Brewer said he understood some of the apprehension people have about the manager proposal. He said he was not always a supporter of the manager plan.

“It took me over a year to get to this point,” he said.

But he said the commission talked to a lot of people in and out of city government, and “99 percent of the people we talked to were for the manager.”

Commission member Perry Atchison said the concern he hears most often from the public is the fear that the manager “will go off and spend money on projects that the city does not need.”

He reminded the audience that the elected city commission will have direct authority over the manager.

About 20 people were on hand for the session.

Brewer said he was happy with the number of people attending the hearing, calling it “literally the best turnout we have ever had.”

The council will hold a second hearing, 7 p.m., Thursday, July 28, at City Hall.

Brewer said he was optimistic about the feedback he has received so far, and he remains convinced the manager form of government is the best way to go.

“In my mind, a professional management team ... with leaders trained in government ... this is our strongest asset in helping Havre to grow,” he said.