The Zephyrhills City Council is expected to officially hire Steve Spina as its interim city manager Wednesday night, bringing back the long-time city leader after a three-year absence.
But while Jim Drumm had to fight for a severance package before resigning as city manager last week, Spina’s $48,000 will be guaranteed — even if the city finds and hires a full-time city manager before the six-month contract is up.
In a draft of the agreement provided to The Laker/Lutz News ahead of the meeting, Section 6 of Spina’s proposed contract would pay him $8,000 per month over a six-month period, and “in the event that the interim manager is terminated, requested to resign or a permanent city manager is hired, the city agrees (to) pay the interim manager for the remainder of the term.”
That could possibly leave very little legal wiggle room for city officials if the process to hire a replacement moves faster than expected, or the six-month stint with Spina simply doesn’t work out.
The salary section of Drumm’s three-year agreement paid him an annual base salary equivalent to just $7,500 per month, with no guaranteed money.
Spina also will not have some of the perks Drumm had — or even Spina had during his 15 years on the job before Drumm — including his own city vehicle.
Spina has not indicated whether he will throw his name into the mix in the city’s search for a permanent city manager, saying only that he was taking it “one day at a time.”
The special meeting to discuss the interim city manager agreement begins at 6 p.m., at City Hall, 5335 Eighth St., in Zephyrhills.
