Fairfax City Council to consider contracting for services with ousted clerk

FAIRFAX — Less than two weeks after voting against the retention of longtime City Clerk Cynthia Stimson, Fairfax City Council members will discuss paying her as much as $80 an hour to return to City Hall.

The council this evening will vote on whether to hire Stimson as an independent contractor to assist city staff on an “as-needed” basis with budget planning and other operations.

The contract, if approved as drafted, would take effect immediately and run through Dec. 31, 2026, “unless earlier terminated pursuant to (the) agreement.” Any contract extension beyond that date would require council approval.

Also this evening, council members will discuss and potentially vote on the formation of a hiring committee and publication of a job listing for the open city clerk position. Per city code, the clerk position is filled via appointment at the direction of the city council.

The special meeting to discuss those matters, among others, will be held publicly at 6 p.m. today at Fairfax City Hall, 300 80th St. Court. For those who cannot attend in person, the meeting will be recorded and posted online at a later date.

Narrow vote ousts longtime clerk

Tonight marks the third meeting during which the topic of the city clerk position will be discussed.

The first occurred Jan. 8, when the city council voted 3-2 against Stimson’s reappointment. Members Cindy Anderson, Deb Mallie and Dan Wozniak voted against her reappointment while members Marianne Wainwright and Mike Daly voted in favor.

Stimson was first hired as city clerk in 2009 and formally reappointed in 2010. She secured reappointment every two years since, as required by city code, until earlier this month.

The vote sparked a heated dialogue between council members, who argued at some length about who would assume Stimson’s duties until a new clerk could be hired.

“How are you going to run a city, then, without a clerk?” asked a visibly shocked Wainwright. “How are you going to do payroll? How are you going to pay bills … or do all the other things” that fall under that position’s purview.

As clerk, Stimson served several key administrative roles including the recording and publishing of all city council proceedings; maintaining official city records; and handling licenses, permits and election duties.

She also served as the city treasurer and was responsible for handling the city’s financial records and budgeting process.

Anderson, speaking at her first meeting as a city council member, responded that the city employs both a deputy city clerk and a utility clerk, among other city staff, who could assist with the transition.

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Transition proves tumultuous

A meeting held last Tuesday, however, showed that the transition proved tumultuous in the days that followed, and Fairfax City Administrator Chris Philipp described an “emergency” situation in which staff were struggling with Stimson’s sudden absence.

“We’re in the middle of an audit, and we do not have a certified clerk there to prepare the reports for the auditor,” he said. “We also don’t have a clerk there on staff that is able to take care of a lot of other city business right now.”

His comments preceded a council discussion on whether to reconsider Stimson’s clerk status, although the motion to do so ultimately failed to secure the necessary votes to move forward.

The following evening, Mayor Jo Ann Beer posted to the city’s Facebook page to say Stimson would be mentoring the city’s deputy clerk staff on an as-needed basis through an Iowa League of Cities program meant to connect experienced clerical staff to cities with specific training needs.

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In a follow-up email to The Gazette, Beer stated that staff are committed to a “business as usual” attitude throughout this transition and the council and staff “are confident the city will continue to be well served.”

“I appreciate Cynthia’s willingness to share her expertise,” Beer wrote. “We kindly request that everyone allow her to perform her duties without interruption, as she is only available on a limited basis.”

This evening’s vote will look to formalize that agreement and lay out the terms of Stimson’s mentorship. Under the draft language, Stimson would not be a considered a city employee or receive benefits.

It’s unclear whether council members during that time will speak about their original reasoning against retaining Stimson as a full-time employee.

There is considerable public appetite for that information, however, as shown by the response and attendance at last week’s meeting where a mix of city staff, former city council members, Fairfax residents and Stimson herself asked for a reason to be publicly stated.

When asked, the trio who voted against her reappointment have so far remained fairly tight-lipped, citing only general concerns presented to them by residents and an overarching desire for change.

“There has been a climate for years of ‘us versus them.’ Us being City Hall, them being the residents,” Anderson said. “I talked to hundreds of people (while campaigning), and the experiences that people had when they came to City Hall were disturbing to me.”

Comments: grace.nieland@thegazette.com