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BE council okays Bailey’s contract

By Staff | Aug 2, 2008

Kathy Bailey

It’s official.

The Blue Earth City Council unanimously approved the contract for hiring Kathy Bailey as the new city administrator.

The agreement calls for Bailey to start her duties Monday, Aug. 11.

She resigned her current position as Madelia city administrator two weeks prior.

Bailey’s starting salary will be $67,114 according to the two-year contract. That amount is $600 less than was paid to previous administrator Ben Martig.

The pay is the mid-point in the salary range set for the city’s top position.

“There are two steps lower than this amount, and two steps higher,” says Bill Bassett, the interim city administrator for Blue Earth who negotiated the terms with Bailey.

Bailey is currently paid $64,890 annually in Madelia.

“This is not a large increase over what she was making in Madelia,” Mayor Rob Hammond says. “That is why we chose the mid-range.”

Bailey was given credit for five years of service for vacation purposes, which means she will be earning vacation time at that level, or 96 hours per year. She was also given 40 hours of credited vacation and sick leave at the start of employment.

The new city administrator will also be reimbursed for use of her private automobile while on city business at the current IRS rate. This does not include commuting mileage from her home in Garden City.

The contract approval came during a 12-minute long special meeting last Monday night.

“It’s the role of the council to keep their administrator happy, if they are happy with her,” Bassett remarks. “She wants to be here, so you do not have to do a lot to keep her here now, but you need incentives to keep her satisfied.”