Lee resigns from job as Somerton city administrator
Council members disagreed on contract renewal
SOMERTON — Somerton City Administrator Bill Lee will step down next month, after more than eight years in the post.
Lee announced his resignation Tuesday night after meeting behind closed doors with the Somerton City Council. The council then voted unanimously to accept the resignation.
“I thank you for the support and the opportunities you have provided me,” Lee said in reading his letter of resignation to the council. “I am proud of having worked together with you to improve the lives of residents.”
Lee did not cite reasons for stepping down, but his resignation comes after council members failed to reach an agreement among themselves to renew his contract.
The council had met in private session Aug. 15 to discuss a new contract with Lee, but postponed a decision until Tuesday night’s session, at which time the city administrator tendered his resignation.
“We came a long way under his direction, but unfortunately not everyone was in agreement on certain things,” Mayor Jose Yepez said. “When time came to renew his contract, there was no agreement (about renewal), so he decided to resign.”
Lee’s last day as administrator will be Sept. 21.
“He gave very good years of service to the city, almost nine years,” Yepez said. “He gave us his resignation and it was accepted on good terms. His contract is going to continue until that date so that that person who is going to assume the position is brought up to speed.”
Lee previously worked for Somerton as city parks and recreation director from 1991 to 1997. He rejoined the city as administrator in 2009, succeeding Cliff O’Neill.
In an email, Lee said he was particularly proud of five accomplishments of the city during his term as administrator.
One of them, he said, was becoming the first city in Yuma County to launch a residential curbside recycling program and building a recycling separation center.
Lee added he was proud of the city’s conversion to LED lighting and other energy-efficient fixtures in its buildings; its work with the Yuma Union High School District in finding a site for a future Somerton high school and joint-use park; construction of a new City Hall, and reestablishment of parking on Main Street.
Lee’s term as administrator did not come without
disagreements with members of the council over such issues as city policies for purchasing and contracting for services.
Councilman Miguel Villalpando praised Lee for his service, but said the city owes its progress not to a single person, but “to the efforts of the (city) employees, to us as a council and to the community as a whole.”