Interim City Manager Larry Pennell

Fillmore City Council held a Special Meeting on July 14th to discuss the appointment of a permanent City Manager. All five Council Members, the Transitional City Manager Larry Pennell, and City Attorney Ted Schneider were present. The discussion itself took place in closed session, but beforehand the Council mentioned some of the issues involved in their upcoming decision.

Council Member Jamey Brooks requested that the Council discuss the permanent City Manager's pay range as a future agenda item. He wants to set a firm limit at the high end of the range, and opined that the current salary is too high. The current salary range is $9,395.84 - $10,583.33 per month, or an annual salary of $112,750 - $127,000. Pennell mentioned that the position candidates are good people who are on the way up, and for the most part already employed. He provided the Council with handouts listing salaries of city managers in cities comparable to Fillmore. Council Member Laurie Hernandez said that Fillmore's salary was not out of line, but agreed that it should be discussed as soon as possible. Mayor Patti Walker noted that Pennell is scheduled to cease being Transitional City Manager after August 26th. The City's employment agreement with him limits the total number of hours he will work. The agenda item was set for the July 28th meeting, because the July 23rd meeting already has a full agenda.

Schneider provided an update on the claim filed by Livermore and the City of Industry against the City of Fillmore and other defendants regarding sales tax arrangements. He said that the latest hearing went well: the defendants' lawyers were well-prepared and the plaintiffs' attorney had nothing to add when the judge asked whether the plaintiffs had additional facts to bolster their complaint. The next hearing will be on July 24th. Schneider agreed to provide monthly updates on the case's progress, including updates on legal costs.