City releases two administrator candidates

The Clarendon City Council released two candidates from its search for the next city administrator during last Thursday’s council meeting.

Brian Barboza – City Administrator at Knox City and Vance Lipsey – former Town Manager at Lake City, Colorado, were both personally interviewed by the council February 2 but have now been removed from consideration.

That leaves Fred Ventresco – Town Administrator at Pine Tops, North Carolina, as the last remaining candidate, but city officials say he has not been named as a finalist for the job. Instead, the council last week approved up to $500 in travel and accommodation expenses for Ventresco to visit Clarendon later this month for a face to face meeting.

Aldermen conducted a virtual interview with Ventresco on January 26.

In other city business last week, the council approved a resolutions calling for an election on May 6 to elect the mayor and two aldermen and also to reauthorize the one-quarter percent sales tax for street maintenance and repairs. A resolution was also approved to have the city election conducted by the Donley County Clerk’s office in conjunction with the hospital district and the school district.

A PanComm radio tower lease agreement for emergency communications was approved.

The council accepted the low bid of $406,924 for a CDBG grant project to replace a sewer lift station.

The figure is over budget, however, so officials will value engineer the project to get it back into budget.

The city also renewed its agreement with the City of Pampa as an alternate location for animal control services.