City manager contract talks tabled

Nov. 3—ASHLAND — Ashland City Commissioners voted to table agenda items that would grant City Manager Mike Graese a pay raise and another affecting the mayor and commissioners' future line of communication with city employees.

Due to the death of a family member of Commissioner Cheryl Spriggs's, she was absent on Friday's special called meeting. Commissioner Marty Gute said the board should hold off on making any decisions unless Spriggs was present for discussion.

Under new business was the first reading of an ordinance "regarding the line of authority and responsibility between elected officials, the city manager and all city employees."

The ordinance received a quick "so moved" by Commissioner Josh Blanton and an immediate "second" by Commissioner Amanda Clark, but Gute pumped the brakes.

"I'd move that this be tabled for our next meeting," Gute said, reasoning he'd like for Spriggs to be present for discussion.

Clark said in light of Spriggs's absence and out of respect for her loss, she seconded Gute.

"I fully appreciate the reasoning for that," Blanton said, reiterating this was only the first reading and additional discussions could be had, including with Spriggs, before the ordinance is made final, resulting in his opposition of Gute's motion to table the issue.

However, with Gute and Clark's "aye," the ordinance was the first of two issues to be set aside.

For the second issue, the commission was set to pass the first reading of an ordinance regarding Graese's continued employment as city manager.

In January 2021, the commission voted 4-1 in favor of contracting Graese for another three years — set to expire in roughly three months.

According to previous reports, Spriggs was the outlier vote in 2021.

The ordinance, according to Friday's agenda, includes a $33,000 salary bump and a correlated increase to Graese's retirement and insurance, bringing the new contract's total compensation to about $230,000.

Graese's current contract on the agenda's fiscal note lists his salary as $130,000 — well below other Kentucky officials managing cities with a similar population to Ashland, per data collected in online state databases.

According to the online records, the proposed pay increase will still place Graese a few thousand less than the last reported salary of the city manager of Paducah, a city with a similar population.

Upon the reading of the motion, Gute again requested to table the issue until the next regular meeting on Nov. 16, "until all members can be here."

Clark said she would second for the sake of discussion, but asked if the board could do it sooner.

City Attorney Jim Moore said, ordinarily, tabled issues are taken up at the next regular meeting and while the board didn't currently have a special meeting scheduled before then, it was a possibility to call another before Nov. 16.

"I am 100% in support of this contract. I appreciate Mr. Graese and everything he has done for this city and want to keep him here," Clark said.

"I don't think that further discussion toward a contract is really going to make a difference in the outcome of the vote, but out of respect for Cheryl (Spriggs) ... I don't have a problem tabling it, but I do not want to wait until the 16th," she continued.

Gute responded he was under the impression the board was to have an executive session before the meeting to "hash these things out," stating the board hasn't completed performance evaluations regarding Graese.

Clark said due to Spriggs's absence, they elected to pull the executive session prior to the meeting — the same reason she agreed with Gute to table both issues.

Blanton again opposed to tabling the new contract, but Clark and Gute trumped. Both issues will be taken up at later date.

(606) 326-2652 — mjepling@dailyindependent.com