The Signal Mountain Town Council continues to hold meetings regarding the employment of Town Manager Matthew Trollinger.
At a called meeting Friday, the council discussed a separation agreement with Trollinger, who started the job April 15.
Trollinger was out on paternity leave when he was informed by Mayor Charlie Poss that the council would discuss his employment at a different called meeting Oct. 4, Poss said at the meeting Friday, adding that he informed Trollinger of what was discussed at the Oct. 4 meeting.
The council does not record meetings involving personnel issues, Poss said in a phone call after the Oct. 4 meeting.
Government bodies are not required to film or livestream public meetings, but they are required to record minutes in writing that must be open to public inspection. The minutes must contain a record of the people present, all motions, proposals and resolutions offered, the results of any votes taken, and a record of individual votes in the event of a roll call, according to Tennessee law.
Written minutes of the Oct. 4 meeting are not available for public inspection at this time, Poss and acting Town Manager Matt Justice said when questioned after the meeting Friday. Neither knew when the minutes — which were taken by recently hired Human Resources and Financial Director Michael Oldham, who resigned Oct. 7 — would be made available to the public.
Trollinger remains on the town’s payroll, according to Poss.
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Town Attorney Harry Cash said in the meeting Friday that the town received a proposal from Trollinger’s counsel for a separation agreement in which Trollinger would voluntarily resign from his position in exchange for 3.5 months of his base salary and town’s share of the cost of continuing his health and dental benefits for 3.5 months through the Consolidated Omnibus Reconciliation Act, which temporarily allows workers to continue to receive group health insurance benefits after a change in employment.
The proposal also included a mutual nondisparagement agreement between Trollinger and the council, a neutral job referencing agreement and no admission of liability on either side, Cash said.
“We feel like we have reason for cause but want to be compassionate,” council member Andrew Gardner said at the meeting Friday. “I honestly don’t know how I feel about 3 1/2 months, because it’s a considerable amount of taxpayer funds.”
Vice Mayor Elizabeth Baker asked Cash to provide specifics on the nondisparagement agreement.
“What I struggle with is, as a citizen of this town, walking into Pruett’s and not being able to answer a citizen’s question,” Baker said of answering questions about Trollinger’s employment.
Cash responded that neither party could speak negatively of the other in respect to Trollinger’s employment.
Poss said the council already discussed Trollinger’s employment at a public meeting.
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“I have nothing disparaging to say about Mr. Trollinger as a person, but there are facts about the job that I don’t think are disparaging,” council member Clay Crumbliss said. “It’s just the way it is. And like the mayor said, we had that conversation in public already.”
At Crumbliss’ request, the council suspended the public meeting to enter into a closed meeting with Cash to discuss details of the nondisparagement agreement.
A vote to accept the terms of the separation agreement failed, with Poss and council member Susannah Murdock voting in favor, Baker and Crumbliss voting no and Gardner abstaining.
Crumbliss proposed changing the terms of the separation agreement to paying Trollinger three months of his annual base salary as a lump sum, three months of health and dental benefits (or until Trollinger is eligible for benefits though other employment), no admission of liability on either side and a mutual disparagement agreement limited to disparagement in public meetings or to the press.
“I want to be able to answer to the taxpayer when they say, ‘What’s this all about?'” Crumbliss said.
The council unanimously voted in favor of accepting those terms, which Cash will bring to Trollinger’s attorney and later put forth to the council as an official agreement that will be voted upon at a public meeting.
When addressing the council during the citizens’ comments portion of the meeting, Trollinger said that he was clear in his employment contract negotiations that he needed time off for the impending birth of his child, now 6 weeks old, and for other commitments, including his brother’s wedding.
“The intention was for me to have 12 days of vacation, 12 days of sick leave — time that would accommodate family events and paternity leave to support my wife,” Trollinger said. “Unfortunately, the contract did reflect an error stating I had 12 hours of leave rather than 12 days, and I acknowledge full responsibility for not catching this mistake, but I was upfront about this at the time, and it seems reasonable to expect the intent of the agreement to be honored.”
Trollinger said he submitted to the council a memo outlining plans for the town’s management while he was on leave and met with regularly with Justice to ensure operations could continue.
“None of my actions warrant cause for termination, which is why my contract includes a severance clause,” he said. “During this process, my family and I made significant sacrifices to come here, with a newborn at home, just having just purchased a house, the way this situation has been handled feels deeply unfair.”
He said he has been reasonable in separation agreement negotiations, offering to accept less severance than was agreed upon in his contract.
According to Trollinger’s employment contract, he waives his right to severance pay if he resigns.
If terminated by a majority vote of the council while willing and able to perform his duties, Trollinger is entitled to separation pay in a sum equal to six months of his $135,000 annual base salary and an amount equal to any accrued vacation leave.
“I’ve remained professional throughout this ordeal. I’ve refused to speak ill the town, the staff, the council, to the public, to press, to other staff, despite the position I’ve been put in,” Trollinger told remaining council members, as Baker and Gardner had left the meeting. “Acting in bad faith and offering unfair severance is not the same as fiscal responsibility. I respectfully request the town honor the six months agreement that was agreed on in my contract that would allow the town and my family to move forward.”
Trollinger’s personnel file did not contain records indicating poor job performance or other criticism of any kind when reviewed Tuesday by the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
Contact Emily Crisman at ecrisman@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6508.
Staff photo by Emily Crisman / The Signal Mountain Town Council meets Oct. 25, 2024, to discuss a separation agreement with Matt Trollinger, who started in the town manager role in April. From left are Town Attorney Harry Cash, acting Town Manager Matt Justice, Vice Mayor Elizabeth Baker and council members Andrew Gardner, Clay Crumbliss and Susannah Murdock.