At long last, Kalispell has a city manager. And the decision to hire Jane Howington would be altogether out of place here if it went undisputed. Opposition to the Ohio native is almost entirely based on her compensation package, which includes a salary of $112,500 annually, with another $5,000 deferred to her retirement each year. Critics wonder if she is worth it, especially when the local economy is as dreadful as the city’s budget.
But what, exactly, was the alternative? Kalispell didn’t have a city manager for nine months and while Myrt Webb filled in ably during the interim, that is far too long. This was the second attempt to fill the position after an initial search resulted in two of the three candidates backing out. The city council’s first choice in the second round also declined an offer after he couldn’t secure a long-term deal. The prospect of conducting another nationwide search was a lousy alternative that would cost money and time the city didn’t have.
Webb said before Howington was hired that he would be stepping down from the interim position July 6 out of need to spend more time with his family – and if you think the city doesn’t run a tight ship now, imagine how it would do without a captain at the helm.
Howington was hired and some people are upset because she will make six figures and the rest of us don’t – at least most of us don’t. But she also holds two master’s degrees, was city manager of Oxford, Ohio, for seven years and has experience directing Human Resources for Dayton as well as a two-year stint as assistant city manager in that city of roughly 170,000. Her contract, which pays her about the same as she was making in the Buckeye State, was approved 7-2 by the Kalispell City Council.
Those opposing it, councilmen Tim Kluesner and Bob Hafferman, were fortunate in that they could preach fiscal responsibility knowing full well that Howington was a shoo-in. They wouldn’t really have to deal with the consequences and expense of starting at square one in the manager search for the third time.
“I cannot substantiate to anybody in the public this salary given the financial situation this city is in right now,” Kluesner said.
Hafferman added, “Why we are being asked to approve an agreement essentially already finalized is simply beyond my capabilities of comprehension.”
But that’s exactly what council members agreed upon at a prior work session: to allow a committee to negotiate a contract with Howington with a salary range between $95,000 and $125,000.
The moving expenses allotted to Howington, $20,000, do seem high and I agree that allowing unlimited access to a “company car” is excessive. But the argument that the city could just run a local classified ad and find someone qualified for $50,000 a year rings hollow.
As manager, Howington is the city’s new CEO, overseeing a $52-million budget – one that is perilously close to going into the red. She will move her entire life here with no guaranteed contract and can be fired by the council at any time. It is certainly a risk on her end to come here at all.
Howington’s deal makes her one of the highest-paid city managers in the state. But from squeamish unions to empty budget coffers, she has the daunting task of providing the city with real leadership while turning around its economic fortunes. If she can, she will be well worth the sticker price.