MOUNT VERNON — Sparks flew Monday night after Mount Vernon city council members rejected creating a communications director position by a 4 to 3 vote.
“Mr. President, we have an agreement that there are no surprises when we get to this session,” Mayor Matt Starr said during the remarks portion of the meeting.
“Four of you voted no on this communications director. Not one of you sent me an email about it. Not one of you sent Tanner [Salyers] an email about this. And next time you want to lecture me about being a bad communicator, point the finger at yourself. Because I’m tired of taking that criticism of not communicating, not being transparent, when you clearly have different rules to follow.”
Starr and Safety-service Director Tanner Salyers previously said they intended to move Starr’s administrative assistant, Todd Hill, into the communications director position.
Salyers clarified on Monday that although the position carries a salary range of $30.25 per hour to $42.36 per hour, Hill would receive his current salary of $65,000.
Council members appropriated the $65,000 in the 2025 budget.
The negative votes
“I think council made it very clear in our budgeting how we felt about creating positions for people,” Council member Tammy Woods told Starr.
“I had no question for you because every time we discussed this position, it was made very clear it was created for a person. … Not opening it up to applicants was something that was discussed during the budget.”
Council member Amber Keener said she did not need additional emails because she was vocal during budget meetings.
“I will consistently vote no against roles created for individuals,” she said. “I think that breeds cronyism and nepotism, and I think it’s important to stand up against that.
“I have consistently in my time on council gone through that, so there should be no surprise about where I fell on that issue.”
Councilwoman Janis Seavolt said she did not know how other council members were voting, so she did not think to tell Starr she was voting no.
“The money situation is really bothering me. I don’t know how we’re doing. I’d like to know where we’re at,” she said.
“I hate spending money when I don’t know how much money we really have. Until we get the situation under control, I’m very nervous.”
Councilman Mike Miller said transparency has improved, but there is room for the council and administration to improve their communication.
Part of that transparency includes longer committee meetings and more discussion.
“Discussion is what breeds questions, and sometimes we don’t have that,” he said.
“A couple of these issues as they’ve gone through this six-week process, we should have had more discussion about, and that’s council. … So I’m kind of sharing some blame here with this.”
The yes votes
Councilman Mel Severns said he was confused about why Seavolt was confused about money.
“We approved the appropriations for these positions, so I don’t understand why you would be confused with the numbers,” he said.
He also said he was perplexed by the contentious vote over the communications director and city inspector positions.
“The inspector position passed, but the communications director did not. I think Mr. Hill is highly qualified for this position given his past work,” he said.
“I understand what Mrs. Keener is saying, but frankly, I’m a little disappointed as well that this position didn’t get passed.”
Councilman John Ruckman said, “I’m also a little confused as to why it didn’t pass with respect to some of the reasons that are given. I certainly understand some of those.”
Ruckman does not feel like the administration has ever stonewalled him and said he has had good discussions with the administration and other council members.
However, he also said he consistently hears constituents say they do not feel well-informed.
“As citizens, it seems that there are a great many people who feel that they don’t know the details. They don’t know specifics. They don’t know time,” Ruckman said.
“We do have those details, and we need to ensure that that information gets out there to a broader audience and more efficiently. It seems like a bit of a step backward to not actually fund a position that could make that communication a priority.”
In the legislative session before the vote, Councilman James Mahan said he liked the communications director idea.
“It’s someone who can manage the media and make sure that these things are posted. We can be more communicative, more transparent,” he said.
City inspector position
Council members passed legislation creating the city inspector position by a 4 to 3 vote.
The city inspector position merges two previous positions: the zoning enforcement officer and an administrative position in the utility department.
The pay range is $30.25 per hour to $42.36 per hour. However, council members budgeted $70,000.
Salyers said $30,000 will come from his budget; the other $40,000 will be divided between utility budgets.
“The money is there. Administration has been transparent on how much we intend to pay,” Salyers said.
Woods said she received a lot of questions about whether the position would lead to building codes.
Salyers reiterated the administration has no intention of creating a building code. He said council members control that.
Supervisory and professional personnel
Council members postponed a vote on amending pay grades for four positions:
•Assistant director of plant maintenance
•Fire marshal
•Administrative chief deputy clerk of courts
•First deputy auditor
That discussion was also edgy.
Salyers read an emailed response he sent following Woods’ question about when the positions last received a raise or adjustment.
He said the legislation does not provide for increases but places the positions on a pay scale. He explained how the administration arrived at the proposed pay grades.
Council members postponed the vote until March 10.
Part-time employees
Council members waived the third reading and passed legislation setting pay ranges for temporary, seasonal, and college-level intern employees.
The minimum hourly rate is $15. The maximum is $20 per hour.
