With significant change looming in the not-so-distant future, now is not the time to restructure Springfield Township government.
That was the message from Trustee Denny Vallad, who asked fellow board members to remove discussion of a professional manager-type government from Thursday’s agenda.
Vallad in January suggested the township could save a significant amount of money each year by hiring a full-time manager to handle day-to-day operations, while full-time elected officials’supervisor, treasurer and clerk’could work part-time.
But Thursday, Vallad, a 20-year board veteran who plans to run for reelection in November, said further discussion would not be productive at this time.
Meeting regulations prevent further discussion once an item is removed from the agenda, but Vallad provided the board with a memo outlining reasons for his change of heart.
First, he said, major changes now would only add confusion to an upcoming transition period’the board faces certain and significant change when the township supervisor and clerk both step down in November from positions they’ve held for a collective 52 years.
Vallad also said he didn’t believe the township could save money, as he initially hoped, through a change in structure. In fact, he noted it could be difficult to just break even, since township operation’thus, cost’could vary significantly based on election results.
But, said Vallad later, he’s not abandoning the idea of a professional manager-type government’just putting it on the back burner for now.
‘It’s going to be the people who elect the new officials who decide what the best way to go really is, he said. ‘After some discussion with other township officials, I reached a conclusion that we can’t try to pin down what this new board will look like until we get results from the election.?
Vallad said he spent time over the past few months studying implementation of manager-type government in neighboring communities, and also spoke with Springfield Township officials about day-to-day operations in the township.
Significant changes due to recent budget cuts, he said, have added to the workload of current leaders.
Although research led him to the decision to pull back on the idea for now, Vallad said he has ‘strong opinions? on professional management and believes such a system would smooth election transitions and add consistency from board to board’each of the board’s seven seats is up for election or reelection in November.
Supervisor Collin Walls was among several left feeling unhappy with Vallad’s motion to remove dialogue on the topic from the agenda.
‘I’m extremely disappointed that we never had the opportunity to discuss the merits of professional management and expertise that might be available, and the opportunity it could give people who might be interested in running for office, but not necessarily for a full-time job,? said Walls, who announced his retirement last month. ‘To me, the issue isn’t whether people work part-time or full-time. It’s about having an open discussion so those who might be interested in township government know there are options available.?
Communities across the U.S. operate with a separation between day-to-day municipal functions and the legislative, or board responsibilities, Walls said, noting that the public often assumes government operations must continue in the present manner indefinitely.
‘Mr. and Mrs. resident of Springfield Township,? he said, as if to address the community as a whole, ‘things don’t have to be the way they always were. If you’re interested in serving on Springfield Township Board’or Park Commission or Library Board’please don’t make a decision based on the way things have always been. There are options.?
One of the most viable options, he continued, might include hiring a professional manager experienced in the planning and administration of multi-million dollar budgets and capital improvement plans.
Such a person on the township payroll, Walls said, would take the peaks and valleys out of elective process.
Walls was not the only disappointed board member’Vallad’s motion to nix discussion of the issue from Thursday’s agenda prompted Trustee Marc Cooper to make a related motion, which ultimately failed and earned angry comments from other board members.
In what he acknowledged as a ‘radical? move, Cooper proposed slicing the salaries of full-time elected officials roughly in half, effective when a new board is seated Nov 20.
Cooper suggested setting the supervisor’s salary at $35,000, with the clerk and treasurer earnings set at $30,000.
‘The way state law is written, any one of the three full time elected officials could throw a monkey wrench (into township business practices),? said Cooper, noting state law does not allow reductions to the salary of a sitting elected official without his or her consent. ‘This will give the new board the ability to decide’the new board can adjust pay anyway they want.?
Currently, the supervisor’s salary is set at $63,800; while the clerk and treasurer are both
But, Cooper said, the current figures were set in consideration of the experience each official brings to the table, as well as roles performed outside statutory functions.
‘We’ve got (at least) two new people coming in,? Cooper said later. ‘Are we sure they’re going to want the same roles the supervisor, clerk and treasurer have now??
During a conversation initiated by The Clarkston News on Monday, Cooper said he plans to run for clerk, although he noted recent foot surgery has slowed his petition process.
The proposal to cut salaries, he said, was an effort to inform others who might be considering a run.
‘The board is saying OK, you’re guaranteed this amount of money if you get elected,? said Cooper, a first-term trustee. ‘You can’t turn around at the first meeting and say ‘oh, by the way, we really are thinking about doing a manager type of government and we want you to go part-time.??
Statutory requirements, he continued, don’t require a clerk to work full-time.
‘There are not a lot of hours you would have to have a full time clerk sitting there,? Cooper said. ‘Especially if you have a full time deputy clerk. There are a lot of roles the (current) clerk fills that make that position full time’but what if those roles are not in the area of expertise of the person elected, or the person elected is not interested in those roles and it’s better to let someone else do it??
Discussion on the topic grew heated at Thursday’s meeting when several members of the board’most notably the supervisor and clerk’expressed vehement disagreement with the idea of drastically reducing salary figures for new officials.
Clerk Nancy Strole said ultimately the proposal was ‘meaningless and certainly premature.?
‘I’m not sure what your objective is,? she told Cooper. ‘This whole discussion and how it is being handled presents a perception to the public that there could be ulterior motives’I think it’s a bad idea.?
Explaining her comments later, Stole said she felt it was inappropriate for the current township board to dictate salaries of future board members.
‘Whether it’s intended or not, this whole situation creates the appearance that members of the board are trying to steer the outcome of the election for personal gain,? she said. ‘It sends a terrible, terrible perception to the public that things are going on behind the scenes.?
Cooper’s motion failed by a 5-2 vote. Walls, the only member to join Cooper in a ‘yes? vote, explained later.
‘I was so damn mad I screwed up,? he said. ‘I’m embarrassed I voted in favor of a motion I had no interest in’I think it was unnecessary, inappropriate and way too much. We don’t need to do it, but we certainly don’t need to do it now. In the heat of the moment I made a mistake and voted in favor of it.?