Hillsdale City Manager Linda Brown submitted her resignation, effective Feb. 1, to Mayor Scott Sessions and the Hillsdale City Council, which accepted her resignation at its Feb. 2 meeting. The city is actively seeking a new manager and accepting resumes for the position.
“Even though my contract does not expire until May 15, 2015, I do not think it is fair to the citizens of Hillsdale for them to be without a full time city manager,” Brown said in her letter of resignation to the council.
In the letter, Brown explained she is unable to resume her duties as city manager following a recent surgery. Acting manager Doug Terry, who has been filling in for Brown since October 2014, recommended the acceptance of Brown’s resignation.
“The city administration recommends we accept [this] resignation with regret and sincere gratitude for the years Linda Brown has served this community,” Terry said.
The council approved accepting the resignation with a unanimous vote.
“We’re in the advertising stage right now. Our goal is to receive as many applications and resumes [as possible] from qualified candidates to review,” Terry said.
The council asked Terry, who also serves as the city manager of Litchfield, Michigan, to act as Hillsdale’s city manager until Brown was fit to return to office, but Terry’s contract with Hillsdale will expire in March.
“The original intent when I came here was to fill in until she could return,” Terry said. “I imagine she had a change of heart. We are extremely grateful for her years of service.”
In other business, Terry and the Public Safety Committee announced their plan for the city to hire a new police officer in the future.
“We had decided based on some illnesses and vacancies and staffing levels that it was important we hire another officer to have on the ground,” Terry said.
Right now, the administration is trying to find a financially responsible way to hire another officer, since the city’s “taxable value is decreased,” Terry said.
“City council is always looking for new ways to bring revenue into the city with little or no impact to citizens,” Terry said. “In recent past we’ve seen a steady decline of revenue coming in to provide those services [police services].”
During public comment at the meeting, Hillsdale County Commissioner Ruth Brown updated the council on a very successful first Suicide Prevention Coalition meeting, and advertised a free training event in suicide prevention for all Hillsdale County residents from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Feb. 12.
“[It] tells how to make your community a Prevention Prepared Community,” Brown said.“This is way bigger than me, I’m getting all kinds of people on board to help. The Prevention Prepared Community is going to affect the city of Hillsdale.”
Councilperson Emily Stack Davis also suggested a city-wide spring cleaning day involving residents, churches, and local volunteer groups.
“[It could] give people a happy head’s up for what spring and summer will entail,” Stack Davis said. “It could be a public day of where we want our community to head.”
The council agreed to discuss the idea further in future meetings.
“I think it could be a really neat public services campaign,” Stack Davis said.
