Payroll goes to a vendor and the administrator gets a raise, backdated, on the same consent agenda.
On July 8, 2025 the council approved the administrator's six-month evaluation and a pay-grade increase retroactive to June 14 by one consent motion, no discussion, and in the same meeting handed the city's payroll to an outside firm because the finance director was gone. Lawful and routine. The timing is the story.
A consent agenda is where a council puts what it considers "routine and non-controversial," in the words printed at the top of every Kenyon agenda, to be "approved by one motion" with "no separate discussion." On July 8, 2025, Kenyon's consent agenda held the Rose Fest street dance permit, the parade route, a fire department volunteer's appointment, the June minutes, and Resolution 2025-20, "Approving the Performance Evaluation and Wage Increase for the City Administrator." Mayor Don Kirchmann moved it, Elana Brunner seconded, and the roll call was 4-0.
What the resolution says
The resolution recites that the personnel committee "has conducted the Administrators six month performance evaluation dated June 26th, 2025," that it "has the City Administrator exceeding expectations in all areas," and that "much has been accomplished in the first six months." It moves Scott Lehner "to the level of (grade 18, step 10)," which it says "would be consistent with using our 2025 employee's compensation plan," retroactive to June 14, 2025. It closes: "These changes are within our current budget." The dollar value of the step is not stated in the resolution or the minutes, and this article does not guess at it.
The personnel committee has the City Administrator exceeding expectations in all areas. Much has been accomplished in the first six months the personnel committee is very happy with the City Administrators performance.Resolution 2025-20, July 8, 2025 packet.
The personnel committee that conducted the evaluation was appointed on January 14, 2025. Its members were Kirchmann, Kim Helgeson and Lehner himself. The record does not say whether he sat out his own review. It does say who was on the committee.
What else happened on July 8
Four weeks earlier, on June 10, Finance Director Whitney Kyllo had resigned effective July 17 and then asked to withdraw the resignation; the council accepted the resignation and referred her withdrawal to the administrator and the personnel committee. Sixteen days after that, on June 26, the personnel committee dated its evaluation of the administrator. On July 8, in the administrator update, Lehner reported that Sue Dodds, retired since 2021, "has been helping part time in the finance office" and that "Abdo is helping with the payroll." Under new business he presented the Abdo payroll contract, and the council voted, again 4-0, "to approve using Abdo for purposes of doing payroll until a finance director is hired." He asked for more information on a broader Abdo services proposal to be brought to a special meeting on July 16. It was, and on August 12 he recommended postponing the finance hire altogether.
The same consent motion that raised his grade also adopted Resolution 2025-21, rescinding Public Works Director Wayne Ehrich's resignation after a closed evaluation on June 30. So in one roll call, with one member absent and one on Zoom, the council retained the public works director, promoted the administrator, and did not discuss either. The finance director, whose request to stay had been referred to two of the three people voting, was nine days from her last day.
We have Sue Dodds in here helping as an interim finance director. She's been coming in part-time during the week.Scott Lehner, July 8, 2025, recording at 18:54 (auto-captions), source
Why the timing matters more than the raise
A six-month review with a step increase is standard practice for a new administrator, and nothing in the statutes or the city's own policy required the council to pull it from consent. The problem is sequence, and the record supplies it without commentary. The city's financial function was, by the administrator's own description a month later, in need of "substantial clean up." The audit committee that would have looked at that function had been eliminated on January 14 at his suggestion. The finance director was leaving. The payroll was going to a vendor. And the evaluation that found the administrator "exceeding expectations in all areas" was dated in the middle of that month and approved without a word.
The council was not wrong to be pleased with a new hire who had merged two bank accounts and begun a long-overdue reorganization. It was wrong about what it did not ask. A council that puts the administrator's raise on consent in the same meeting it outsources payroll has told its residents which of the two it considers routine.
Before and after
- Jan. 14, 2025The council names the personnel committee: Don Kirchmann, Kim Helgeson and Scott Lehner. The same motion eliminates the audit committee.
- June 10, 2025The finance director resigns, asks to stay, and her request is referred to the administrator and the personnel committee.
- June 26, 2025The personnel committee dates its six-month evaluation of the administrator.
- June 30, 2025Closed evaluation of the public works director, who had also resigned.
- July 8, 2025One consent motion approves the Rose Fest events, rescinds the public works director's resignation and raises the administrator. Later that night payroll goes to Abdo.
- July 17, 2025The finance director's last day.
- Aug. 12, 2025The administrator recommends postponing the finance hire.
People in this story
- Scott LehnerCity administrator, on the payroll since December 14, 2024
- Don KirchmannMayor; personnel committee; moved the consent agenda
- Kim HelgesonCouncil member; personnel committee; attended by Zoom
- Elana BrunnerCouncil member; seconded
- Sue DoddsRetired finance clerk, back part time
- Wayne EhrichPublic works director, retained by the same motion
Sources
- Resolution 2025-20 and the July 8, 2025 agenda, July 8, 2025 packet; meeting page; recording.
- Minutes of July 8, 2025 (attendance, consent agenda roll call, "Update on Interim Finance Director," "Abdo Payroll Contract"), in the August 12, 2025 packet.
- Minutes of June 10, 2025, "Finance Director Resignation," in the July 8 packet.
- 2025 appointments, including the personnel committee, January 14, 2025 packet; audit committee elimination, minutes in the February 11, 2025 packet.
- Minutes of August 12, 2025, "Abdo Contract," meeting page.
More from the record
Kyllo tried to take her resignation back. The council handed her letter to the boss she was leaving.
Lehner's own math: Abdo $200,000, a finance director $130,000. He picked Abdo.
Month four, first purchase of note: $2,500 of spray foam so no one can hear the administrator's office.
All 27, in order · The open letter · Every packet and recording