Friday, September 12, 2003
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Friday, September 12, 2003 |
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Halterman named assistant manager for $104,000 a year By J. FRANK
LYNCH
Peachtree City didn't have to go far to find someone to fill the new assistant city manager's job just a flight of stairs. Surprising no one, Colin Halterman, a 19-year veteran of city government who was acting city manager until the appointment in May of Bernard McMullen, began his new duties Monday. The hiring required no action by the City Council, said public information specialist Betsy Tyler; according to city charter, they simply had to approve creation of the job itself. The city manager retained the authority to fill the post. Halterman's promotion from head of public works was a natural one, say city hall personnel. During nearly two decades of service to the city, Halterman has worn just about every hat imaginable save an elected position or finance director. The appointment wasn't without controversy. The City Council approved creating the position on the same night it held a budget workshop meeting in which a proposal was floated to trim the personnel ranks. Halterman's salary is $104,247 annually, which is just $30,000 more in overall salary appropriations in the proposed FY04 budget, Mayor Steve Brown said. McMullen had proposed a reorganization of city government during his interview process that included the idea of an assistant manager, but he insisted the job not be created until he got familiar with the inner workings of the city. Then, when the city's financial woes came clearer into focus, he was urging the council to postpone the position altogether, said Tyler. Halterman said he, too, was willing to wait. "If it meant saving people's jobs, I was prepared to tell [the council] not to do it," said Halterman. "It's just me." The criticism that the city doesn't need the position doesn't affect Halterman, who said he endured it all seven years ago when he was the chief negotiator during the city's purchase of the onetime privately held sewer system. He's also not the first assistant city manager, Tyler confirmed. Joe Morton, who was finance director before Paul Salvatore was hired three years ago, also had the title "assistant city manager." In his new role, Halterman will oversee the administrative, financial services, public services and leisure services departments. He answers directly to McMullen. Another new face oversees the city's developmental services department. Clyde Stricklin started work in August, in charge of the planning, building and engineering departments. Most recently, he ran his own municipal consulting group in Washington state, where he gained experience in water conservation and management. His daily commute for a time, he said, was from his home in Port Orchard, Wash., facing the Seattle skyline, across the Puget Sound via ferry. One of the biggest challenges facing Peachtree City in the near future, he said, is stormwater runoff and its effect on drinking water. The city is considering joining other local governments in forming a special utility just to manage the resource into the future. The city didn't have to pay Stricklin's moving expenses cross-country, however. He moved to Marietta with his wife, a free-lance graphic designer who felt drawn to the Atlanta area. The couple is looking for a home in Peachtree City, he said.
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