Delta likely to offer administrator job to Monroeville official
2/14/2007DELTA - Delta Village Council is expected on Monday to offer its village administrator position to Ken Knuth, the administrator of the Huron County village of Monroeville.
Council is expected to offer Mr. Knuth $48,000 a year for working 36 hours a week, with no paid vacation or holidays, said Mayor Don Gerdes, who predicted Mr. Knuth might start the job next Thursday.
Mr. Knuth, who retired at age 48 after 30 years as a government employee, is already collecting benefits from the Public Employees Retirement System, the mayor said.
The village administrator of Monroeville since mid 2004, Mr. Knuth was previously employed by the city of Olmsted Falls in the greater Cleveland area as a special projects manager, service supervisor, and laborer. He lives in the Sandusky area, but has told council he would move to Delta.
Council, the mayor said, was impressed with the community newsletters Mr. Knuth has compiled from the village offices where he has been employed. He is the only candidate that council interviewed twice. It conducted initial interviews with Kirk Kern, a former assistant administrator in Waterville, and Richard Reinbolt, the former finance director of Ottawa Hills. But Mr. Kern later withdrew.
Gary Baker, the current village administrator, is retiring at the end of this month. He has said he is moving to Williams County this weekend, where he has agreed to become the part-time village administrator of Holiday City, Ohio, starting May 1.
At Monday's committee of the whole meeting, council heard:
•Village police officer Ryan Davis, a 12-year veteran who has been the village's bicycle officer and school officer, is leaving late this month to become an officer on the Wright State University police force. His mother and wife had addressed council this winter, saying village employees should be given raises.
•Don Keil, a Toledo vegetable farmer, plans to move his greenhouses and farm to Swancreek Township south of Delta and would like village water lines extended to the property at County Roads E and 6-1. Such an extension of 2,300 feet - the village's lines are as close as County Road E and State Rt. 109 - is estimated at $70,000, Mr. Baker said.
Mr. Keil said his farm would use 2 million gallons of water a year, at an annual bill of about $7,000. Mr. Baker asked Mr. Keil to think about how much he would be willing to pay for a line extension. "We're not going to put it all in," Mr. Baker said.