City council splits on pool manager decision

MARENGO — The Marengo City Council voted 3-2 Tuesday to hire Shawn Huedepohl to manage the new swimming pool when it opens in May.

City Administrator Karla Marck recommended that the council hire Huedepohl during the special meeting as she had during the regular city council meeting Feb. 26.

The council voted 2-2 against hiring Huedepohl during the February meeting. Karen Wayson-Kisling was absent for that vote but cast the deciding affirmative vote by phone March 4.

“We are obviously rebuilding our aquatics program,” said Marck when making the recommendation. Huedepohl, a substitute teacher and coach for Iowa Valley Community School District, has experience dealing with disgruntled parents, she said. He’s involved with the target audience.

With Huedepohl as manager, the city could conceivably hire all the applicants it interviewed, said Marck: Huedepohl as manager, and Grace and Hannah Ryan as lifeguards.

The Ryan women, who are in their first year at the University of Iowa, have lifeguard certification and applied for the position of pool manager as a team, Marck said.

Huedepohl is willing to get his lifeguard certification, said Marck, but as he had not been hired by March 1, that deadline would have to be extended. She suggested giving him until May 1.

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The personnel committee, which consisted of Council members John Hinshaw and Wayson-Kisling and non-voting members Marck and Mayor Adam Rabe, couldn’t interview the Ryans before Jan. 20, said Marck, so she was unable to put the hiring decision on the agenda for the Jan. 22 meeting.

Marck scheduled a closed session for the Feb. 12 council meeting, thinking that the council could discuss the position in closed session as a personnel issue.

City Attorney Gabe Kensler said that the hiring of a pool manager was not something that could be discussed in closed session, so Marck pushed it forward to the next meeting, Feb. 26, during which the council voted 2-2 not to hire Huedepohl.

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Councilman John Hinshaw said Tuesday, that the qualifications in the job description — that the pool manager be lifeguard certified — were “what we decided on.”

Councilman Travis Schlabach disputed that statement. He didn’t vote for that, he said. He was absent during that meeting.

It’s what the personnel committee decided on, said Hinshaw.

The job description says the aquatics center manager must have a high school diploma or equivalent, have lifeguard certification, first aid and CPR certification or have the ability to obtain certification by March 1. Water Safety Instructor certification is preferred.

Schlabach said the city didn’t require lifeguard certification for the pool manager in the past. What’s the difference? he asked.

“Safety,” said Councilwoman Jenni Olson.

After Schlabach moved to hire Huedepohl and Councilman Bill Kreis seconded the motion, Olson asked Julie Ryan if her daughters, who couldn’t attend the meeting, would agree to be lifeguards of Huedepohl were manager.

Julie Ryan said she didn’t know if the girls would accept lifeguard positions. It would probably depend on the money, she said.

Ryan said she felt the job qualifications in the advertisement were deceptive. It asked for three years of experience, she said. “I don’t feel like enough applicants were considered that were qualified for the job.”

Olson wondered if the city could hire someone without lifeguard experience if the ad said it was required. She didn’t want to open the city to litigation by hiring someone without the qualifications, she said.

Kensler said that when employers advertise, they list qualifications they would like to have in a candidate, but they can hire whoever they want.

Hinshaw noted that when he and his wife ran the old pool, they were both were lifeguard certified.

But before the Hinshaws, the managers didn’t have lifeguard certification, said Schlabach. “I understand it’s a nice want,” he said, but it shouldn’t be a requirement.

Schlabach has always asserted that the criteria was too tight and that the qualifications would limit applicants. “This is Marengo, Iowa,” he said.

Schlabach, Wayland-Kisling and Kreis approved the hiring of Huedepohl. Hinshaw voted no, and Olson, after some hesitation, voted no, saying she wouldn’t vote yes without talking to the Ryan girls first.

Salary

In another vote, the council set the salary for the pool manager.

Marck estimated that the manager would work about 91 days in a season averaging four hours a day. The recommended seasonal salary of $7,500 would be about $20 an hour.

According to the City of Marengo, Williamsburg’s pool manager makes $18.50 an hour, and Belle Plaine’s makes $13.75.

The salary for the Marengo pool manager in 2019 was $400 a week.

Hinshaw said the city should implement a tiered pay structure based on certification, as it has in other city department.

Hinshaw proposed $5,000 to start and $7,500 when the manager gets his lifeguard certification and $10,000 if the manager gets a water safety certification.

“I’d like to give him that motivation,” said Olson.

Schlabach said he didn’t think Huedepohl needed additional motivation, but he noted that his motion to hire Huedepohl as pool manager wasn’t contingent on Huedepohl getting a lifeguard certification.

Schlabach moved that the city pay the pool manager $7,500 for the summer season. He doubts that will be $20 an hour. “He’s going to be at that pool way more than four hours a day,” said Schlabach.

The salary vote was the same as the vote to hire Huedepohl: Schlabach, Kreis and Wayson-Kisling in favor, Hinshaw and Olson against.

“We’re still taking lifeguard applications till next week,” said Marck. The city is recommending $15.25 an hour for the head lifeguard and $13 an hour for other lifeguards.

Marengo paid $10 and $8 in 2019. Williamsburg pays $14.50 and $12.50, and Belle Plaine, $11 and $10, according to a table supplied by the City of Marengo.