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The Powell City Council recently endorsed the performance of City Administrator Zack Thorington, re-upping his contract for the next two years.
“Zack’s doing a great job at the …
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The Powell City Council recently endorsed the performance of City Administrator Zack Thorington, re-upping his contract for the next two years.
“Zack’s doing a great job at the city,” Mayor John Wetzel said in a Wednesday interview, adding that, “the council certainly wants him to stick around for a while longer.”
Thorington is a longtime city employee, having previously served in the parks department, as the city’s building official and as IT director. The council hired him as the city’s next administrator in March 2019, to replace retiring Administrator Zane Logan.
Logan now sits on the city council — and he joined the unanimous vote to extend Thorington’s contract. There was little discussion before the June 5 vote, “because there wasn’t too much to say besides we appreciate the work he’s doing,” Wetzel said.
Under the City of Powell’s mayor-council form of government, the administrator oversees all of the city’s employees and its day-to-day operations. It’s the only position hired by the council and that directly answers to the elected council members.
The agreement approved this month extends Thorington’s employment from July 1 through June 30, 2025.
If he leaves the post before the end of the contract, Thorington is required to give the city at least 45 days of advance notice. The administrator can be fired “at any time for the city’s convenience,” but if the council does so without cause, it must provide him four months’ worth of pay and health insurance as severance.
The contract does not specify Thorington’s pay, only requiring the council to set his salary during each year’s budget process. In the coming fiscal year, he’s set to make $127,400, up from $118,012 last year. Like all city employees, Thorington is receiving a 2.5% cost of living adjustment in the fiscal year that begins July 1, and like most, he’s receiving an additional increase based on his job performance.
Beyond standard city benefits like insurance, vacation time and retirement contributions, Thorington receives a vehicle allowance of $6,916 a year.
In the three-page contract, Thorington agreed to perform his duties “with the highest degree of skill and judgment in accordance with accepted standards for the profession.”
