Council Hires Pupo As City Manager Vote Ends Half-Year Of Fill-In Duty; Job Will Pay $95,713

Bill Pupo isn’t “acting” anymore.

The Spokane City Council voted unanimously Monday to hire Pupo as city manager, ending a half-year of fill-in duty.

“We’re going to move forward with Mr. Pupo as the city manager of Spokane, and I know he’ll move forward with the same verve and style he’s shown over the last several months,” said Mayor Jack Geraghty.

Pupo will earn $95,713 a year - the same salary earned by his predecessor, Roger Crum. Crum left Spokane in July to take a similar job in Evanston, Ill., and Pupo was named acting city manager.

Prior to the appointment, Pupo had earned $72,157 as assistant city manager.

Under his new contract, he will get unspecified raises in 1998 and 1999.

Councilwoman Roberta Greene supported the contract but raised concerns about sick leave and severance pay.

Pupo is an “at will” employee, meaning the council can fire him at any time, Greene noted.

The contract considered Monday would have required the city to pay him a full year’s salary if he’s let go. But council members removed that provision from the contract prior to voting, saying it needs more discussion.

Greene also questioned a provision allowing Pupo to cash in unused sick pay. That perk stayed in the contract.

Crum cashed in $17,600 in sick pay when he left Spokane last year.

Also Monday, the council approved a $1.7 million contract with Washington Water Power Co. to haul ice storm debris to its power plant at Kettle Falls, Wash., where the debris will be burned.

Under the contract, the city will pay WWP $18.50 a ton to haul the branches to its plant. The city already is paying $15.40 a ton to grind the debris, bringing the total cost of disposal to $33.90 a ton.

Council members delayed an earlier vote on the contract after officials of a West Plains composting plant had protested.

Jim and Heidi Boyd argued they could turn the storm debris into fertile soil for only about $20 a ton.

Phil Williams, the city’s director of planning and engineering services, said the lower cost “wasn’t really a concern” because he couldn’t recommend that Ecocycle Composting take the debris.

Williams showed the council a letter from Steve Holderby at the Spokane Regional Health District saying that Ecocycle had a “large backlog of unprocessed wood waste.” Holderby also said that any new material might not be “processed in a timely manner.”

But several Spokane residents said sending the debris to Ecocycle would show support for small business.

“These people are taxpayers,” said Bonnie Abernathy. “They are trying to run a business. They have a passion for what they’re doing. Aren’t we supposed to be encouraging small business?” Others wondered why nearly 7,000 tons of ice storm debris had been sent to WWP’s plant last week before the council had approved the contract.

Damon Taam, interim director of the regional solid waste system, said the debris piles had been getting dangerously hot waiting for the council’s decision. “We were fearful of spontaneous combustion,” he said. “It was an emergency.”

Taam said he expects to collect at least 50,000 more tons when the city allows residents to dispose of ice storm debris for free in March.

Jim Boyd blames the city’s free disposal sites after the ice storm for forcing him to lay off employees in December, causing him to fall behind on moving piles of materials for composting. Residents who would have brought debris to his business chose the city instead, he said.

The contract with WWP doesn’t require the city to send all the debris to the Kettle Falls plant, Taam said, adding he plans to explore other disposal options.

, DataTimes