News : Parks and Rec change put on hold; ad hoc committee to review many issues

Several months after the Vinton Parks and Recreation Board proposed a change in the housing and compensation package for Parks and Rec Director Duane Randall, the Vinton Council has agreed to set up a new committee to recommend future changes.

Last fall, the P & R Board proposed allowing Randall to move out of the city-owned house where he has lived since coming to Vinton in 1986 and replacing the housing benefit with a $1,040 per month stipend. But after several residents complained to the City Council that this represented a "raise" that was unfair to other city department heads, the board dropped its plan.

The council recently proposed an ordinance that would change the city's code concerning the authority of the P & R Board. Instead of having full authority to hire a director, the board's role would have been to make recommendations to the city coordinator, who would make the hiring decision, subject to council approval.

But the council heard objections to that ordinance from several area residents, including Don Eells and Kurt Karr.

After changing the ordinance two times, the council finally voted to table it during its meeting Thursday. Instead, the council will appoint a committee that includes Parks and Rec Board members, city council members and other citizens to review the entire compensation package. The changes will be set up for after Randall retires -- something not expected for several years.

The committee will determine the best way to replace the housing stipend with financial compensation.

It was Karr's suggestion that the council look at the entire set of issues involved in the Park and Rec Director position in one comprehensive ordinance, rather than changing policy piece-by-piece. Mayor Watson and the council members agreed. While there is no specific time-table for coming up with a set of new proposals, the consensus is that the issue should be resolved by the end of this year.