Elmira City Manager review ongoing past 90-day evaluation

ELMIRA, N.Y. ( WETM ) — Elmira City Manager Michael Collins remains under a performance review by the city council, that started in January, after confirmation with the mayor on Thursday.

Mayor Mandell told 18 News that the review is ongoing and that an update will made once the review is complete.

An 18 News reporter asked Mandell about the review after the city council held a closed-door meeting on Thursday, May 2, on a “personnel matter involving employee performance,” according to the council. The city did not comment about the specifics of the meeting, or which employee it was about.

Collins was reappointed to his role on January 1, 2024, along with the new city council. In the November election, the Elmira City Council flipped to a 4-3 Democrat majority .

According to an addition to the ordinance appointing Collins, a 90-day review was to be conducted and completed following the first day of Collin’s appointment, with the exact wordage reading:

First addendum to the ordinance on the agenda for the special meeting held on the 1st day of January, 2024. Whereas, on this Agenda there is an Ordinance of the appointment for P. Michael Collins as City Manager and authorizing the Mayor to execute an Employment Agreement with P. Michael Collins providing, among other provisions, that the City agrees to employ P. Michael Collins until December 31, 2027 with the City Council retaining the right to terminate P. Michael Collins’ services as City Manager at any time without cause by a majority vote of said Council; and Whereas, the City Council of the City of Elmira finds that it is in the best interest of City governance to provide in this Addendum to said Employment Agreement as follows: The Employment Agreement with the City Manager shall contain the following provision: The City Council shall conduct a performance evaluation review of the City Manager within ninety (90) days of the City Manager’s appointment.

The official Addendum posted by the City of Elmira to the Public Notices section of the Star Gazette required by law .

The addendum above was not provided in full on the city’s website and remains off the agenda as of the posting of this article.

As for the 90-day review, the official date was up on Sunday, March 31, meaning that the review is now 32 days past its original end date.

18 News reached out to City Manager Mike Collins on Thursday, Collins said he could not comment.

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