City posts clerk-treasurer position

Ely is looking for a clerk-treasurer, but whoever gets the job seems likely to add more duties and responsibility.The city council endorsed the recommendation of a five-person task force and voted unanimously Tuesday to post the job immediately.But seeking applicants and bringing someone on board to fill the city’s top administrative post is just the first part of a two-phase proposal.The second half calls for continued study of possible changes to the city’s administrative structure with an eye on making the clerk-treasurer a city administrator or city manager.During brief discussion last week, council member Butch Pecha said he wanted to make sure that those changes are explored - and not discarded - after a hire is made.“We did hire our last two clerks with the promise that we’ll move on to something more,” said Pecha.Council member Mark Zupec, part of the task force that recommended the plan, promised that work would continue.“We’re just describing it as a position,” said Zupec. “Who knows what it will (lead) to.“According to incoming council member and task force member Chuck Novak, the proposal allows the city to immediately fill the clerk-treasurer position while using the current job description, and that whoever is hired will be made aware that the job will evolve.“I just don’t want it to end,” said Pecha.“We can’t let that happen,” responded mayor-elect Roger Skraba. “We have to stay on top of it.”The task force will look at the current job description for clerk-treasurer, as well as job descriptions for other city supervisors, as they study possible changes.Early next month, Novak will help facilitate discussion and gather ideas when the group holds a brainstorming session and works on setting priorities, probably as soon as next month.The task force will compile a list of city management duties, and eventually come up with a proposal for potential changes in current job descriptions or job titles.Ely’s clerk-treasurer is in charge of day-to-day operations at City Hall, but for years council members have discussed strengthening the position or moving toward a city administrator or city manager style of government, involving oversight of other department heads.City officials say that there has been some confusion and misunderstanding over the role of the clerk-treasurer during the last four years.City attorney Larry Klun said that council expectations weren’t drawn out in detail while Frank Salerno, Ely’s outgoing mayor, attributed the confusion elsewhere.“One of the problems that occurred under the circumstances, I think it’s when people tried inherently to read different things into the job description,” said Salerno. “I think that’s what happened in the past.”But while the city looks at adjustments to its management structure, the search for a clerk-treasurer is underway.Under terms of the motion passed last week, advertising would begin immediately and applications would be accepted until Jan. 12.The plan calls for applications to be sent to the League of Minnesota Cities for ranking, and the council would then decide how many finalists to interview.Several candidates have indicated interest through correspondence to City Hall, and by February someone could be hired to replace former clerk-treasurer John Tourville, who left in November to take a city operations job in Virginia.Tourville’s salary was just under $63,000, with a full benefit package that included health insurance coverage and four weeks paid vacation. The council voted to post the position at that salary.