Council approves changes to City Manager's contract

The Vestavia Hills City Council met for a specially-called meeting Wednesday to discuss a single item of business: changes to City Manager Jeff Downes' contract.

The move, Mayor Ashley Curry explained, came after a recruitment firm attempted to woo Downes away to be city manager for Auburn.

Curry said the timing, paired with Downes fourth annual performance appraisal done by himself and Mayor Pro-Tem Rusty Weaver, was opportune to revisit Downes' contract and salary.

At that appraisal, and after surveying the other council members, Curry said Downes received the highest rating in his time as city manager.

“At that point in time, we felt like it was in our best interest to try to retain Mr. Downes and not let another city steal him away,” Curry said.

The resolution brought forward at the meeting included an 18 percent salary increase, bringing Downes base salary to $190,000 annually, and retained his $6,000 annual automobile allowance, and changed the way his contract is renewed.

Before opening up a public hearing on the matter, Curry read from a prepared statement detailing Downes' major accomplishments, including the redevelopment of the U.S. 31 corridor, the development of Patchwork Farms and "significant financial growth."

Curry's statement also explained how when Downes was hired, the city was paying $260,000 annually for a city manager and an economic development professional, and bringing Downes on to fill both roles immediately saved the city $93,000 annually.

Other council members also expressed how they were dismayed when they found out Downes might be leaving.

Place 2 Councilor Kimberly Cook said in the little-less than a year she has been working with Downes, she has been impressed with his ability to manage the city staff and his professionalism.

“I fully trust that it’s a tight ship,” she said, reiterating that she was upset to hear he was being recruited by another city.

Place 4 Councilor George Pierce, who was part of the council that hired Downes, said that he trusts what the city manager tells the council, and that he has fulfilled the city's need for strong economic development efforts.

“I know the difference he’s made in our city, I think all of you know the difference he’s made in our city,” he said.

Place 3 Councilor Paul Head, noting that it was hard to add to what the other councilors had already said, simply justified the need to try to keep the city manager, no matter the cost.

“The increase to me is a drop in the bucket to the value he brings to the city,” he said.

And the council was not alone in expressing sentiments about Downes' work and the wish to keep him on.

Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce President Karen Odle said she could give the council the numbers on how Downes had impacted the business community in the city, because she said they speak for themselves, but that the major takeaway was the word "transformational."

“That’s what our community has been seeing since he came on board,” she said. “We need Jeff here.”

Chamber board chair Roger Steur echoed Odle's statements, saying he'd be happy to show them the spreadsheets, if they needed proof.

Former Mayor Butch Zaragoza, like Pierce, spoke to the hiring process the council went through when Downes was brought in to boost the city's standing economically.

“We had to do something for our community or we would dry up and go away,” he said. "He did exactly what we asked him to do."

City Attorney Pat Boone said he spoke with the recruiting firm for nearly 45 minutes when they called to inquire about Downes, and was also dismayed to find out there was an attempt to poach him.

"As citizen Boone," he said, "I would like to say this city is fortunate to have jeff downes, and in my judgement, Jeff downes is the best thing to ever happen to this city.”

The council voted unanimously to approve the changes to Downes' contract, getting a standing ovation from the crowd of supporters and city staff.