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July 19, 2013
The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch
Page 31
Salisbury Eyes Efficiency With Executive Shuffling
By TRAVIS BROWN
STAFF WRITER
Regional Digest
FROM PAGE 30 cameras,” he said. “I chose Jeannie because she will actually help me run the government.”
SALISBURY – A major restructuring of the executive branch in Salisbury would split responsibility for the city’s 11 departments across three different categories and would come with an estimated price tag of $60,400 in additional costs. Proponents of the change assert that it would mean a major increase in governmental efficiency and break the “linear” nature of the current system. But city leadership questioned if the new salaries for top positions would keep Salisbury competitive. “We view it as a growth opportunity. Not a growth of government but a growth of opportunity to serve the citizens in a more cohesive manner,” Salisbury Fire Chief Rick Hoppes told the council Monday. The new structure was championed by Hoppes as well as Salisbury Police Department Chief Barbara Duncan and Neighborhood Services Director Tom Stevenson who said that input from several other departments was factored into their model. “We spent a great deal of staff hours looking at what would be a viable solution to some of the organizational changes that would be beneficial to help us with our efficiency in government,” said Hoppes. What the trio suggested is a “paradigm shift” that would take some of the responsibility currently on the city administrator and divide it among new deputy administrators. Instead of having a single assistant city administrator, the duty would be split between a deputy city administrator for economic development and another for communications. There would still be a traditional city administrator, but their role would be reduced slightly. “The linear nature of [our current
system] really drastically decreases efficiency with regard to visionary planning and organizing a unified effort,” said Hoppes. The 11 city departments would then be divvied up between the three. “What we are looking to do for each one of these is to have an organizational leader on top of each segment that coordinates the efforts that drives the mission of the city, which needs to be clarified collectively by the council and by the mayor,” Duncan said. Because the restructuring would be such a major overhaul on the current system, the council had a number of questions. Salaries were a sticking point for several council members. Even though the new setup would cost an additional $60,400 to implement for the new deputies, the city administrator’s position would see a salary cut. Because the current city administrator, John Pick, is about to retire, Stevenson said that it seemed like the perfect time to put the new strategy into action. But Councilwoman Laura Mitchell worried that the pay cut might make it harder to attract qualified applicants for the position. “I don’t see us getting what we need out of these salaries in particular and the compression issues that would come with that,” she said. “The city administrator would be making less than many of the department heads, or a number of the department heads at least. And that’s an issue.” The city administrator would drop from $97,511 to $86,587 under the restructuring. The two deputies would be making $62,257, a slight drop from the $68,786 made by the assistant city administrator. Council President Jake Day also worried that cutting the salaries might make it more difficult to stay competitive with other cities.
“That’s something that I’m thinking about and struggling with,” he said. The salaries were tricky, said Mayor Jim Ireton, but a lot of thought was put into coming up with something the administration thought was fair. “Trying to come to those numbers was an extremely difficult thing to do,” he said. The Salisbury Chamber of Commerce also weighed in on the salary question as well as some other points it felt needed clarified before the current system could be retired. “You want to get the best talent for the buck,” stressed Chamber Executive Director Ernie Colburn. Other questions the chamber forwarded included whether a parttime mayor, which currently exists, is still the best approach as well as if the current compensation for the office of mayor is aligned with the job description. Day weighed in on that, too, asking if implementing the new structure would be “the end of the conversation.” Councilwoman Terry Cohen suggested that the city look to other ways to increase efficiency while talk of restructuring continues. “In terms of efficiencies, there are a number of things that I think that we could do now that would create some of the offloading of some of that work,” she said. Redundancy is a problem that needs examination, she continued, with city resources sometimes duplicated and wasted on the same task. The council decided that additional work sessions will be necessary to fully examine the pros and cons of restructuring the executive branch at this time. There is no rush, said Stevenson, though if the new system is put into motion it would be easiest to do so inbetween Pick’s retirement and replacement hiring.
