Title
Mayor Hanrahan - Employment Contract for the General Manager for Utilities (B)
Explanation
Upon his retirement from the City during the summer of 2004, former City Auditor Alan Ash informed the City Commission that his contract contained a provision allowing for six months' pay upon termination of service, whether that termination was voluntary or involuntary. Upon review it was determined that this same provision was included in the contracts of the City Attorney, the City Clerk and the General Manager for Utilities, but not in the contracts of the City Manager or the Equal Opportunity Director.
Not wishing to receive such a payment upon voluntarily leaving service to the city, Mr. Ash and Mr. Radson requested that this provision be removed from their contracts. This request was approved by the City Commission on July 12, 2004. On July 12, 2004 the City Commission gave direction to have each of the Charter Officers' contracts brought into consistency in this regard, and requested that Mayor Hanrahan negotiate the indicated changes with Mr. Lannon and Mr. Kurtz. Based on successful negotiations, Mr. Lannon's contract was amended by the City Commission on August 8, 2005 to remove this provision and add additional language to bring it into consistency with other considerations granted to the remaining charter officers. Mr. Blackburn's recently-approved contract also reflects this consistency.
Despite several meetings to negotiate a resolution, Mr. Kurtz and Mayor Hanrahan have been unable to come to mutually agreeable terms regarding amending the General Manager's contract to remove the provision to provide six months' salary upon voluntary termination of service to the City. In July 1995 Mr. Bowers first contract did not include severance for voluntary termination. Mr. Kurtz believes that this provision was added to three of the (then) five charter officers' contracts intentionally in approximately 1994, and represents a substantial benefit th...
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