Committee moves charter-ordinance changes for department-head appointments to full council

Attorney Maddie presented a charter-ordinance package sponsored by Mayor Washington Spivey, saying the legislation “does 3 things”: codify the separation of the finance director from the HR director, eliminate the La Crosse Center manager position and add a one-year probationary period for department heads. The proposal also would make the transit director a for-cause position after the probationary period.

Council members asked whether the measures change who appoints or removes department heads and whether different supermajority thresholds apply. Attorney Maddie explained that state statute provides default appointment rules and different removal thresholds can apply depending on the appointing authority. Because charter ordinances require a nine-vote threshold at council, Councilmember Trost moved to forward the ordinance to next week’s full council meeting without a recommendation from the committee; the motion carried unanimously.