Goodrich- On Wednesday, Village Manager Jakki Sidge vacated her office after a whirlwind of controversy stemming from a 3-2 vote at a special meeting Friday Feb. 11, when the village approved a motion requesting her resignation.
No replacement has been announced; however, Village Council President Patrica Wartella said the village office will be open as usual.
‘The office is so well-equipped there should be no disruptions,? she said. ‘If residents need help’there should not be any imposition to any of the employees. No inconvenience to residents that come may come in for services.. I’m pleased to say that we should have a smooth transition.?
‘Right now all the positions in the village are open to review, we are paying for a study by Plante & Moran. We’ll see what they recommend. Right now we have an office staff that includes a clerk, treasurer and administrative assistant. For a village about one square mile, that’s plenty of help. Everything here needs to be evaluated. We can’t live like we used to.?
The issue will not be on the March 14 agenda for the village council meeting, said Wartella.
In addition, the council voted to request Sidge return keys to any and all locked doors, cabinets in the village of Goodrich administrative building, DPW garage, DPW vehicles and DPW offices. Sidge was also requested to make her computer available to copy the hard drive and ordered to not delete any e-mails.
Councilmembers Phil Jackson and Doug McAbee and President Patricia Wartella voted yes. Councilmembers Pete Morey and Rick Horton voted no. In the absence of village attorney Jack Belzer, attorney Jim Hammon attended the meeting, but did not comment.
Sidge would not comment after the decision.
Sidge has served as the village administrator for about the last 15 years. At the Feb. 14 regular village meeting, Sidge supplied a letter of resignation to the village council. Highlights of the termination package include: Four months severance pay, five weeks vacation, two months of health coverage through COBRA and only providing time of employment and job descriptions of her time at the village for employment inquiries. The hard drive from Sidge’s computer was handed over to David McDonald, a retired Genesee County Sheriff Deputy and current village code enforcement officer.
The council voted 4-1 to accept the deal. Wartella, McAbee, Jackson and Horton voted yes. Morey voted no.