By Tom Gilchrist
Staff Writer
VASSAR — Flushing city officials said Monday night that they’ve worked out contract terms with Vassar City Manager Brad Barrett and anticipate him starting Jan. 12 as Flushing’s new city manager. Barrett said Flushing offered an annual salary of $80,000.
As of Friday, “there were still one or two questions that Mr. Barrett had regarding his terms of employment,” said Flushing interim City Manager Mark Hoornstra at Monday night’s Flushing City Council meeting.
“We managed to work all those issues out administratively, and I anticipate that we’re going to have a signed agreement with (Barrett),” said Hoornstra, who also is police chief in the city of about 11,000 residents.
“His anticipated start date that we’ve discussed is Jan. 12,” Hoornstra said.
According to Barrett’s contract with Vassar, population 2,865, he must give the Vassar City Council a 30-day notice before terminating his position. As of Tuesday afternoon, Barrett hadn’t given Vassar notice of his intent to leave his job there, according to Merri Lemcke, city treasurer and interim city clerk.
Barrett said Tuesday afternoon that he has received a proposed contract signed by Flushing city leaders offering him an annual salary of $80,000. Barrett said he is reviewing the contract, but would neither confirm nor deny that he planned to sign the document.
Barrett, who started as Vassar city manager in October of 2011, receives an annual salary of $59,000 as Vassar’s city manager, along with $3,600 annually as a car allowance, according to city officials. An Mlive.com report in late November stated Barrett sought an $84,000 annual salary in Flushing.
Flushing Mayor Kevin Keane said Monday night that Flushing City Council has “authorized a salary of $80,000 plus benefits” for Barrett. Keane, according to the MLive report, said Barrett “said $80,000 was his breaking point.”
Flushing council members on Monday night declined to give the salary they’re proposing to pay Barrett. Keane said “Salary negotiations were not a stumbling point.”
Hoornstra said on Monday that Barrett has been speaking with him and with Charles McKone, Flushing’s city attorney, about contract issues.
“There was one issue regarding health care that we thought we may have to come and talk to (Flushing’s) council about, so I put it on as an agenda item just in case we had to talk about that, but we got that cleared up and I think we’re good to go now,” Hoornstra told council members.