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NEWTON FALLS -- Village council at a special meeting Thursday voted unanimously to terminate the contract of Village Manager Pam Priddy, effective Feb. 26.
Council met in executive session for 90 minutes on personnel matters and "imminent litigation" with Mayor Dave Hanson and interim Law Director Jeff Limbian before returning to council chambers and voting 5-0 to terminate Priddy's contract.
After the vote, several of the 15 residents at the meeting applauded.
Second Ward Councilman Brian Axiotis said Priddy will be terminated as village manager effective Feb. 26 with a written notice sent today. He said Priddy also is suspended with pay for 30 days starting today and is barred from being at the city building and any village property.
Axiotis said her contract has a termination clause that allows council to act on ending the agreement with 30 days notice.
Council also voted 5-0 to appoint Mike Novotny, the wastewater treatment plant superintendent, as interim village manager effective immediately.
Councilwoman at-Large Julie Stimpert said Novotny also will continue his duties at the plant.
She said Limbian is reviewing what Novotny's pay will be with the extra village manager duties. Stimpert said Priddy is being paid for 30 days based on her contract, which set her pay at $60,000 per year.
Residents had a mixed reaction, with some thanking council members for the decision and others saying they did not agree with it.
Resident Julie Lemon said there are five members of council, who may not always agree on everything, "but are working together for the greater good of our community."
Lemon said there has been too much controversy for too long during Priddy's time as village manager.
"This was a long time in coming. The community has been through a lot these past few years. Things were being done wrong. … We can now move forward with a brand new council, brand new mayor and brand new city manager," resident and former councilman Adam Zimmermann said.
"Well done! Way to go! That is what we want to hear. Good job," resident and former councilman Brian Kropp said.
However, resident Rick Kerlin said, "I do not agree with what has been done. I feel she has done a lot of good for this community."
Kerlin said he does not believe the matter is over and the situation created is "interesting."
"We will see what happens," he said.
A message seeking comment from Priddy was not returned Thursday evening.
COURT DECISION
Trumbull County Common Pleas Court Judge Sean O'Brien on Thursday ruled the $30,000 salary increase for Priddy that would have brought her pay to $90,000 was invalid.
The court ruling states that because the ordinance granting the $30,000 increase initially was discussed in a meeting found to be illegal, it and any other new business discussed at the meeting on Sept. 11, 2023, is null and void.
"It was incumbent of the Village of Newton Falls to follow its own charter and ordinances in order to vote on proposed ordinances. This it failed to do, and the five ordinances considered on Sept. 11, 2023, are invalidated by this action in contravention of its own requirements," the court decision states.
On Sept. 6, a meeting was adjourned abruptly before council could address all five ordinances on the agenda.
One of the items on the agenda was increasing Priddy's salary by $30,000 per year with six weeks of paid vacation.
The ordinance also allowed Priddy to hire an assistant with a salary to be negotiated by her and approved by council.
On Sept. 11, a "special" council meeting took place that contained the exact same agenda items from the Sept. 6 meeting.
Former Mayor Ken Kline, who resigned at the Sept. 11 meeting, said it was illegal because a special meeting cannot be a duplicate or continuation of a previous meeting. He said the special meeting being conducted was in violation of the village's own charter.
In November, Stimpert filed a temporary injunction against the pay increase ordinance, with the court ruling in her favor. Because of Thursday's court decision, whatever action was taken during the Sept. 11 meeting is void, meaning the village does not have to pay Priddy's raise or honor the agreement that was given a first reading at that meeting.
The court decision states that other ordinances brought up at the Sept. 6 meeting can be reconsidered "in an appropriate manner."
The court also ordered the village to pay Stimpert's legal fees. That amount will be discussed at a hearing Feb. 29.