Divided Johnstown council approves seeking full-time city manager in 2023

JOHNSTOWN − A special Johnstown City Council meeting Monday night started with instructions for visitors to wait outside during an executive session and ended with shouting among city officials after cancellation of the first work session with the firm doing the city's comprehensive plan.

Following an hour-long executive session and 40 minutes of public comments, council voted 5-2 in favor of a revised employment contract for city manager Jack Liggett, who has served as interim city manager since Jim Lenner left the position in December.

The only known changes to Liggett’s contract are removal of the “interim” tag, an end date as city manager not to exceed Dec. 31, 2023, and a fallback provision allowing Liggett to return to his position as service director if his employment as city manager ends for any reason other than gross misconduct.

Mayor Chip Dutcher said council did not want to wait until next week’s regularly scheduled meeting to resolve Liggett’s contract “because we wanted to get it in place.”

Liggett’s responsibilities have included city manager and service director duties since Lenner’s departure. Liggett has worked for Johnstown 42 years, earning six state certifications, overseeing water, sewer and streets as service director, then becoming assistant city manager for Lenner and then interim city manager when Lenner left.

“Jack will continue to perform those functions and we’ll start a search for the permanent city manager,” Dutcher said.

The search will begin in the new year. Councilman Jon Merriman said the city is not ready to start the search now.

“The reason why there should be a delay in finding a permanent city manager is our finance director left,” Merriman said. “Without a finance director, we cannot tell you how much we need to look to pay somebody.”

Johnstown also has an interim police chief, its city planner is leaving and councilmen Dutcher and Marvin Block could be voted out of office on Aug. 30, when a recall election has been scheduled.

Dutcher said the search for Lenner’s successor did not occur soon after the position became open because a majority of council opposed it.

“My council members would not approve a search for a city manager,” Dutcher said. “That’s why it did not happen. I tried to start the search for a permanent new city manager, but I did not have four votes. I can’t do anything without four votes. It was a council meeting in February, I proposed it.”

Councilwoman Sharon Hendren said she was one of those who opposed searching outside city government for a city manager.

“I’ve been on city council for over 20 years,” Hendren said. “I won’t tell you what problems we’ve had with city managers. We’re scared to death of bringing somebody in. Jack, we know, we trust. City managers have been a pain for us.”

The two dissenting votes were cast by Merriman and Donald Barnard. Voting in favor of the contract adjustment were Dutcher, Block, Hendren, Doug Lehner and Ryan Green.

Following the meeting, Barnard said he voted against the contract because, “I don’t think it has any benefit for the residents of Johnstown.”

The employment agreement is in effect beginning Monday, and ends Dec. 31, 2025, if not terminated earlier.

“They wanted something solid and in place while they look for the permanent manager,” Liggett said. “They did not want to rush into it. They asked me if I wanted the permanent position, and I was not interested in the permanent position. I said let’s put a term limit on this.”

His salary remains $150,442 while working as city manager and will be $125,886 if he returns to the service director position.

Jamie Hartsough, a Johnstown resident supporting the recall of Block and Dutcher, said, "We accused them of sticking Jack in and refusing to look for a new manager, and now they extended that, and will give him money to take his old job back."

The lengthy meeting delayed the scheduled work session with Columbus planning firm MKSK, hired on June 21 to help the city revise its strategic/comprehensive plan. The MKSK representatives waited outside during the executive session, then left during the public debate about Liggett's contract.

Assistant City Manager Sean Staneart was upset the two meetings were scheduled just an hour apart at the Monroe Township Complex on a night council chambers were occupied with another meeting.

Staneart could be heard telling Liggett following the meeting. “It happened exactly as I thought it would. A cluster, and MKSK now left the building.”

The council meeting began at 5 p.m. Staneart said MKSK officials were told to begin setting up at 5:40 p.m. for the work session, scheduled to start at 6 p.m. The council meeting did not conclude until about 6:40 p.m.

This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Johnstown updates manager's contract, plans search for successor in '23