The Saco City Council decided Monday to ask the Maine Municipal Association to weigh in on the validity of the city administrator’s contract.

Mayor Don Pilon and several city councilors have raised concerns about the new employment contract for City Administrator Richard Michaud, who had announced he would retire last year. After his announcement, city councilors negotiated a new incentive-laden contract for Michaud, who has held the city’s top job since 1999.

Pilon has said he is concerned about the negotiation process, which took place last summer when Pilon was out of town. He said the council circumvented the provision in the city charter that says the mayor appoints a new administrator and the council may confirm the appointment.

On March 2, the City Council rejected an effort supported by Pilon and Councilors Bette Brunswick and Nathan Johnston to terminate Michaud’s contract.

On Monday, the council voted 3-2 to present information to the Maine Municipal Association to allow that organization to provide an opinion on the contract. Councilors Arthur Tardif and Eric Cote opposed the motion. Brunswick was absent from the meeting.

Pilon had originally asked councilors to consider spending $15,000 for a declaratory court judgment, but a city attorney said that would amount to the city suing itself. City Clerk Michele Hughes said Pilon told councilors Monday that he would rather seek an opinion from the Maine Municipal Association.

The new contract allows Michaud to live outside Saco and drive a city-owned car, and pays him more than $121,000 a year. The city also contributes the equivalent of 12 percent of his salary to his retirement plan. He also used a city-owned car under his previous contract.

Michaud retired from his position at the end of December, took January off and began working under his new contract on Feb. 1. He now collects a pension from the Maine Public Employees Retirement System.


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