1 CITY OF MILL VALLEY
ADJOURNED REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING
ACTION MINUTES
COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CITY HALL
26 CORTE MADERA AVENUE, MILL VALLEY
July 6, 2022
6:30 P.M.
Mayor Jim Wickham – Present
Vice Mayor Urban Carmel – Present
Councilmember Sashi McEntee – Present
Councilmember Stephen Burke – Present
Councilmember Max Perrey – Present
City Staff Present: City Manager Piombo; Senior Management Analyst Walsh; Human Resources Manager Allingham; City Clerk/Management Analyst III Rogers; and Deputy City Clerk/Management Analyst II Politzer.
CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Wickham called the meeting to order at 6:37 p.m.
ACTION OUT OF CLOSED SESSION
Closed Session Agenda_220706
None.
APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA ORDER
Agenda_220706
It was MOVED by Vice Mayor Carmel and SECONDED by Councilmember Perrey to approve the Agenda Order. The Motion was carried by a 5-0 vote.
COUNCIL/STAFF ANNOUNCEMENTS AND COUNCIL LIAISON REPORTS None.
CITY MANAGER’S REPORT
None.
PUBLIC OPEN TIME
Speakers: June Cooperman.
Communications (via eComment): None.
2 NEW BUSINESS
1. Consideration of a Resolution Appointing Todd Cusimano as City Manager of the City of Mill Valley and Approving an Employment Agreement Between the City of Mill Valley and Mr. Cusimano.
Recommended Action: Adopt Resolution No. 22-___ and approve the employment agreement with Todd Cusimano.
Item 1_Resolution Appointing New City Manager_220706
Item 1_Public Communication Nos. 1-4_220706
Item 1_Public Communication Nos. 5-9_220706
Mayor Wickham introduced the item and read into the record the following as required by law:
“Government Code Section 54953(c), which was enacted into law after the City of Bell scandal, requires that we make a verbal announcement regarding the salary of any local agency executive anytime we approve an employment contract. To that end, we note that the Council is considering appointment of Todd Cusimano to the position of City Manager, with a base salary of $257,004, with increases of 2.25% on September 1, 2023 and September 1, 2024, and increases of 3.5% on September 1, 2025 and September 1, 2026, and fringe benefits of group health, dental, and long term disability coverage, life insurance, enrollment in the Public Employees Retirement System with City contributions, deferred compensation with a contribution match maximum of $5,140 per year, eligibility to participate in the City’s Retiree Health Savings plan at the rate applicable to an employee with more than 61 months of service, vacation leave at the rate applicable to an employee with more than 7 years of service, sick leave, holiday leave, and 10 days of administrative leave annually.” Mayor Wickham opened public comment for the item.
Speakers: Tammy Edmondson, Sascha Bunge, June Cooperman.
Communications (via eComment): Larry Litvak, Clifford Waldeck, Margaret Fisher, Naima Dean.
Mayor Wickham closed public comment.
Vice Mayor Carmel stated this was the second time the City of Mill Valley has had to go through a City Manager recruitment in the last few years and noted the Mayor and Vice Mayor were the City Council liaisons who led the effort. He said the recruitment process commenced in March when they selected Ralph Andersen & Associates and started working with Heather Renschler. Vice Mayor Carmel gave an outline of the entire recruitment process and noted the Council utilized a community panel that consisted of a strong and well-respected group of individuals from Mill Valley. Vice Mayor Carmel stated the community panel had unanimous support behind Todd Cusimano. He said once the candidates were interviewed and a clear frontrunner was identified, he and Mayor Wickham entered negotiations with the top candidate. He congratulated Mr. Cusimano and stated he is very confident the City Council has chosen the best candidate.
Councilmember McEntee said the City of Mill Valley is lucky to have an engaged group of residents in Mill Valley. She noted she just finished her term as the Marin County Council of 3 Mayors and Councilmembers (MCCMC) President, so she is very familiar with all the City Councilmembers and City Managers in Marin County and all have spoken very highly of Mr.
Cusimano. Councilmember McEntee congratulated Mr. Cusimano and welcomed him to the City of Mill Valley.
Councilmember Burke said he has interviewed and hired many people in the private sector and thought the interview process the City pursued was very professional and well run. He was not sure if the City would end up with the right candidate at first but was very pleased that Mr.
Cusimano applied. Councilmember Burke congratulated Mr. Cusimano and said he is excited to work with him in the future.
Councilmember Perrey welcomed Mr. Cusimano to the City of Mill Valley. He said Mr.
Cusimano hit all the boxes in what he wanted in the next City Manager and said he is excited to work with him. Councilmember Perrey stated he wants to build trust with the community and said he hopes everyone will give Mr. Cusimano a warm welcome.
Mayor Wickham stated he has spent the past 37 years working for the City of Mill Valley and said the credibility of a City Manager is of the utmost importance. He said he has worked with Mr. Cusimano in the past so he did not want to influence the Council’s decision and decided to take a back seat in most of the process. Mayor Wickham said Mr. Cusimano is the right fit for the City and knows he will be a great asset to the community.
It was MOVED by Councilmember McEntee and SECONDED by Councilmember Perrey to adopt the Resolution and approve the employment agreement with Todd Cusimano. The Motion was carried by a 5-0 vote.
Mayor Wickham invited Mr. Cusimano to say a few words.
Mr. Cusimano thanked the Council for the opportunity to work for Mill Valley. He noted he is a dedicated leader and public servant who is excited to join the Mill Valley team and get to work on discussions that have been taking place over the last few years. Mr. Cusimano said the Council, City staff, and the community were what convinced him to apply for the job as he was impressed with everyone’s engagement. Mr. Cusimano said being a City Manager is an awesome responsibility and emphasized his excitement to be Mill Valley’s next City Manager.
COUNCIL REQUESTS AND IDEAS FOR DISCUSSION
None.
ADJOURNMENT – The Council ADJOURNED at 7:25 p.m. to the next Regular City Council meeting which will be held on Thursday, July 7, 2022. ___________________________
Jim Wickham, Mayor
ATTEST:
________________________________________
Kelsey Rogers, City Clerk/Management Analyst III