Riverbank City Council members are likely to settle the future of City Manager Rich Holmer this week, more than two months after they placed him on paid administrative leave.
The council was slated to meet in closed-door session Tuesday, June 7 and again today, Wednesday, June 8, both meeting times at 5 p.m. On Tuesday the agenda required members to conduct a hearing on the city manager, according to Government Code Section 54957(b)(1) and today to consider his discipline, dismissal or release under the same code section.
A city manager serves "at will" and the council placed Holmer on leave on March 30 without giving any reason for that move at the time or since.
The council could not take any action on Holmer's case until this week because the city's code rules a manager cannot be removed from office during the 90 days after a council election and Riverbank held a special election on March 8 to fill a council vacancy.
Holmer is entitled to several months' salary in severance pay besides cashing in vacation and sick time should he be released from service. Since placed on leave, he has been drawing about $3,000 a week in salary.
Within a few days of their action against Holmer, council members hired Pam Carder, a former Lathrop city manager, as Riverbank's interim city manager for a month and have since extended her contract through the end of July. Carder is retired and handling the city manager's duties on a part time basis.
The neighboring city of Escalon in San Joaquin County currently uses a part-time city manager and a part-time police chief. Both men filling the posts are retired but are serving in a part-time role that officials there agree is working out well.
The council was slated to meet in closed-door session Tuesday, June 7 and again today, Wednesday, June 8, both meeting times at 5 p.m. On Tuesday the agenda required members to conduct a hearing on the city manager, according to Government Code Section 54957(b)(1) and today to consider his discipline, dismissal or release under the same code section.
A city manager serves "at will" and the council placed Holmer on leave on March 30 without giving any reason for that move at the time or since.
The council could not take any action on Holmer's case until this week because the city's code rules a manager cannot be removed from office during the 90 days after a council election and Riverbank held a special election on March 8 to fill a council vacancy.
Holmer is entitled to several months' salary in severance pay besides cashing in vacation and sick time should he be released from service. Since placed on leave, he has been drawing about $3,000 a week in salary.
Within a few days of their action against Holmer, council members hired Pam Carder, a former Lathrop city manager, as Riverbank's interim city manager for a month and have since extended her contract through the end of July. Carder is retired and handling the city manager's duties on a part time basis.
The neighboring city of Escalon in San Joaquin County currently uses a part-time city manager and a part-time police chief. Both men filling the posts are retired but are serving in a part-time role that officials there agree is working out well.
