Council gave city hall a shake-up Tuesday morning when it announced that it had fired its city manager of 10 years.
Council announced Tuesday afternoon that it would end its contract with city manager Bill Holtby as of Oct. 7. Holtby has been the city's top administrator since 2001 and a city employee for about a decade before that.
Council has exercised a clause in Holtby's contract that allows him to be dismissed with severance, said Mayor Nolan Crouse.
"We shared with Bill [this morning] that his last day would be this Friday," Crouse said Tuesday. Holtby will have a choice between several severance options outlined in his contract, the details of which Crouse would not discuss.
"The ball is in Bill's court," he said.
Crouse said council made this decision after months of thought, much of which happened during in camera council self-evaluation sessions.
"After 10 years in a row with Bill's leadership, the city's taken good strides. Now, after 10 years, we've decided to have a new, refreshed [chief administrative officer] help lead us for the next several years," Crouse said.
Holtby has done a tremendous amount of good for the city, Crouse said, having forged great relationships with staff and done much work with Red Willow Park.
"We're proud of what he's done for 20 years," he said.
There was no one reason for Holtby's dismissal, he said, and it was not because of something he did wrong.
"This is about a change in leadership," Crouse emphasized.
More shakeups ahead
Holtby, 54, has worked for the City of St. Albert for 21 years, having previously served as its general manager of community and protective services. He replaced Glen Davies as city manager in November 2001.
This was a tough decision for council, said Coun. Cathy Heron.
"We wrestled with it. Especially for myself, it wasn't an easy decision," she said.
The actual process of dismissing Holtby started about two weeks ago.
Council members were tight-lipped when it came to discussing reasons for Holtby's dismissal.
"It's a decision that speaks for itself," said Coun. Cam MacKay, one that will become clearer in the months ahead.
This decision had nothing to do with the dismissal of Larry Horncastle in early September, Heron said, referring to the city's former director of business and tourism development.
"Council has some ideas we'd like to see instituted that are different than what Bill would like," she said, and it was time for someone new to take the lead. "I think we're looking forward to a new vision, and council will take a very strong leading role in that vision."
Holtby's dismissal occurs at the same time that the city is doing an organizational review, she added, and "it's hard to do that when Bill has spent 10 years getting [the organization] the way it is."
Heron later clarified that there was no connection between these events. Council will reshuffle the chain of command at city hall over the next weeks and months to build relationships between its departments, she said.
Council will appoint an interim CAO later this week, Crouse said. Council has already begun the search for a permanent replacement.
Holtby's dismissal would not affect the budget process, he said.
Heron acknowledged that Holtby was well respected by staff. She said she was uncertain how they would react to this decision.
"There's going to be some fallout. People will be upset," she said.
Holtby, reached at home, declined to comment on the matter at this time.
