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Council ranks transition items
- Published: January 12, 2012
At their Jan. 3 meeting, Village Council members identified the work projects that Village Manager Mark Cundiff will finish before he leaves his job, along with priorities for the new interim manager. The action was an initial step in the transition process sparked by Cundiff’s announcement in December that he would leave Yellow Springs Feb. 17 to become the city manager of Sidney, Ohio.
Council’s first priority is to hire the interim manager, according to Council President Judith Hempfling, who had initiated the transition discussion. To that end, Council will hold a special meeting this Thursday, Jan. 5, at 2 p.m. in Council chambers, during which Council will mainly meet in executive session to interview potential interim manager prospects.
“We hope to make the decision very soon because we want as much overlap time as possible,” Hempfling said. “We have some good candidates for the interim and we’re hopeful.”
Hempfling said Council hopes to have legislation ready for hiring the interim manager at its Jan. 17 meeting.
After hiring the interim manager, Council will begin the search for the new permanent manager, a process that in the past took about six months.
Projects to be completed before Cundiff leaves include the adoption of the 2012 Village budget, which Council is continuing to review. Council aims to finish the review in January, then take the initial budget vote the beginning of February, and the final vote on Feb. 21.
Other work projects for Cundiff include the completion of revisions for the Village Personnel Policy Manual, a project that he has worked on for several years. He will also oversee the Request for Proposal, or RFP, process for the second phase of the replacement of Village street lights, and complete recommendations for the 2012 annual employee wage increases. He will close out the recently completed upgrades of the Village wastewater treatment plant along with continuing work on a recent request by MillWorks owners to purchase Village property adjacent to their building.
Work priorities for the new interim manager will include working with Village Assistant Planner Ed Amrhein to move ahead with repairs to Village sidewalks, and, also with Amrhein, overseeing Village street repairs and maintainance and the ongoing Safe Routes to Schools project. He and Amrhein will also oversee the ongoing infrastructure design process for the Center for Business and Education, or CBE, which is now slated for construction in spring 2013, due to project delays.
The interim manager will also, among other items, oversee continuing projects such as the Barr property development, should it move forward, the zoning code upgrade, and work on the Village solar energy project, if funding is secured.
Council members agreed to postpone their proposed discussion on water feasibility, including whether the Village should in the future purchase water from Springfield or continue to maintain its own water facility. Council also agreed to postpone moving ahead with hiring a permanent police chief after the April retirement of John Grote until a permanent Village manager is in place. In the meantime, Hempfling suggested that Council sponsor a discussion of community policing and community values regarding a new chief.
Other items of Council’s Jan. 3 business will be in next week’s paper.
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