Negaunee City Manager Contract Extension

Negaunee’s new city manager is settling into the job, but the city changes his contract tonight to make the adjustment easier.

Jeff Thornton has been on the job in Negaunee for about a month.

But his 2–year contract was making it difficult for him to find a place to live.

They voted to give him an extension, leaving his pay and benefits the same.

Negaunee Mayor Michael Haines says banks were reluctant to give Thornton a home loan because they felt his contract length was too short.

The council members voted to extend his deal to 3 years.

Thornton’s pension plan has also been changed to one approved by MERS.

Additionally, the council voted to buy small parcels of land to make the city’s joint wastewater pipeline project with Ishpeming easier to accomplish.

Haines says the wastewater transmission line will lie across these parcels of land once it’s installed.

The sale will cost Negaunee $9,000.

Voters approved bonds for the 5–and–a–half million dollar transmission line project in november.