Monticello council names Mayor Allen the acting city manager

by Anna Thayn

"I want to assure the public I have absolutely no desire to be city manager, but the city needs help and that is all I am doing is trying to help out," said Monticello Mayor Doug Allen at the February 13 meeting of the Monticello City Council.

Allen made the statement when Councilman Brad Randall asked about city leadership. The City is without a manger since Trent Schafer’s employment contract was terminated in January.

Randall pointed out that the council has made no formal statement about who is in charge until a new City Manager is hired. Councilman Scott Shakespeare said that according to state statute, the Mayor is elected by the people, and as such has 100 percent authority in this situation.

Allen reiterated several times that he “doesn’t want anyone to think that I want to run the show 100 percent” but because of his employment situation, he can devote a lot of time that others probably can’t. He said he is willing to give everything he can to the City “because I took that obligation on when I ran for Mayor.”

The council voted unanimously to approve Allen as the temporary City Manager. Allen asked the council to continue to help everywhere they can. Councilman Jeremy Hoggard asked about the time frame for applications for City Manager. Allen said the posting had been listed in several places for just over a week, and they would like to have at least three weeks to receive applications. Allen felt that they would be ready to look at the top three candidates by the end of March.

The Monticello Parks and Beautification committee presented suggestions for upgrades to Main and Center streets as they are rebuilt in the next few years. The Utah Department of Transportation will pay for the cost of the basic package for lighting and sidewalks, and the City will cover the cost of any upgrades. UDOT is helping the City find funding for the upgrades. The council approved committee recomendations regarding street lighting and cement stamping color and pattern. UDOT will seek bids to secure the best possible price.