The Haines Borough Assembly approved the conditional contract for their choice of borough manager. The applicant is asking for $15,000 more than the salary range the assembly first authorized. He says he’s a finalist for a similar position in two other communities.
The Haines assembly approved a salary range of $120,000 to $140,000 yearly for the borough manager job. Finalist Kim Zimmerman asked for $155,000.
Mayor Tom Morphet questioned the amount at the Nov. 21 special meeting.
“This will be $20,000 more than we paid our most recent manager,” Morphet said.
Interim Manager Elke Doom collected salary and benefit information from other Alaska towns such as Palmer, Dillingham, Kodiak, Bethel, Seward and Valdez.
“You will not have a manager come here for $130,000,” Doom said. “Not after the inflation we’ve had over the last several years since COVID. If you want anyone who’s qualified, you will have to up your game, and you will have to increase the salary … If you want someone with background and qualifications, you have to meet today’s salary range.”
“So you take a look at the salaries, and you take a look at the population. He’s actually quite reasonable by asking for $155,000 per year,” she added.
Zimmerman’s contract would also include 25 days of personal leave, five more than the previous manager. Doom says Zimmerman uses military benefits for health insurance and would need to travel to Anchorage for medical appointments. The contract also grants three months of housing with utilities and up to $20,000 for reimbursement of moving expenses.
“I’ve checked with other communities here in Alaska as to what their moving expenses are, and they can’t even move for $20,000,” Doom said. “So that’s actually a low cost that he was willing to accept.”
Jila Stuart, borough finance director, said that the assembly actually budgeted $150,000 for a manager.
“I don’t think a budget amendment would be required, because you also budgeted for a deputy manager, and we haven’t begun to hire for that,” Stuart said. “So, there’s that money available.”
The assembly accepted the terms of the conditional offer of employment and issued an invitation to Zimmerman, and his wife, to visit Haines and sign the contract.
Doom noted that Zimmerman was having trouble finding housing in Haines and described the market as quote, “tight.
“He’s very eager to come on board, and he’s really looking forward to being here,” Doom said. “He’s made phone calls. He’s been put in touch with landlords … He’s making every effort just to do an outreach and keeping me apprised of his efforts, because he’d like to come up here as quickly as possible and get settled in.”
While Zimmerman may be eager to come to Haines, he’s not counting his chickens before they hatch. He told the Chilkat Valley News, “I’m not putting my eggs all in one basket.”
Zimmerman has active applications for city manager in other communities. He says he first applied to Haines in July and had to check back if they were still looking for a manager.
Hunter Rieseberg, the other finalist for the borough manager position, withdrew his application shortly after Zimmrman was picked.
Zimmerman’s selection was controversial. Although he was approved by a four to two assembly vote, most of the public comments supported Rieseberg, who has roughly thirty years of borough manager experience. Zimmerman has five years of borough experience, with the majority of his career centered around the military.
