Closed meeting on city administrator addresses issues

The Colusa City Council discussed the city manager's job for two hours behind closed doors Monday morning, but made no decision.

"I think we have made progress, but there is nothing we can report formally at this time," Mayor Pat Landreth said shortly after adjourning the meeting.

The council met in a room across the hall from the council chambers as a handful of residents waited to hear the outcome.

When the council returned, Landreth said there was no reportable action, and ended the meeting without further comment from any council member.

City Manager Jan McClintock's job was the only item on the agenda, including the possible termination of her contract.

McClintock did not attend the closed session.

Except for the mayor's brief announcement, McClintock was the only person who spoke at the meeting.

Sitting in the gallery seats rather than in her usual position at the staff table, McClintock complained of the council's lack of communication and lack of direction about her work performance.

"You have to communicate with me, which you have not," McClintock said during the public comment period prior to the council adjourning to the closed session.

McClintock gave a brief run down of the council's evaluation of her work performance over the last year, noting that she even received a small raise in November.

"Since then, there has been no communication with me on a formal basis," McClintock said.

She also complained that she was not notified in advance of the recent May meeting during which her job performance was discussed, and said she had to cut short her vacation to come back for this meeting, which she said she had not been informed about either.

The meeting created a whirlwind of speculation that McClintock might be fired, though Landreth made it clear people "should not jump to conclusions."

The mayor said at the time the city was in a kind of "limbo," because of the turmoil surrounding the city manager's job, and needed to set a clear direction for the future.

Landreth and Councilman Kirk Kelleher also expressed their hope Friday that a decision would be made.

Later on Friday, McClintock submitted a letter to the council proposing that she would retire at the end of December, and would walk away by Nov. 7 if the city had hired a replacement or created some other management structure.

"This letter is to advise the City Council of my intent to retire from the City Manager position at the City of Colusa effective December 31st, 2012," states the letter to the City Council and dated June 28.

"If at any time after November 7, 2012, the City Council finds a new permanent City Manager, I will step aside for the new City Manager," the letter states.

"I will work with the City Council until my retirement to insure a smooth transition to a new City Manager or alternative management structure as the City Council chooses," McClintock's letter continued.

"Providing this transition will prevent the City from incurring the expense of an interim manager and will allow critical projects to move forward without disruption."

She also sent a private letter to the mayor outlining concerns about matters that needed some timely attention, and many of the same issues about the lack of communication she raised at Monday's meeting.

McClintock defended her performance, and said she tries to follow the majority's decisions, even if she does not personally agree with those decisions.

"We work well as a group; we do not work well as individuals," she said.

The council meets next on July 17.

The issue is likely to be addressed at that time, Landreth said.