Springdale mayor to make case to add assistant position

SPRINGDALE — Mayor Doug Sprouse faces a tough sell tonight as he seeks City Council approval to hire himself an assistant.

The mayor has tapped Colby Fulfer for the job. Fulfer resigned from the council Feb. 29 when his family moved out of Ward 1, where he was serving. He’s a local businessman.

The assistant position would pay $54,300 in salary and benefits for the rest of the year, Sprouse said.

City staff and elected officials acknowledge the timing is bad, with city sales tax revenues dropping as residents and businesses isolate during the covid-19 pandemic.

“In my business, it’s not time to add a new employee. It’s not time for the city to be adding a new position,” said council member Mike Lawson.

Lawson said he supports the idea of an assistant to the mayor, but wants to wait.

Kathy Jaycox also supports the addition of the job, saying it was very much needed to handle the city’s continued growth. “But I’m still not sure how the virus is going to impact our budgets and our future.”

She suggested hiring this position as a temporary consultant and making it full time when the economy improves.

Fulfer would join city staff to learn administration of the city from Wyman Morgan, who has served 20 years as the director of administration and financial services. The job would transition to a director of administration on Morgan’s retirement. Morgan said Monday he plans to retire in early 2022.

City staff would find a

place in next year’s budget for Fulfer’s full salary, the mayor said. He said the city would rely on $90,000 of salary savings in 2020 to pay for the position. Sprouse said several police officers spend three months training each year with the National Guard and aren’t paid by the city during that time. And training for other employees has been canceled because of the virus outbreak, he said.

Sprouse presented to the council last week a list of places the city could cut the budget or add revenue to the budget he said Fulfer found.

“He’s able to look at the whole picture, a new set of eyes,” Sprouse said. “He’s probably already saved the city more money than his salary.”

Sprouse has the authority to create positions in the city with the council’s approval, said Ernest Cate, the city attorney. He also doesn’t have to advertise the position. Statute says he can hire and fire department heads, but the council can overturn the action with a two-thirds vote.

The mayor last hired Chad Wolf as the director of Parks and Recreation without posting the position after Bill Mock was fired from the position in June.

Sprouse presented this assistant’s position to the Committee of Whole on March 16. The item was tabled, and the city closed its offices two days later when the first case of covid-19 in the county was announced.

Fulfer last fall approached Sprouse saying he wanted a way to become more involved in the city.

“It seemed like I could do more than just voting,” he said. “I wanted to get my hands dirty.”

Every day for the last month, Fulfer has shown up for volunteer work in the mayor’s office, Sprouse said.

“It’s not just ability to understand the financial side, but he also has people skills and the ability to solve issues and problems,” he said.

Morgan thinks the timing is good.

“He will get to learn about how to manage the city during a disaster. There might not be another one for 10 years, but he will be ready to respond because of this experience.”

“The vision the mayor has for the future is critical,” said council member Brian Powell, who said he supports the measure. “I think the city has to rely heavily on the right leadership.”

Sprouse

Fulfer