32 seek city administrator post
SANDPOINT — More than 30 people want to be Sandpoint’s first city administrator.
Of the 32 people who submitted an application, there are eight from the local area who want the city position. Mayor Carrie Logan said the city is hoping to interview six finalists for the position in the “latter part of October.”
“The interview/selection panel will make a decision resulting in one or two candidates,” Logan said. “When a candidate(s) is selected, we will bring forward the candidate(s) to city council and the public for questions and to confirm appointment at a city council meeting in November.”
The selected candidate will make more than $101,868, with the salary coming from the general, water, and sewer funds. City Treasurer Shannon Syth said the city administrator will be paid by the percentage they work for each fund.
“We have him budgeted to come out equally,” Syth said. “This is money that’s always been for payroll and benefits, always.”
The city has been paying a penalty since 1978 for the deficit in the firefighter retirement fund. This is the first year that the retirement fund is almost fully funded, reducing the city penalty to about 5 percent. Syth said these funds will pay for the city administrator, and they are funds the city will have for years to come.
"I think it will make us more efficient and more effective," Syth said.
Other city employees are paid from all three funds, based on their time spent in the department. City Attorney Scot Campbell, Mayor Carrie Logan, and council members are also paid from all accounts, Syth said.
The city budgeted about $15,000 for an allocation study, which will have an outside firm evaluate an employee's time in each department. She expects the study to take place after the first of the year, after the city administrator is already in place.
"This company will come in and make sure we are doing it fairly," Syth said.
The general fund consists of several departments including city council, mayor, and city clerk funds, finance department, legal department, risk management, central services, government buildings, urban community programs, police department, narcotics unit, fire department, building department, GIS department, street department, street light department, planning and zoning, parks grounds maintenance, memorial field, parks and structure maintenance and community hall.
Syth said that general funds are collected from the services the city provides. Property taxes, business licenses or permits, building permits, dog licenses, franchise fees, and resort city taxes, are just some of the areas that are revenues for the general fund. There are many others, she said, clear down to charging postage fees to the correct department for the amount of letters mailed.
The water fund includes public works administration, water treatment, distribution, watershed protection reserve, and water reserves. The sewer fund covers sewer collection and treatment.
The water fund includes user fees, where the customer pays for water used and is the same for the sewer funds. The city handles the accounts payable for the departments, and the water and sewer funds pay back the city for the services.
"The general fund, water fund and sewer fund, that's where all of our employees are," Syth said. "Fund, not meaning a bank account, but a fund is a complete set of balanced books like it's own business."