Kalispell council, mayor fire city manager

Kalispell city officials announced Friday that the City Council and Mayor Pam Kennedy have decided not to renew City Manager Jim Patrick's contract, effective immediately.

City Human Resources Director Terry Mitton will serve as temporary interim manager, Kennedy said. The council hopes to have a "permanent interim manager" in place by Oct. 27.

"We've got some feelers out there," she said. "We're in final negotiations to make sure we've got the right person for the job."

The search for a new city manager will begin immediately, she said, and could take from four to six months.

Kennedy declined to give a reason for Patrick's termination.

"It's typical for city managers to change their employment every three to five years," Kennedy said. "It was determined by the City Council it was time to search for a new manager and time to discontinue our professional relationship with him."

The unanimous decision was reached Monday night in a closed session before a City Council work session.

That is illegal in Montana, according to Mike Meloy, a Montana Newspaper Association attorney from Helena.

The council had scheduled a closed executive session for "personnel" purposes at 6 p.m. Monday. The published agenda did not mention any council votes to be taken after the closed session.

After the closed session in a side room, council members walked into the main council chambers and started their 7 p.m. workshop session on road impact fees. No votes are allowed in workshop sessions.

No votes were taken in the main council chambers from 6:45 p.m. to the end of the workshop Monday.

Prior to the Daily Inter Lake contacting Meloy on Friday, City Attorney Charles Harball said the executive-session vote was legal since the council ended the session with a document on the termination signed by all the council members.

The Daily Inter Lake reached Harball again after contacting Meloy. Harball said he would have to talk to Meloy before commenting further on the topic.

Meloy and Harball said the council could address the legality issue by voting in an open session on whether to fire Patrick.

Patrick could not be reached for comment Friday.

Patrick has been Kalispell's city manager since November 2004 when he replaced Chris Kukulski. Before moving to Kalispell, he was city manager of Vermillion, S.D.

Since Patrick took the helm in Kalispell, the city has experienced "phenomenal growth," both in terms of population and business, Kalispell Chamber of Commerce President Joe Unterreiner said.

"Probably the last five-year period has been the highest-growth period perhaps in the entire history of the city," Unterreiner said. "That brings with it both benefits and challenges."

Some of the benefits, Unterreiner said, include growth in per-capita income that is outpacing the state average and growth in the number of high-wage jobs in the city.

But Patrick has been present for several challenges as well, including a protracted 2008-09 city budget process, which resulted in the loss of five staff positions, several seasonal Parks and Recreation jobs and slashed hours for a planner and GPS employee.

Under Patrick's supervision, city government relocated in April to its new City Hall, which, at $1.6 million, was more than $400,000 over budget (and five months behind schedule).

In 2007, the city's unionized employees picketed outside City Hall during tense contract negotiations. There also was tension in the fire department, capped by the retirement of Fire Chief Randy Brodehl in July 2008.

There also has been disagreement between the city and local advocacy group Citizens for a Better Flathead. Mayre Flowers, the nonprofit organization's executive director, said she hopes the new city manager will be a proponent of transparent government.

Patrick has been present at closed meetings on transportation impact fees - meetings that, because they are of public significance, should have been open to the public, Flowers said.

"It's very important that the city have a city manager who works well with the public," she said. "We look forward to an open-door, friendly policy with a new city manager."

City government will operate as usual in the absence of a permanent city manager, Kennedy said. City officials will release the name of the interim manager next week.

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com