Algonac approves new contract for assistant fire chief

Contract includes $10,000 raise; lengthy talk over the process

By Barb Pert Templeton

A one-year contract to renew the employment for Algonac Assistant Fire Chief Nathaniel Doan was approved by members of the Algonac City Council at a June 16 meeting.

The okay by officials came following a conversation at the board table that included several council members stating the increase was not presented to them during budget talks and they didn’t appreciate it.

The Assistant Fire Chief position was created in 2023 and the council was being asked to renew the contract for one-year with a pay increase from $21.88 to $26.94 an hour. The contract also spelled out that an overtime rate of time and half would be paid when Doan’s hours exceed 53 per week. The contract is effect from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027.

The fire department currently has just two full-time employees, Chief Joseph Doan and his son, Assistant Fire Chief Nathaniel Doan.

Councilman Jake Skarbek made the motion to approve the new contract but added some items in his motion that were not in the paperwork provided to the council. His motion was supported by Councilwoman Cathy Harris.

“That’s a lot of words that I didn’t see in the summary, here,” Councilman Michael Bembas said.

“Yes, me neither,” Councilwoman Wendy Meldrum added.

“It was part of the original request,” Skarbek replied.

“The original request, did I miss that?” Bembas asked. “I have no doubt that I would approve it if it was just this one line I saw here, but I have concerns we just got this today, we didn’t get it ahead of time and there’s a lot of yellow (highlighted) here to review.”

Bembas went on to say he’d like to have the contract rewritten and brought back to the council so all the changes would be reflected in the written document.

Mayor Rocky Gillis said all’s it’s updating is the existing city personnel policy.

Meldrum said she reviewed the proposed contract and her question is if the position was created in 2023 as a regular full-time city employee why is a contract or agreement even needed.

“Does the fire chief have an agreement, does the city clerk have an agreement, city treasurer have an agreement? So why do we have an agreement here?” Meldrum asked.

“He’s the only one that has it,” City Manager Artie Bryson replied.

Skarbek said the contract was setup because at this time if Doan takes a vacation day or a PTO day, those hours aren’t counted in his total for that week. When that happens and he gets called in for a fire or emergency he can’t get the overtime pay because he hasn’t hit the 53-hour mark.

“If he has a PTO or vacation day, those are hours (considered) not worked so if he gets a call on a Thursday night at three in the morning, he’s doesn’t feel so warm and fuzzy about getting out of bed because he’s going to make straight time and not time and half,” Bryson explained.

He added that every handbook the city has states that you only (count) hours worked when going towards the overtime threshold, in this case 53 hours.

“Unfortunately, that’s how it is with our water department too,” Bryson said. “I’m just telling you that’s going to be an issue when we redo (negotiate) the contract.”

“I don’t think that’s fair either,” Skarbek commented.

Why wasn’t this in the budget?

Bembas said before the council heads down the “slippery slope of trying to be fair to everybody” they have a city budget that they have to take care.

“We should have had this before we approved the fiscal budget of the year,” Bembas said.

“I agree,” Meldrum said.

“But there is money in the fire budget for this new contract and it was put in there because we were going to anticipate this coming,” Bryson answered.

“That’s fine, you may anticipate it but we’re not hearing it when we’re supposed to hear it,” Bembas said.

As far as the contract being suggested for the Assistant Fire Chief Bembas said they should have had more than 15-minutes to look at the full scope of it, not just what was presented in the document from Bryson.

“Does Mr. Doan deserve it, absolutely but I have a fiduciary duty to make sure the budget is balanced,” Bembas said. “And I’m concerned about that.”

Skarbek said the only thing he’s changing is that the position’s vacation time and PTO be considered work hours.

Meldrum said her issue is not paying Doan for his hours but seeing $49,000 in the budget the council approved for his salary and now seeing it at $56,000?

Harris interjected isn’t Doan’s salary covered by the fire department special assessment district

Skarbek said, yes, in fact that’s why the contract is in place.

“But that doesn’t mean you just spend the money,” Bembas said. “We are giving this gentleman a minimum of a $10,000 a year raise based on him working 40 hours and I’m sure he works even more than that but all that stuff you added I’d just like to see it in writing with some data.”

He added that at this point the city needs to tighten up what’s being given to them, not approving the budget one week and then presented with the increase a few weeks later.

Meldrum again explained that she doesn’t understand why the contract is even necessary, since he’s a full-time employee and falls under the personnel handbook with all the same benefits all city employees get.

Skarbek and Carter tried to explain that they are just trying to be fair to Nathaniel Doan by paying him overtime. Bembas said he wasn’t following what they were saying but he does certainly feel the assistant chief deserves the money.

“This is not supposed to be how business is done,” Bembas added. “But I agree with it 100% and I will vote yes 100%, I just don’t like the way it was done.”

The council then unanimously approved the new contract.