Goodrich-The village council convened a special meeting on Sept. 15 to sort through a host of applications for a village interim manager.
A total of 17 candidates applied for the interim post, which should last for 90 to 120 days with the potential for a full-time position. The opening was posted in The Citizen and other publications in the Genesee County area last month.
Village Councilman Richard Saroli said the field was narrowed down to four after about an hour-and-a-half of deliberations on Sept. 15. The next step in the process will be to establish a compensation guideline derived from the Plante & Moran study released last month. The comprehensive review of village operations provided recommendations to consider for the interim-manager position along with other cost savings suggestions.
Applicants included candidates for the interim position from the Michigan cities of Davison, Goodrich, Grand Blanc, Grayling, Howell, Lennon, Mason and Ortonville. Out-of-state candidates included Ohio and Georgia.
The interim manager position is necessary after longtime Village Manager Jakki Sidge vacated her office in March following a whirlwind of controversy stemming from a 3-2 vote at a special meeting Feb. 11, when the village council approved a motion requesting her resignation. Sidge had served as the village administrator for about the last 15 years. Since then the position has been vacant.
Saroli said he contacted the Michigan Municipal League to determine salary guidelines in relation to other communities about the same size as Goodrich.
‘The salary guidelines are within the 32 hour recommendation of Plante & Moran,? he said. ‘In Michigan the population of Saugatuck is about 1,065’the population of Goodrich is about 1,800. The candidates will have to wave the confidentiality aspect of the interview in the next stage.?
The average salary for managers of communities under 2,000 in Michigan is $58,000, according to the Michigan Municipal League.
‘We’re hoping to have a clearer picture of what’s happening by the Oct. 10 village meeting,? added Saroli.