Special Meeting - Clerk-Treasurer Position

Special Meeting

Addressing the Vacancy of Clerk-Treasurer Position 

Monday, May 16

7:30 pm

Due to a presumably unexpected vacancy in the position of Clerk-Treasurer, a meeting is planned to be held at the Minerva Park Community Building on Monday, May 16th at 7:30 p.m..

In the Council Meeting held Monday May 9th, Council discussed the pending ordinance to eliminate the elected position of Clerk-Treasurer and create a Fiscal Officer position.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both sides of this debate. Before the vacancy arrived, council was going to keep discussing this ordinance (although in a rushed manner, somewhat less than it is at present) until the July 11th meeting. Due to this vacancy, and presumably a lack of criteria for this situation, there will now be a need to make a decision in a faster manner. Without residents' involvement, decisions will be made that present the desires of a certain few. I urge you to be present at this meeting, or if nothing else voice your opinion on it. Share your ideas, and let them know you're paying attention.

Some of the following has been discussed with regards to the creation of a Fiscal Officer Position:
Pros: 

• Credibility of candidate (presumably- this depends on the hiring process, and who makes the final decision)
• May be removed from position if necessary
• Broadens candidate base
• Know what to expect, as opposed to an unknown elect
• Experience requirement (again, presumably, this all depends on the hiring process)

Cons:

• Potential cost*: mention of salary range towards $45k/year plus $10k-15k benefits (at present C/T position is in the neighborhood of $22k ) (these conservative values are negotiable- not included in ordinance, could increase or decrease)
• Removes choice from residents' vote
• Candidate could be out of the park, taking the opportunity from residents, and removing civic responsibility aspect
• Workload is still very large (other options have been brought up but need explored, such as splitting positions)
• Fiscal Officer's pay may increase with negotiation, at present the C/T position would not increase unless voted on by council
• Invested in one person: if they are absent, many responsibilities are as well
• Creation of Fiscal Officer assumes no residents want to run for position by election
• Burdens the Village with a search for a qualified applicant

*Some discussions to balance cost included limiting trash collection or charging for it, income tax revenues, levies, and the idea that a person qualified enough for the position will advise the park as to how to afford their services--after they have been hired.


While the issue at hand now must be addressed due to this vacancy, I am personally disappointed by the lack of effort on our representatives to inform citizens of this issue. During the Council Meeting, it was brought up that the topic "had been discussed" for a period of time, however neither I nor some of council had heard of the discussion until it became an "emergency" because of the July deadline with the Board of Elections.

There is a procedure for filling vacancies in Council (pg 3) that includes as follows:

"immediate call for citizens to indicate their interest in filling the unexpired or vacant term. Such call will be made through announcements in the village newsletter, phone calls from council members and others knowing of the vacancy, and announcements placed at appropriate places in the village. Such announcements will include the deadline for citizens to indicate their interest. The deadline will be within 30 days of the first date the vacancy was announced to the public."

So far, there seems to be no immediate call for citizens to indicate interest in the Clerk-Treasurer position, which is not included under Rules of Council, however a similar approach might be appropriate. Either way, personally I have not seen much effort to inform citizens of either this present need, nor the ordinance as discussed in the May 9th Council Meeting. Perhaps that's because it's not desired that we know? Or maybe it is thought that we're just better off not knowing.