By Barb Pert Templeton
The Marine City commission recently approved the hiring of interim City Clerk Jason Bell to fill the full-time position effective July 20.
Bell, who had been working in the position since February when previous clerk Shannon Adams quit, has been employed with the city for a decade. His previous post was as the office manager for the police department.
When contacted by phone on July 25 Bell said he was pleased to be taking on the full-time position as city clerk. Noting his previous ten years as a city employee, including serving as a reserve officer in the Marine City Police Department, Bell characterized his new post as a career boast.
He explained that when he was asked to take on the interim clerk’s job in February, he was eager to help out where he could.

Marine City Clerk Jason Bell.
“I wanted to help the city out and will always do so in any capacity that I can,” Bell said.
When the opportunity came about to apply for the permanent post Bell had already been working with new City Manager Scott Adkins for several months and wad duly impressed.
“Scott is just wonderful and a great asset here,” Bell said.
He’s looking forward to working alongside Adkins to keep the city moving ahead after months of upheaval following the firing of former City Manager Holly Tatman and the previous clerk’s resignation.
Bell said the transition from interim clerk to the full-time clerk’s post as been “seamless,” simply because he’s been doing the job for about five months.
“We are working together, day by day, to move forward now,” Bell said, noting things are going well. “And we continue to move forward as a city and a commission.”
The clerk’s contract calls for an annual salary of $68,000, paid in bi-weekly installments. The salary will automatically be adjusted and increased by $2,500 when Bell completes a Master Clerk’s Certification program. Annual reviews and performance salary increases will be at the discretion of the city manager.
The city clerk’s contract
Bell’s candidacy for the spot was brought before the city commission at it’s July 20 meeting by City Manager Scott Adkins. In a letter to officials Adkins stated that Bell expressed interest in the vacant position and wished to be considered as a candidate to fill the spot.
“After a review of Mr. Bell’s employment history with the city as well as his service to the city as interim city clerk for the past several months, I have no hesitation in recommending him for this full-time position,” Adkins wrote. “And I am confident that he will be a great asset to the city in this position.”
A five-page employment contract, that had been reviewed by City Attorney Robert Davis, was included in the meeting packet on July 20.
It began by stating that Bell would be an at will employee of the city, adhering to the city charter and reporting to Adkins. The contract also states that should the employee wish to return to his former post with the police department, he can do so anytime during the first 12 months of accepting the new position. It’s noted that the option to return to employment with the police department is only available for one year and if Bell should choose to do so, his longevity, years of service, vacation time, benefits and other accrued benefits would be preserved.
The contract further notes that Bell would be an exempt salaried employee under the provisions of the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act and therefore not entitled to accumulate or be paid for any compensatory time off or overtime. There’s also a clause that states the clerk is required to attend meetings held after business hours and sometimes they last into the night. In that case, the position allows for the individual to start work later than the normal 7:30 a.m. start time but those hours and adjustment to the regular schedule must be kept track and recorded for the city manager’s review.
A $40 monthly cell phone allowance and a $500 technology stipend, payable each July, for computer/tablet, communication hardware and the like, are also noted in the contract.