Sylva amends charter to adopt manager-council government

By Lynn Hotaling

Six citizens spoke during the public hearing that preceded the Sylva Town Board's regular session. Four favored the move to a city manager, while two said they thought the switch was ill-advised at this time.

Moving to a manager-council form of government would be "very progressive," said Jay Spiro, president of Sylva Partners in Renewal.

"I'm excited that there seems to be a majority (of the town board) ready to (hire a city manager). This is the direction we need to go," Spiro said. "Things are more complicated now. I'm appreciative you're doing this and encourage you to vote 'yes.'"

Tom McClure, chairman of the county's Economic Development Commission, termed the switch to the manager-council form of government "vital to the future of the town."

"It would definitely be a move forward," said Boyd Sossamon Jr., husband of Sylva board member Lynda Sossamon.

Former Town Board member David Gates and Sylva resident Herb Zachmann were the two speakers who opposed amending the charter to include a town manager.

"I'm not sure this is the right time for a town manager," Gates said. "Wait until (current town clerk Tommy Thompson) retires and hire a manager then. I think you should wait because it's very possible revenue will go down."

Zachmann made a similar argument.

"I think you should wait until Tommy retires," Zachmann said. "The budget is in bad shape. Tommy's doing an excellent job, and he has three years to go. The wise thing would be to wait until Tommy is ready to retire. I'm afraid a new manager will eliminate Tommy's job."

Zachmann said he started a petition urging the town board to give Thompson full administrative powers until he retires.

"Everyone I talked to felt this is not the time to do this because of the budget crunch," Zachmann said. "If you put off the vote, I could have 600 to 700 signatures."

Board member Audrey Tritt said she didn't see that Thompson's job is threatened.

"We have no desire for (Thompson's job) to be in jeopardy," she said. "The manager could be fired too if we don't like what he does."

"It would not just be the manager," said Lynda Sossamon. "It would be the manager and the council."

"Is it not a concern of the board that the town's fund balance is down to 25 percent? Shouldn't you try to get it back up to $700,000 or so?" Gates asked. "I think a manager is a good idea, but now is not the time."

Mayor Brenda Oliver thanked the speakers for their input and said she wished more citizens had participated.

"I really wish more had come. There are only seven here - and this is a major issue," Oliver said. In anticipation of a board decision to move forward with hiring a manager, the town's three-member finance committee juggled line items in Sylva's proposed budget early Wednesday morning (June 6) in order to include a town manager's salary in next year's budget.

Oliver said she went through the budget and made cuts and additions that allowed her to include a partial salary for a town manager. She based her calculations on a $40,000-per-year annual manager's salary beginning in September, the soonest the town could realistically employ a manager, Oliver said.

Sylva board members unanimously passed a resolution of intent to change Sylva's charter to provide for a council-manager form of government during their May meeting. The change was recommended by the town's three-member personnel committee - board members Lynda Sossamon, Maurice Moody and Tritt.

The town historically has had the mayor-council form of government; a study by a governmental consultant a year and a half ago recommended the change to a professional manager.

The idea of a city manager for Sylva first surfaced in a November 1999 report prepared by municipal evaluator John Maxwell of Municipal Advisors Inc. of Virginia Beach, Va., and was one of the main recommendations of that report. Maxwell favored the change, he said, because Sylva's current organization does not clearly delineate with whom administrative responsibility and decision-making authority rests.

Thompson, who has served as clerk for almost 13 years, receives an annual salary of $40,295. The town's personnel committee recommended Friday morning (June 8) that the clerk's salary be frozen at that level.

Back to Archive: 06/14/01.