By Crystal McGough, Associate Editor
MARGARET – The Margaret City Council accepted a letter of resignation from Mayor Jeff Wilson at the regular council meeting on Tuesday night, Dec. 6, 2022.
Photo credit Crystal McGough
City Clerk Teja McIntyre said that she received the letter after returning from a conference.
“Another employee received this resignation on 11/30/2022,” City Clerk Teja McIntyre said. “I was out of town at a conference and I didn’t receive it until 12/02/2022.”
McIntyre read the letter, in its entirety, to the council:
“To the Margaret City Council – Reference Jeffrey G. Wilson resignation. To whom it may concern, please accept my resignation from the city of Margaret as mayor, effective immediately, due to health concerns. It has been my honor and privilege to serve the city for over 20 years and work alongside with the entire city staff. I appreciate the commitment that you have all shown to energize, improve and grow your district and the city. Keep up the good work. Signed Jeffrey G. Wilson, 11/29/2022.”
McIntyre said the resignation letter was both witnessed and hand-delivered by Stephani Riley.
City Councilor James Chapman made a motion to accept the mayor’s resignation, which the council passed unanimously.
City attorney Erskine Funderburg said that the city now has a vacancy in the mayor’s position, which will need to be filled, preferably by the first meeting in January.
“Statute says that you can select someone within your own or you can select someone within the city limits,” he said. “The qualifications for mayor are that they have to be a resident of the city and they have to be a registered voter.”
Councilor Matt Tortorice said that he was officially putting his name in the hat for the position of mayor.
“I ran for political office to help the city and do what I could for the city,” Tortorice said after the meeting. “I’ve been participating in all the mayor’s breakfasts and am going through St. Clair County leadership training through the EDC right now. I did not want to run for mayor immediately; I needed to build up to it and get more experience. I’ve been on council now two years and going through this training.”
Tortorice’s official letter of intent for mayor states that he has four Certified Municipal Official credit hours and plans to complete the remaining six credits in order to complete the CMO certificate.
His listed goals for the city include:
- Working with department heads to create a budget for each department and the city as a whole
- Improving communications to council members and improving productivity of their business meetings
- Bringing a zoning plan before the council to improve grant opportunities, establish a multi-year growth plan, and pursue annexing land that is already within the city’s borders into the city
“My goal was never just (to be a) councilman,” Tortorice said. “This opportunity has come up and I’m a good fit for it. My job allows me to work from the city hall and also go to meetings and outside stuff without being an issue. So, I’m a very good fit for it.”
Councilor Jonathan Ray made a motion during the meeting for the city to pay an additional $446 toward family health insurance coverage for city employees, leaving employees responsible for $350 toward their family healthcare coverage, which will be broken up between two pay periods. The new employee benefits will begin Jan. 1, 2023
The city currently pays 100% of single healthcare coverage, in the amount of $551 per employee. The city formerly paid the same amount toward family coverage, but will now pay a total of $997/employee for family healthcare coverage.
Additionally, council members signed Resolution 2022-1115, concerning premium pay for essential workers, which was approved at the Nov. 15 council meeting.
The council moved to table the following items to the Dec. 20, 2022, meeting:
- Employee Handbook unfinished business
- Eagle Scout Community Garden project update
- Pendley’s Plat changes
- Water Works billing changes
The next meeting of the Margaret City Council will be Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022, at Margaret City Hall. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m.
Crystal McGough can be contacted at mcgoughcrystal@gmail.com
