In recent news, Bozeman’s City Manager Jeff Mihelich was seen discussing not only his colleagues’ pay, but also what he gets paid. He also discusses what he could get paid to be the City Manager of Austin, Texas, where he claims he was being recruited. The video featuring Mihelich, our City Manager of four years, has gone viral, capturing the attention of not only Bozeman’s residents but also audiences far beyond the city limits, including Austin, Texas.

A special meeting was slated by the City Commission to both review the facts as well as take public comment on February 12th. Many locals voiced their feelings over the matter. In a town where a lot of locals scrape to get by, this conversation with Director of Community Development, Anna Bentley did not sit well... it was hard to not only hear him speak poorly of his colleagues, but also of our beloved small town. In addition, he made reference that he gets paid a housing and vehicle allowance... “the other stupid things city managers get.” Later, he went on to brag about being recruited to be the City Manager of Austin, Texas after he had made his “FU” money in Bozeman (when he is vested a year from May).

In listening to the special meeting called by the city commission, only one person voiced giving Mihelich a second chance. Most locals were hurt, angry and disgusted; if he had been one of their employees, he would have been immediately fired. They also felt Anna Bentley’s position should be addressed in the future. She was not innocent in the conversation, agreeing with and laughing at the different commentary Mihelich made regarding her coworkers.

The two also discuss Mihelich having been contacted by a head hunter for the City Manager position in Austin, Texas. After the video went viral, it created an uproar in Texas with not only referring to their town as a **it show, but that they would pay $475,000 to the City Manager, which is more than the last City Manager was paid (and more than the President of the United States makes). Like Bozeman, residents of Austin are also dealing with high property taxes. Mihelich said he would put in his five years there, then retire with that income. He said he would get paid a lot of money and it wouldn’t matter if he got fired. This really put his character in question. It has also made other communities question the salaries of some public servants. The Texas Public Policy Foundation stated; “It’s scandalous that an increasing number of local governments are enriching themselves at taxpayer expense.”

The commission gave the City Manager until Valentine’s Day to offer his resignation. Most were not holding their breath that this would happen, after witnessing his disparaging comments about our smaller city, saying he’ll stay in the position until he’s vested. This leads locals to believe he is more interested in money. Mihelich responded that he would agree to resign with full severance, which was a full year’s salary plus a percentage deposited into a retirement account. In the meantime, he is on paid administrative leave, which puts more salt into the wound for locals.

With Mihelich’s response, the Commission intends to consider submitting a complaint to the Board of Ethics at their next meeting, scheduled for March 5th, hoping for a possible suspension and termination. According to MTN news, an anonymous person has already sent an ethics complaint to the International City/County Management Association.

The commission was saddened to be put in this position after having a seemingly respectful working relationship. They all agreed to go the direction of terminating him, but you could see the trepidation of some of the commissioners. The influence of the public comments helped keep the commission focused on the lack of respect Mihelich showed to them, the Bozeman community and Austin, Texas. He let his ego overtake any decorum.

It will be interesting to watch if any changes are made to public official salaries in communities affected by this, as well as how salaries will be handled in cases of ethics violations going forward. The role of the City Manager for Bozeman is “to operate at the will of the City Commission with a focus on policy, long range planning, and strategy.”

“In the simplest terms, our goal is to ensure that every resident, visitor, and City of Bozeman employee feels welcomed and valued, and can thrive no matter their race, identity, or life circumstance.” – City Manager, Jeff Mihelich (quote found on the City of Bozeman website).