CLEARLAKE — An “at-will” employment agreement was authorized by the Clearlake City Council Thursday for services to be provided by Dale Neiman in positions of city administrator, executive director of the Clearlake Redevelopment Agency and community development director.
The agreement is for part-time employment and represents an hourly wage of $70. According to Neiman, the new employment agreement will result in an annual savings of $85,550.
Neiman recommended decreasing his employment status to part-time in order to reduce budget expenditures. The new agreement is for “at-will” employment, which means Neiman can be separated from the service of the city with a 14-day written notice. He said the previous employment contract provided for 90 days severance pay; however the new agreement provides for none.
Neiman said that when the cost of vacation and executive leave are taken into account, the annual savings projected with the new agreement totals $85,550. He said the savings will be fully implemented on Nov. 12 when PERS retirement costs are eliminated. “The elimination of the benefits resulted in a savings of $57,450,” he said.
Neiman said on June 30 he accrued 241.19 hours of vacation and executive leave. “This time is normally paid by the city when someone goes to half-time or leaves the service of the city,” he said. “I recommend that this money be paid when I leave the service of the city or by Jan. 5, 2011. The reason is to help with the city”s cash flow problems.”
The council voted unanimously in support of the agreement.
Contact South County reporter Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobserver.com or call her directly at 994-6444, ext. 11.
