Sentinel staff report–
In a further show of a major rift between several members of the Citrus Heights City Council, on Thursday city leaders narrowly voted to appoint newly retired City Manager Christopher Boyd to the position of interim city manager until a permanent replacement is made.
Under terms of the agreement, the city will pay Boyd as a retired annuitant at the rate of $128.79 per hour, for a maximum length of 12 months. A substitute motion to cap his pay at $99 per hour and allow for quicker termination was supported by councilmen Bret Daniels and Tim Schaefer, but voted down by Mayor Steve Miller, Vice Mayor Porsche Middleton, and Councilwoman Jeannie Bruins.
Under CalPERS requirements, City Attorney Ryan Jones said Boyd will not receive any benefits beyond his hourly pay, including no accrued leave. It was not discussed whether he will concurrently draw his pension benefits from his prior years as the city’s police chief and five years as city manager.
CalPERS normally requires a 180-day period after retirement before a retiree can be considered for hire as an annuitant, but under an executive order signed last year by Gov. Gavin Newsom the 180-day requirement and a work-hour cap of 960 hours per year was temporarily suspended for retired annuitants in response to the pandemic.
Boyd publicly announced his decision to retire earlier this month, with an official retirement date of May 11. While the public announcement appeared sudden, council members told The Sentinel his intention to retire was known to them much earlier.
Five written comments from the public were submitted during the May 13 meeting, with three expressing support for bringing back Henry Tingle, who served as city manager of Citrus Heights until 2016 and was known as “tightwad Tingle” for his fiscal management in building reserves and keeping the city out of debt. Two others wrote comments supporting the appointment of Boyd.
From 2016: Henry Tingle reflects on 17 years as Citrus Heights city manager
Another resident called in to voice support for neither Boyd or Tingle, saying: “whoever you hire for city manager needs to live in the city.” Boyd lives in Granite Bay and Tingle still resides in Vallejo, where he commuted daily during his tenure.
Miller replied that the council will be “very deliberate” in the process of finding a permanent replacement. He also said, “If we were faced with an emergency vacancy tonight, I would have full faith in asking Henry to consider acting as our city manager.”
However, Miller said with Boyd’s willingness to continue as an interim manager, his appointment comes with the advantage of providing continuity, with no need for orientation.
“Chris can step right back in, it saves us money, I don’t think it’ll go a whole year, but over a year it’ll save over $100,000,” The savings referenced, refers to Boyd’s pay being capped at a maximum of $267,903, which was his base salary at the time of his retirement.
While serving as city manager, Boyd’s benefits package and extra pay brought his total compensation over $400,000, according to 2019 data posted at publicpay.ca.gov, an amount which drew the ire of opponents of the proposed Measure M sales tax last year.
Related: Measure M tax opponents rally outside City Hall, blast ‘enormous’ staff pay
Councilman Daniels offered two substitute motions during the meeting, the first calling for the city to contact Tingle “for consideration” and delay its decision for two weeks until the council’s next meeting on May 27.
“I don’t think there is any secret that there is a fracture in the council regarding the confidence in Mr. Boyd,” said Daniels after making the motion. “I think if Mr. Boyd wanted to be the city manager then he shouldn’t retire. I don’t really understand why he wanted to retire and now wants to come back for up to a year.”
He also said he had been contacted by members of the community who “want a change” in leadership. Both Daniels and Schaefer said they had contacted Tingle and said he was willing to return as an interim manager, although in a prior phone call with The Sentinel on May 8, Tingle said he would “probably not” consider returning to the city.
Councilwoman Bruins spoke positively of Tingle, but said “the change that’s going to happen is when we get a new permanent city manager.”
“I don’t believe going forward would benefit us by going back,” said Bruins, referring to whether to bring back Tingle. She also said Boyd’s appointment brings continuity and wouldn’t leave the city with a two-week gap of no city manager, if the decision were delayed until the council’s next meeting.
Daniels’ substitute motion to contact Tingle was shot down by a 3-2 vote, with only Schaefer joining in support. Another substitute motion by Daniels was also shot down, which sought to cap Boyd’s hourly pay, set maximum work hours of 40 per week, clarify access to Boyd’s timesheet by council members, and allow for a 7-day notice for termination instead of 30 days.
A city resolution passed Thursday night says Boyd’s pay rate of $128.79 per hour was calculated by taking the base salary of $267,903 for the position and dividing it by 173.33 hours per month to derive an hourly equivalent rate. The resolution also states that compensation paid to retirees “cannot be less than the minimum nor exceed the maximum monthly base salary paid to other employees performing comparable duties.”
The city is currently engaged in a search for a new city manager, with an appointment expected in less than 12 months.
