STEVENS POINT, WI (WSAU) — Stevens Point Mayor Mike Wiza is unsure about hiring a City Administrator.
“Our comptroller/treasurer expects [that position] to cost $194,000 annually in salary and benefits. But the things that concern me are we haven’t been able to ascertain the reason why some on council think we need this position,” said Mayor Wiza.
He says he feels that approving that kind of position and salary when many other positions have been approved but not funded also doesn’t seem right. “We have been waiting years to get some of these positions funded, now some on council want to leapfrog all of that and finding $194,000 to pay for an administrator without a whole lot of specifics on why.”
Wiza says he knows one of the arguments for a hired administrator is consistency. But just as a Mayor or an Alder can be voted out after one term, a hired administrator can also leave after just a few years on the job. He also noted that he has faith in the current department heads, who have been doing more with less for five straight years.
“Budgets have been so tight that there is no additional money. For five years they have had [no] increase in their operational budget. That’s a big deal. The price of eggs, gas, lumber- everything goes up. If you don’t have additional money to spend you have to do less. Finding those efficiencies is critical,” said Wiza.
If the council moves forward with the proposal, he would like to see it subject to a binding referendum rather than a unilateral council decision, though Wiza says the Alders have yet to discuss a referendum.
The discussion is expected to last into August.
Other topics Wiza discussed with WSAU’s Mike Leischner include:
Start of video- Recent change to city ordinance regarding referendum questions for transportation projects
8:10- Administrator proposal
15:00- Upcoming community events
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