NELSONVILLE, Ohio — Nelsonville City Council (charter) renewed City Manager Danette Miller’s contract Monday night after hearing from city employees and the public.
During public comment, city employees voiced their approval of Miller’s work as city manager and called for her contract to be extended. The council hired Miller as city manager in January.
The council on Oct. 26 voted 4-1 to pass an ordinance to renew Miller’s contract, with member McCray Powell voting in opposition. Council members Charlotte Beach and Nancy Sonick abstained.
Special projects manager Erica Padgett, speaking as an individual, spoke during public comments to voice her support for her colleague.
“A city manager provides more than administrative oversight,” Padgett said. “It helps ensure divisions are followed through, outstanding issues are addressed, and the city’s priorities keep moving forward rather than starting over with every transition.”
Ashley Scarberry encouraged the city to extend Miller’s contract in the interest of stability. Scarberry recently resigned from the position of human resources payroll coordinator for the city, and said uncertainty and a high turnover rate contributed to her decision.
Council member Amy Hollenbaugh read a letter on behalf of Diane Wolf, a consultant for the Public Entities Pool of Ohio, the body that insures the city. Wolf also emphasized stability and continuity.
“The city has benefited from a city manager engaged with risk services to make improvements and continue to push for recommendation compliance. Continued change in the position will require us to start over every time,” Wolf said.
The Mine Tavern owner Patrick Norway expressed gratitude to Miller.
“I’ve gone through somewhat of a hardship with my family business collapsing, and Ms. Miller and the entire council have been nothing but incredible to me, offering support in every avenue, and being transparent, even on some bad stuff,” Norway said.
The council held a special meeting Oct. 22 to discuss the city manager contract, where Ordinance 102-26 was introduced and read for the first time to allow for its adoption on second reading at the regular session. The ordinance extends Miller’s contract through Dec. 31, 2035.
Council member Powell voiced reservations about the contract, pointing to a $1 million “buyout” clause, which he called “a very hard pill to swallow for taxpayers.”
Nic Joseph-Saul pointed out that the $1 million is a contractual termination payment that will not be paid out, “unless it is appropriate due to an unjust termination of the city manager.”
But, Powell said, “This is a vote on a contract. This is not a vote on Danette’s performance in any way.”
Council President Cameron Peck justified his decision in a personal statement uploaded to Facebook the following day, where he emphasized stability in the city administration.
“I believe that if we can secure Mrs. Miller’s leadership over the long term, preserve the institutional knowledge we are building, and give our municipal employees the stability necessary to perform their jobs, Nelsonville has a fighting chance to do something that has eluded us for generations: grow instead of shrink,” Peck wrote.
In other business, public services and utilities head Jason Coen shared several dates relevant to city maintenance during a report to council.
Coen said Oak and Lancaster streets will be paved on Monday, Nov. 2, and Tuesday, Nov. 3, respectively. Wind Road will be paved on Wednesday, Nov. 4. Paving on Poplar Street will begin Monday, Nov. 9.
The council on Monday night also again discussed a proposed charter school that would require a zoning variance to open on the public square.
As of the Oct. 26 regular session, the Southeast Ohio Classical Academy had not formally submitted an application for a zoning variance with the city.
Following comments, the council headed into a two-and-a-half hour executive session.
As midnight approached, the council tabled several ordinances establishing a Nelsonville Health and Human Services Commission, a Nelsonville City Charter Review Commission, and a Nelsonville Tourism Board.
Ordinances 108-26 and 109-26, both of which make amendments to the 2026 appropriations, and Ordinance 104-26, which would approve a collective bargaining agreement between the city and several labor organizations on behalf of covered city employees, were also tabled in the interest of time.
Resolution 2382 continued discussions of annexation that were raised in a Nelsonville Planning and Development the previous week. Annexation, or the expansion of the city’s borders, would allow Nelsonville to maintain the population threshold required to retain its status as a city (a population of 5,000) in anticipation of the 2030 census.
The resolution authorizes the city manager to consult with experts on how to pursue annexation. The resolution was adopted under suspension of the rules on first reading.
The charter-based council meets every other Monday of each month, at Nelsonville City Council Chambers, 211 Lake Hope Drive, Nelsonville. Its next regular meeting will be at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9.
The statutory council’s next meeting will be at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2, at The Lodge at Hocking College, 15770 SR 691, Nelsonville. It meets the first and third Mondays of the month.
