Monroe could decide today whether to pay police chief for two jobs

Published 11:25 pm Monday, July 20, 2009

MONROE — Seven months after asking the police chief to work a second job for no extra money, the City Council may finally pony up some cash.

Monday afternoon, a city attorney was drawing up a pay proposal for Police Chief Tim Quenzer, Mayor Donnetta Walser said. The item is on the City Council agenda for tonight’s meeting and Walser expected the council would make a decision.

Since January, Quenzer has worked two jobs for one paycheck. He agreed to do so to help the city avoid paying thousands of dollars to hire a new city administrator after it fired its previous one.

It put city leaders in an uncomfortable position when the police chief in June asked for a $4,000 pay raise plus back pay in the midst of a city budget crisis. That would be on top of the $123,228 he already receives.

The city, which has about 16,500 residents, is struggling to keep enough cash on hand to pay its bills. It has already asked all city employees, including Quenzer, to take two unpaid days. It has laid off employees and left other positions unfilled, including positions in the police department.

The mayor gave the City Council a choice: Give the police chief a raise or hire somebody else to run City Hall.

“This has been a huge distraction for the city and I think it’s important to get results right away,” Walser said.

Now, two weeks after that ultimatum, the council plans to make a decision.

The contract on the table does not include retroactive pay — something the chief had asked for. It includes an expectation the chief will continue doing both jobs until at least the end of the year.

With elections in November, it makes sense for the mayor and the council to be cemented before any major decisions about hiring a city administrator are made, Walser said.

The proposal also includes more money for the chief, but Walser declined to say how much.

“I don’t want to say anything until the council sees it,” she said.

It seems many are fixated on how much the chief would make, rather than the amount he would save even with extra money, Walser said.

“He’s more than qualified, and he’s doing an outstanding job,” Walser said. “He’s saving us money.”

If the council decides the city can’t afford to pay the chief more, they’ll have to start a search process and hire a new city administrator, she said.

The council plans to discuss the pay proposal at 7 p.m. at the council’s regular meeting.

Debra Smith: 425-339-3197, dsmith@heraldnet.com.