Seneca cancels Verizon plan, approves small stipends and starts manager-agreement review

City Manager Josh Walker reviewed the existing Verizon cell-phone contract and recommended cancelling it because the phones are seldom used. The council voted to cancel the Verizon plan and instead forward the city line to Walker's phone. To compensate personal-phone use for city business the council approved monthly stipends of $40 for the City Manager and $20 for the City Maintenance Worker; Councilor Pettyjohn moved the measure and Councilor Smith seconded it.

Councilors also reviewed a draft of a revised city manager agreement. Walker said he plans to reduce his hours and switch to hourly pay, proposing a $20/hour rate and suggesting benefits be tied to a 30-hour minimum. The council asked Walker to research Oregon definitions of full-time work and to return with a revised agreement at the next meeting. Separately, Walker noted that John Saunders renewed the city's wastewater operator certification in December; with that certification in place the city no longer needs to retain Saunders solely for certification reasons, and councilors discussed presenting a small gift and possibly having Saunders fill in as the transfer station attendant.