Jane Berry Selected as New Paonia Town Manager
Draft Budget in the Red
By Thomas Wills
Paonia Town Council
October 14, 2014
Absent Regular meeting: Mayor Neal Schwieterman. Absent work session: Schwieterman and Eric Goold.
The new Town Manager of Paonia will be Jane A. Berry of Cowdrey, Colorado. She will begin work on November 3. Her base salary will begin at $74,600, with the total package costs being about $100,000.
Berry will be moving to the Paonia job from her previous position as the interim Town Manager of Center, Colorado. Berry was selected from among four final candidates interviewed by the Town Council in executive session on October 9.
A unanimous vote at the October 14 meeting formalized the hiring of Berry who had, according to Interim Town Manager, Steven Rabe, accepted the job and approved the contract language. Rabe was thanked for professionally guiding the Town through the selection process. Rabe conducted the procedure that began with a field of some 27 candidates, gradually working down to the final four. Town Clerk, Barbara Peterson, who was finalist in a previous unsuccessful 2013 Town manager hiring process, was also among the candidates this time but was not among the final four. Neither Peterson nor Deputy Town Clerk Corinne Ferguson was present at the meeting.
A question remains as to the Town ultimately being able to afford the Town Manager position over the long term. For now 50% of the position’s costs are being covered by a Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) grant with 75% of the 2014 costs (including Rabe’s salary), 50% of 2015 costs, decreasing to 25% in the final 2016 year. After that the Town is on its own. Except for a one year period with former Crested Butte Town Manager, Bill Crank, and a few months with a replacement (Chuck Hurst), and a brief period in the early 1980’s when Paonia shared a manager with Hotchkiss (also funded by a State grant), this will be the first time in the Town’s history that that Paonia will have a dedicated Town Manager who is not also filling position of the Public Works Director (John Norris, Jim Cheney etc.).
In a work session preceding the regular meeting a draft 2015 Town budget was presented showing an initial $189,000 deficit. Rabe said that the 2014 deficit had been $136,000. One major expense that was not included in the budget was Police Chief, Scott Leon’s, request to return to having a fifth police officer. That deduction will come close to covering 50% (the Town’s share) of the new Town Manager’s package for 2015. Rabe cautioned that current rates of deficit, and drawing from reserves, could only continue for only so many years before “you’re in trouble.”
On the brighter side sales tax revenues do seem to be recovering somewhat. Rabe suggested that the Town aggressively pursue ideas on how to enhance revenues. These include possibly annexing out-of-town commercial uses such as the Stop and Save on Highway 133. Tax and fee increases could also be pursued.
Town’s Computer Systems/Website to be Revamped
The Trustees approved the spending of $23,339.87 to revamp the Town’s computer and phone systems including computers for the police department. Money for the project was found within the 2014 budget including $5,000 earmarked for beginning work on updating the Paonia Comprehensive Master Plan. The original plan there had been for Town Clerk Barbara Peterson to do the work while collaborating with an outside planner.
The Trustees also approved a bid proposal for $1,900 from Christy Eller of Wired Right to create a new Town website to replace the current outdated and dysfunctional one.
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Tags: Amber Kleinman, CO, Colorado, Eric Goold, Jan A. Berry, Paonia, Paonia town council, Ross King, Suzanne Watson
