Clinton docks manager's pay for loss in Centennial Bank closure

Clinton (Salt Lake Tribune) » City Manager Dennis Cluff has accepted responsibility for this city's loss of $83,209 in Centennial Bank's March 5 closure.

Citizens who packed a nearly three-hour public meeting Tuesday were not united: Some called for Cluff to be fired or demoted or have his pay docked, while others felt his personal anguish was punishment enough. In the end, the City Council voted 3-2 to dock his pay by three days, or close to $1,300.

The two members who voted against the measure, David Pearson and Cheri Reed, had suggested stronger punishments, such as demoting Cluff to a pay scale in which he made 2 percent less. Cluff's salary is about $115,000 a year and the 2 percent demotion would have amounted to about $2,300.

"It probably could have been stiffer," said resident Becky Vervloet of the city's final decision, "but I'm just glad they acknowledged an error had been made."

Vervloet had criticized some city officials for saying they were caught off guard and surprised by Centennial's closure. Banks have been shutting down since the economy soured in 2008, she said, and it was the responsibility of the highly paid city manager to be aware of what money wasn't FDIC insured.

But others at the meeting, many of whom were city staff, spoke in support of Cluff, highlighting his past achievements and saying the city could not afford to lose such an effective administrator.

Original Article