Seasonal Seafood Workers Bill Passed
BERLIN – U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski last week announced the passage of the Labor, Health and Human Services appropriations bill that includes a provision allowing Maryland’s seafood industry to stagger the H2B visas for foreign workers to facilitate the peak summer harvest season. The H-2B visa program has aided Maryland’s seafood industry by providing seasonal labor to help pick crab meat on the Eastern Shore. It helps protect the nation’s borders and rewards foreign workers who play by the rules. At the same time, it protects American workers by requiring employers to recruit American workers first and keeps small and seasonal businesses open by guaranteeing needed labor during the peak seasons. “Maryland’s seafood industry is critical for jobs on the Eastern Shore and our way of life,” said Mikulski. “From harvesting crabs to shucking oysters, temporary and seasonal workers ensure Maryland’s seafood industry continues to prosper. By staggering the work periods of these seasonal employees, businesses can get the help they need when they need it. This legislation puts the hiring of seasonal workers back in the hands of seafood businesses whose livelihoods depend on the changing tides of Mother Nature.”
Salisbury Sees Spike In Permit Revenue
SALISBURY – Salisbury officials announced this week a major spike in revenue from construction and permitting revenues signal the city has turned a corner in economic growth over the last two years. Using the “Estimated Cost of Construction and Permitting Revenues,” Mayor Jim Ireton and Director of Building, Permits and Inspections William Holland last week announced a steady sign of economic growth in Salisbury. According to the report, Salisbury has seen a 775-percent increase in the estimated cost of construction from fiscal year 2011 to fiscal year 2013 and another 144 percent increase in permitting revenues for the city over the same time period. “This construction activity and permitting increases are indicative of an economy rebounding for the city,” said Holland. “This rebound and the city’s ‘let’s do business Salisbury’ position us to continue to lead the peninsula in economic development.”
Mother Charged AgainInDeath Of Her Daughter
By SHAWN J. SOPER
NEWS EDITOR
SALISBURY – A Pennsylvania woman, charged with and later cleared of negligent manslaughter by motor vehicle for the death of her 11-year-old daughter, was indicted this week on multiple charges by a Wicomico County grand jury. Last Aug. 5, Maryland State Police responded to a single-vehicle accident on the Route 13 bypass near Salisbury. The investigation revealed a 2004 Jeep Wrangler had veered across the lanes of the highway and across the shoulder before rolling several times. The vehicle was driven by Tabitha Dobrzynski, 38, of New Kensington, Pa., and also included the driver’s three young children. One of the children, an 11-yearold daughter, was ejected from the middle area of the Jeep’s back seat and ultimately died of injuries sus-
tained in the crash. It was later learned the 11-year-old victim was not restrained by a safety belt. The other three children, as well as Dobrzynski, were not seriously injured in the crash. According to police reports, Dobrzynski appeared impaired at the crash scene and remembered little about the wreck. She was also confused about where she was going and where she was coming from. At first, she told police she was heading from West Virginia to Pennsylvania. When questioned further, she told police she was heading to Ocean City. The investigation revealed Dobrzynski was under the influence of at least four different prescription medicines including vicodin, oxycodone, Prozac and soma, a common muscle relaxer. Some of the medicines on which Dobrzynski was on at the time of the crash were discovered at the crash scene in their ap-
propriate prescription bottles, while others were not. Dobrzynski was charged originally with negligent manslaughter by motor vehicle while impaired by controlled dangerous substances, causing life-threatening injuries by motor vehicle while impaired and numerous traffic violations. In January, those charges were dropped when a blood test administered by the Maryland State Police crime lab came back negative for oxycodone and benzodiazepine. However, Wicomico County State’s Attorney Matt Maciarello vowed to continue to pursue the case and had a private company analyze the blood. The private company tested for substances not included in the standard MSP testing protocol and the results came back positive. Maciarello then presented the case to the grand jury, which handed down the 15-count indictment on Monday.
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