New Baltimore Expresses Interest in City Manager

A potential change in city government will be discussed at the next council meeting, New Baltimore officials decided Monday night.

The notion of whether to lean toward creating a city manager position will be on the April 9 agenda. Councilman Zack Stanton proposed the topic, inviting the Citizen Advisory Committee to weigh in.

"It's been something that came up a lot during campaigning," first-term councilman Stanton said Monday night after the regularly scheduled meeting. "Business owners had brought it up to me; citizens have brought it up to me."

Fellow councilman Karl Rutledge agreed it's something he's heard repeatedly from residents. 

"What we want to do is open the discussion on council," Rutledge said.

Neither Stanton or Rutledge said they would want the position, pointing out qualified candidates would have master's degrees in administration.

Making city manager happen

Creating a city manager position in New Baltimore would require many things. First, five percent of registered voters in the city need to sign a petition expressing their wish for one. Then, ballot language and proposals to revise the charter commission, circa early 1970s, would need approval. At the earliest, a city manager could be hired in summer 2013, Stanton said.

That person would be a non-elected official overseeing daily city operations and providing continuity for all departments. He or she would work alongside the mayor, who is a full-time elected official, Rutledge said.

Other council members agreed to discuss the city manager position. Mayor Larry Smith and Councilwoman Susan Burkhardt were not present at the Monday meeting.

Tell us in the comments section: Do you think New Baltimore should hire a city manager? Why or why not?