COLUMBUS -- The City Council approved City Administrator Joseph Mangiamelli’s employment agreement Monday despite concerns about a severance package and other stipulations included in the four-year contract.
After nearly 30 minutes in an executive session, attended in part by Mangiamelli, the council voted 6-2 in public session to approve the agreement with Councilmen Joe Held and Chuck Whitney voting against the resolution.
Whitney described the agreement as a “golden parachute” for Mangiamelli. Held objected to the agreement being drafted by the person who benefits.
“This was written entirely to protect. The whole contract was written to protect the city administrator,” Whitney said.
According to the contract, Mangiamelli would receive a severance package of a total lump sum not to exceed the equivalent of four months salary. Mangiamelli is currently paid an annual salary of $97,083, or $8,090 a month, so the maximum amount would currently be $32,360.
Mike Oglevie, human resources director for the city, said the severance compensation would depend on what Mangiamelli’s salary is at the time.
Oglevie said he did not review the contract prior to it being presented to the council, but upon review said it looked like a standard contract with comparable, standard provisions for city administrator contracts for other cities.
During the meeting, Held objected to a $300 per month automobile allowance for travel inside the county. All city related travel outside the county, using Mangiamelli’s personal vehicle, would be reimbursed at the city rate, which is currently 50.5 cents per mile. Based on the mileage formula, the $300 would cover nearly 600 miles per month of in-city travel.
The stipend generally would be taxable, an IRS spokesman said today.
Oglevie said the stipend is an acceptable accounting procedure that simplifies bookkeeping.
The contract stipulates that upon termination, retirement or resignation, the city administrator will be paid for all vacation hours accumulated and those vacation hours can be carried forward without limitation or reduction. It also includes that Mangiamelli will be paid 25 percent of accumulated sick leave hours, both stipulations Held objected to. The administrator’s sick pay accumulation is not limited in the contract. Other city employees are limited to six months.
“I don’t know how many employees get that benefit or any taxpayer,” he said.
Oglevie said city employees can carry the equivalent of two years of vacation, paid in full at termination, resignation or retirement, and accumulate up to six months of sick leave that is paid at 25 percent -- 50 percent if employed for more than 25 years -- upon retirement. Six months of sick pay at 25 percent is equal to about 32 days of pay.
Mayor Mike Moser, in an interview today, said he and Mangiamelli reviewed city administrator contracts from other cities and that the contract is comparable to other contracts.
Moser said the entire council had the opportunity to review the contract 10 days in advance and he contacted each council member soliciting opinion, questions and concerns.
“I called council members to see if they had any concerns,” the mayor said, but “last night was the first time” he heard any.
Moser said although he respected Held’s opinions, he said objections should have been raised prior to the meeting so questions and concerns could be addressed or negotiations made.
“If you wait until the last minute to bring up concerns then you may not get the best decision,” he said. “To come up at the last minute, it does not give us a chance to get all the data together.”
“I don’t think this is unreasonable compensation,” Moser said, since Mangiamelli is the lowest paid city administrator of comparable cities.
In other news, the council:
• approved Ordinance No. 08-27, following its second reading, to create the Columbus Board of Airport Commissioners on Nov. 18, in preparation to take over the responsibilities of the Columbus Airport Authority, pending the authority’s action to pay all outstanding debts, which is expected to occur during the Nov. 10 meeting of the authority.
The clock may have begun to wind down on Aug. 19, 2002, after the Authority made a $163,000 request, in addition to their levy allocation, to complete a runway project.
• awarded low bid to Yamaha Golf & Equipment, Le Mars, Iowa, in the amount of $56,270 for 20 golf carts plus windshield option for $1,900 and message holder for $370 for a total of $58,540, as part of the consent agenda. Of note: This is the second half of a purchase order requested by the golf board. The initial 20 gold carts were purchased in the fall of 2007 in accord with a directive made by the council Oct. 1, 2007.
• awarded low quote to Van Wall Turf & Irrigation out of Omaha in the amount of $17,800 for John Deere 2020 Truckster Pro Gator for golf department and other operations, as part of the consent agenda.
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