Community House director agreement set
By Grace Lovins
The Community House is on track to hire an executive director in the near future after city commissioners approved an employee lease agreement through which the city would fund the position for a year, a move that was approved in a 5-1 vote during the Monday, September 28, meeting.
Under the agreement, the executive director of the Community House would be a city employee “leased” out to the foundation, similar to the arrangement used for the Baldwin Public Library and its director. The employee’s daily work would be overseen by the foundation, but the city would be responsible for payroll, benefits and other employment items.
City manager Jana Ecker said the agreement would help put a director into place that would get the Community House on track to open its doors and resume daily operations. Chair of the City of Birmingham Community House Foundation board, former city commissioner Anthony Long was there to support the motion, saying the intent is not to come back to the commission with requests, but initial support is needed to get the place back in order.
It was also noted that the agreement would only be for the current fiscal year which ends June 30, 2027. Commissioners would have the opportunity to discuss if the city intends to continue funding the position during the budgeting process over the winter.
Included in the meeting packet, the salary for the director is set at $135,000, with $53,980 in fringe benefits.
Commissioner Bill Kolb expressed concern over the foundation’s future funding, questioning how long the city should expect to subsidize the foundation’s operations. Long and mayor Clinton Baller both argued that, while they can’t provide a definitive timeline, the foundation board is working hard to secure donations and partnerships to cover the costs associated with operations.
Ultimately, commissioners voted 5-1 to approve the employee lease agreement with commissioner Brad Host voting against it. Host, who earlier in the meeting criticized the foundation not operating as an enterprise, said the move was”not good business” and paying for the position was a loss to the city.
