The Warrenton Board of Aldermen has approved a $24,000 contract with retiring City Administrator Terri Thorn to retain her as a consultant for an additional year.
Thorn is slated to retire …
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The Warrenton Board of Aldermen has approved a $24,000 contract with retiring City Administrator Terri Thorn to retain her as a consultant for an additional year.
Thorn is slated to retire on the first day of April this year. On the second day of April, Thorn would become a consultant, to be paid $2,000 per month. The cost to the city is a flat fee, for which Thorn would provide “up to 30 hours of services a month,” according to the agreement approved by aldermen.
Aldermen voted 5-0, with Ward 3 Alderman Gary Miller absent, to approve the consulting agreement with Thorn during their Jan. 5 public meeting. There was no discussion of the contract during the meeting. Aldermen told The Record the general details were previously discussed during closed session.
Under the terms of the contract, Thorn will assist with support services for city administration, attracting businesses and developers, financial management, and ongoing sewer system projects. Officials said Thorn will not be directing any city staff after retirement, only assisting incoming Administrator Brandie Walters.
If Thorn’s services exceed 30 hours in a month, the contract states Thorn will be paid $75 per hour in addition to the $2,000 flat fee. The city will also reimburse Thorn for out-of-pocket costs approved by the city.
The agreement will expire after one year unless renewed. That means at a minimum, the city would pay Thorn $24,000 for consultation.
City aldermen told The Record that they feel it’s vital to retain Thorn’s expertise for ongoing projects during the transition to Walters as administrator. Thorn has been mentoring Walters, who currently serves as the city’s director of operations.
Alderman Cheryl Dyer commented that Thorn has been leading multiple large and complex infrastructure projects that aldermen want her to support through completion.
“It felt like the wrong time to just say, ‘OK Brandie (Walters), you need to take over right now.’ We clearly needed someone to take some of these projects through to fruition,” Dyer commented.
Alderman Gary Auch said the board of aldermen voted to pay Thorn the monthly $2,000, rather than having her bill based on time worked, to ensure open access to her. That way, Walters doesn’t have to hesitate over being billed for a 5-minute phone call, Auch said.
“I thought the retainer amount, for somebody who can provide (Thorn’s) level of service, was pretty reasonable ... to assure that she’s always there and available to help,” Auch said.
The Record asked Auch and Dyer if the city had considered searching for administrator candidates who might not have needed support from Thorn as a consultant. They replied that no new administrator would have Thorn’s knowledge of ongoing infrastructure projects. They also consider Walters’ history with the city and local relationships as vital for the next administrator.
Mayor Eric Schleuter did not reply to a request for comment for this article.
Legally speaking, the city’s contract will actually be with a limited liability corporation created by Thorn: Strategic Support Services LLC. City resident Josh Poore, a frequent critic who is running for election as an alderman, is crying foul over the date the LLC was established.
The Missouri Secretary of State’s office shows the establishing date of the LLC as Jan. 7, 2021, two days after aldermen approved a contract with the LLC. No registration document was on file prior to that date, Poore said.
“(The city) passed this bill when the LLC did not exist and was not in good standing with the Secretary of State,” Poore said through his Liberty in Warren County Facebook page. He criticized aldermen for a lack of due diligence in approving the agreement.
City Attorney Christopher Graville responded to the concern by saying the authorization to enter into the contract doesn’t take effect until April 2, 2021. As long as the LLC is in good standing at that time, there aren’t any legal concerns.
“All (the board of aldermen) did is approve the terms and conditions of a contract. Approving the terms and conditions of an agreement under municipal law is different than executing it. The mayor’s authority to execute it is not valid until April 2,” Graville said.
