HOPE — The town of Hope may hire its first town manager in two years within a matter of months.
The Hope Town Council voted 3-2 Tuesday to begin the process necessary to hire a chief administrative officer for the northeast Bartholomew County town of 2,200 residents. Jerry Bragg, Clyde Compton and John Walstad voted in favor of starting the process, while Ed Johnson and Ohmer Miller voted against it.
The town will start seeking potential candidates through a variety of sources.
Although Feb. 28 was established as the cutoff time to receive resumes, council members say the deadline will be extended if there aren’t enough candidates.
Without a town manager, Clerk-Treasurer Diane Burton and Town Marshal Matt Tallent are taking care of responsibilities beyond their job description, Bragg said. A number of these tasks will be handed over to the town manager, which Bragg said will take considerable pressure and stress off both the two administrators.
However, the main advantages of having a town manager deal with economic development, Bragg said.
“We need somebody who will serve as the middle person, go out and talk with businesses to see what they need, and reach out to make the contacts needed to draw people into this town, so we can keep flourishing,” the council president said.
The first concern expressed by Johnson concerned upcoming expenses the town must pay without knowing what their revenue is going to be this year.
Johnson later shifted his focus to a need for accountability. The town manager must answer to the council in a timely fashion and keep them updated on what activities he was engaged in, as well as visit every business in Hope at least once per year, he said.
“We had asked that (former town manager J.T. Doane) report back on a weekly basis some type of form to let us know what he’s doing,” Johnson said. “It doesn’t have to be a minute to minute thing, but it does need to tell us where he’s going and what he’s doing.”
On Dec. 18, 2018, the council voted 3-2 not to renew Doane’s contract after the Bargersville resident spent nearly two-and-a-half years overseeing and managing the town’s day-to-day operations.
Bragg assured Johnson that the new administrator will operate within specific guidelines. The council president also said the town manager will be required to bring information and findings before the council, so that elected officials will know how to proceed.
Reviving a suggestion brought up two years ago, council member Ohmer Miller said he believes an executive assistant would be able to handle the responsibilities, but cost considerably less than a town manager. Doane earned $54,060 during his final year at town manager.
While Bragg agreed the position is a big expense, the council president said he has now seen what it’s like to have municipal government both with — and without — a town manager.
“And when you bring in new businesses, that expense is worth it,” Bragg said. “Right now, when somebody gets here, they will get Matt (Tallent) or Diane (Burton). With a town manager, everybody knows who to go to.”
That will include companies or businesses who are considering bringing new jobs to Hope, Compton said. A full-time town manager will have both the time and knowledge to address a potential employer’s concern, he said. In contrast, Compton says there isn’t any city official or council member with the time or ability to bring in industry or new businesses, he said.
It’s unwise to wait until COVID-19 is no longer a concern before strengthening economic development efforts, because every town and city will be trying to attract new employers immediately after the pandemic is over, Compton said.
Not only will hiring a town manager soon give Hope a head-start over competing communities, but it will also allow the town to highlight the nearly $1 million in commercial, recreational and infrastructure upgrades that have recently been completed, he said.
