Abby renews adminstrator’s contract
After a mayoral veto, two deadlocked council votes and plenty of behind-thescenes drama, Abbotsford’s city administrator finally has a new employment contract in place.
Monday’s4-2votetorenewDanGrady’s contract for three years comes just two months after the council narrowly voted down a motion to eliminate the city administrator position altogether.
Voting for renewal were Ald. Mason Rachu, Lori Huther, Dale Rachu and Sarah Diedrich. Alds. Dennis Kramer and Roger Weideman voted against the motion after raising several concerns about the terms of the contract, including a provision for one year’s worth of salary and benefits for Grady if the city were to terminate his contract without cause.
Under the terms of the contract, which runs through 2024, Grady will be awarded a 2 percent raise retroactive to the beginning of this year, bringing his salary to $72,828. Any future raises will be considered following an annual performance review.
What made the contract renewal possible was a change in the council’s membership. In the past, Kramer and Weideman were joined by two others in voting against the contract — Jim Weix, who is now mayor, and Brent Faber, who recently resigned from the council due to health reasons. Former mayor Lori Voss vetoed the council’s first vote to approve the contract in January and then broke two 4-4 council ties in March, voting against renewal both times.
In a significant turnaround, Mayor Weix spoke in favor of approving the contract as a way of maintaining stability at city hall. He said things have become much “quieter” there in recent months.
“Everybody is on the same wavelength, we’re working good together,” he said. “I’ve got no complaints.”
The mayor noted that he usually spends a couple hours at city hall every day, long enough to discuss whatever needs to be discussed with city staff. He said he’s received positive feedback from residents who are happy with how Grady is running city hall.
“I do not want it to go back into the turmoil that was going on at city hall before my time, because when I came in to pay my water and sewer bill, this place was a disaster,” he said. “It’s not going to happen under my watch that way.”
Ald. Kramer, however, questioned whether now was the right time to renew the contract, since the council just welcomed a new member and appointed another new person that night. He said those members should be allowed to sit on the council awhile first.
Ald. Mason Rachu disagreed.
“My opinion is this has been going on long enough,” he said.
Ald. Dale Rachu thought that the new members could be trusted to make a decision as longtime residents of the city.
“Being in the city and being on the council is not the same thing at all,” Kramer responded.
Time on the council is not a guarantee of knowledge, Ald. Dale Rachu said.
“You can be sitting up here for five years, and still not know what’s going on,” he said.
When the retroactive raise was questioned, Mayor Weix said it’s only fair that Grady gets the same raise as other employees for 2021.
“He worked under a lot of duress and stress,” he said. “I was here. I witnessed it. I don’t like things being run that way.”
After a motion was made to renew the contract, Ald. Kramer listed a number of questions and concerns he had. A lot of emphasis was placed on whether Grady should be subject to a background check and drug test.
Ald. Kramer said it was his understanding that neither of those were done before Grady was first hired in 2018.
