Commission OKs contract to maintain riverfront

The commission also accepted the resignation of its secretary at its meeting Friday morning.

Members agreed to pay maintenance coordinator John Groshans $13,200, or $1,100 a month, for the coming year. His contract runs from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2013.

Under the original agreement, Groshans was paid $12,000 a year, or $1,000 a month.

Riverfront Chairman Larry Reed said Groshans’ expenses had increased.

“We’ve had special events down at the riverfront, and John has had ... more work that cost him money,” Reed said. “Part of it was he has some equipment that he operates. He’s working as an independent contractor, so he provides equipment at the riverfront.”

“His expenses were greater,” Reed said, “and he just felt that he needed more money to even cover some of his expenses that he has.”

Dixon City Council members will vote on the agreement during their meeting Monday night.

The commission also voted Friday to approve the resignation of secretary Priscilla Brickley.

Brickley has been on the commission since 2006. She accepted the duties of secretary in 2007, Reed said.

In a resignation letter dated Nov. 20, Brickley outlined some of the reasons for her decision.

“We have worked hard and faithfully to resolve issues confronting the riverfront,” she wrote. “This has not been easy as money is a major issue. At some point, the city of Dixon is going to have to step up and accept the fact that the Riverfront belongs to the city and more significantly deserves its complete support.”

Reed said he could sense a degree of frustration in Brickley’s letter.

“The Riverfront Commission had gone into rather exhaustive analyzation of what our executive manager meant to the riverfront,” Reed said. “We had actually prepared the values that she contributed to the riverfront by her management skills.”

Dixon City Council members recently turned down a pay increase for Riverfront Executive Manager Kay Miller.

The council voted 4-1 not to increase Miller’s pay to $800 a month, from $200.

“The Riverfront Commission really was looking at it as lesser pay than what she originally made, $1,000 to $800, so it was really not a raise,” Reed said. “So there was a difference in understanding there.”