Greenfield to hire city manager

Everything is in order for the Greater Greenfield Community Foundation to partner with the city in finding a city manager for Greenfield.

GGCF stated at a recent meeting that they would fund a city manager position for two years.

Jeff Clayton and Rita Eble said during a Tuesday, March 11 council meeting that they are willing to represent the council on a task force that will also contain GGCF. That task force will draft a job description and salary schedule that will be reviewed by the council before hiring begins.

GGCF board member Bill Mather proposed a city manager position, funded by the group for two years, to the council at its Tuesday, Feb. 25 meeting. The GGCF said a city manager could serve as a true partner to the city clerk, mayor and council. City managers often find new revenue for the cities they serve, meaning there’s opportunity for such an individual to pay for themselves over time. A city manager would strengthen Greenfield’s leadership capacity, drive long-term disaster recovery and enhance operational efficiency, they said.

The council discussed that towns similar in size to Greenfield, such as Stuart, have city managers, and that they have options moving forward if adding such a position doesn’t work.

The council asked the GGCF to consider small technology costs associated with the position, such as a laptop computer for the employee. The GGCF said they would discuss that in one of their meetings.

According to GGCF’s proposal, their goal is to have a city manager hired by May 21, which in the one-year anniversary of the EF-4 tornado that hit the community.