After months of searching for a new city administrator/city clerk and a lengthy discussion at its recent meeting, the Green Park Board of Aldermen passed a bill amending the city code to effectively remove the requirement to have a city administrator form of government at its April 15 meeting.

The aldermen, by a vote of 5-1, repealed Article IX, Section 115.240 of the city’s  code related to the office of city administrator, effectively removing the requirement to have a city administrator form of government 

“The Board of Aldermen believes that the administration of the City’s affairs will be improved by repealing the office of City Administrator as the City Clerk and Deputy City Clerk positions are sufficient to oversee day-to-day functions of the City,” the ordinance states.

Green Park is a Class 4 city, meaning the population is between 500 and 2,999. The forms of governments permitted for Class 4 cities are either mayor, board of aldermen and city administrator, or mayor and board of aldermen, meaning the city administrator role is not required. To adopt the city administrator form of government, an ordinance must be passed by the governing body such as the board of aldermen, with the approval of the mayor. This form of government was adopted by Green Park when it was incorporated in 1995. 

The topic of removing the requirement of the administrator role from the city code was brought before the board at the recent meeting because the city has had trouble filling the city administrator/city clerk position since the departure of James Mello, former city administrator/city clerk of Green Park, in late 2023. Mello resigned from his former position to take a job with the City of Des Peres. Since then, the city has advertised the position in a variety of reputable places and the board has held a few rounds of interviews, though nothing has come of it. In the spirit of restructuring and reorganization, the unofficial theme of the recent board meeting, Mayor Tim Thuston decided it would be beneficial for everyone involved to redefine the role of the open position.

“I think redefining this will open our opportunities up for more people, more candidates not willing to take on the big job of handling what we can have our accountant do and what a city administrator does,” Thuston said. “We’ll have more of a city clerk working hand in hand with Diane (DeLonjay, Deputy City Clerk).”

Ward 2 Alderman Ron Slattery disagreed, emphasizing multiple times the need for a city administrator over a city clerk due to their differing job descriptions. He read off the definitions, stating that the city clerk is the primary custodian of records such as ordinances, resolutions, meeting minutes, contracts and official correspondence, while the city administrator works closely with department heads, standing committees and staff to coordinate and manage various municipal projects and initiatives.

“We need a city administrator. We need somebody that can oversee everything that we’re doing. We’re getting now a new accounting person, we’re getting a person who’s going to be taking over and doing our budget. We’re going to have a lot of different people coming into here. That’s not the role of a city clerk, that’s the role of a city administrator. We need to stay with what we’ve been doing for years. Why do we want to change now to something else?”

“Well, a lot of the administrators that you’re defining are from cities that have their own public works, they have their own fire departments, police departments, a little more,” Thuston responded.

A back-and-forth discussion between staff ensued for a while before a motion was made by Ward 1 Alderman Michael Broughton for a first reading which was seconded by  Ward 3 Alderman and board President Joe Monteleone. The first reading passed unanimously. When it came time for a roll call vote for final passage, only Slattery voted “nay.” The bill passed 5-1, becoming an ordinance.