City Manager Scott Lippmann listens as the council discusses his resignation Tuesday night.
By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter
Williston City Manager Scott Lippmann didn’t exactly get a warm reception Tuesday night when he officially announced he was leaving his job of 7 ½ years to take a job with a new employer.
Lippmann, who submitted a written resignation on May 18 via email to the council saying he was giving the board 30 days of notice as required by his contract but was asking to leave earlier, was told his final day was May 29.
He agreed to the council’s offer.
One of his chief critics, Council President Charles Goodman offered to let the city manager leave that night.
“As one vote, I would accept your resignation immediately and there would be no 30 days,” said Goodman, giving Lippmann a long look. Lippmann didn’t respond to the offer.
Lippmann’s resignation letter offered no reason for leaving but promised he would do whatever he could to aid the transition to the new manager.
Lippmann said later he has accepted a non-governmental job in Gainesville. He wants to stay in this area to be close to his six granddaughters. He preferred not to discuss his new job or the compensation for the position.
Goodman and Mayor Jerry Robinson last year accused Lippmann of giving himself raises without approval of the board, but the full board never embraced the idea of firing him.
Former Council President Nancy Wininger defended Lippmann saying the contract wasn’t clear about how the city manager received raises. Goodman thought the contract specifically said raises could be given only by an approved motion of the council. Wininger preferred clarifying the contract language.
Lippmann had been given two raises during his first year on the job, increasing his salary to $75,000. The council agreed the first two raises were part of his contract, but it stripped him of raises received after that point.
One of the oddities of the controversy was that Lippmann’s raises were part of the overall budget approved by the council and so technically speaking, his raises had been approved by the board.
But Goodman and Robinson contended that no motion was ever made by a board member to give Lippmann pay raises after he reached the $75,000 level, and without an approved motion, Lippmann wasn’t eligible for higher pay.
In the past year, the council has lost two administrators. Former City Clerk Fran Taylor left for a Department of Defense job in Maryland. Lippmann is departing for the job in Gainesville.
The council hasn’t officially begun the process of advertising for Lippmann’s replacement. Goodman said he and the mayor can get together to write a job description.
But the city will be without a city manager for a while.
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City of Williston Regular Meeting May 26, 2020; Posted May 21, 2020
