Saugatuck City Manager was paid nearly $100K in exchange for resignation. Here's what we know.

SAUGATUCK — One year after Saugatuck City Council gave City Manager Ryan Heise a stellar performance review, he signed his name on an agreement to resign in exchange for nearly $100,000.

That's according to a resignation agreement obtained by The Sentinel through a Freedom of Information Act request.

According to the agreement signed by City Clerk Jamie Wolters on March 4, Saugatuck will pay Heise a lump sum of 10.25 months of his annual salary, or $98,650, in exchange for his resignation.

Heise will receive 144 hours of pay for unused vacation time, and will keep insurance benefits through Dec. 30.

Under his original contract, Heise was required to give a month's notice before resigning. Under the new agreement, that was waived.

Heise also agreed not to re-apply for employment with the city unless asked to do so in writing, and the city agreed not to provide more than his dates of employment and job title to prospective employers unless Heise signs a written request.

It wasn't immediately clear why the agreement was made. A request for comment was left with councilmembers by The Sentinel on Thursday.

The document doesn't jive with the city's version of events submitted to media on Feb. 27. The release announced Heise's resignation, but omitted mention of what the city paid in return.

According to the release, Heise cited “personal reasons” and “opportunities for professional development” in his letter of resignation.

Mayor Lauren Stanton pointed to a planned relocation.

“It became widely known six months ago that Ryan had intentions to relocate his family to the Stillwater, Minnesota, area where his wife’s family resides and was considering new opportunities to grow in his career," she wrote in the release.

Heise left office well before his official resignation. Saugatuck City Council held a special meeting Feb. 6 naming Director of Planning, Zoning and Project Management Ryan Cummins acting city manager. At the time, no reason for the change was given.

Cummins will remain in the role while the city conducts a search for a new manager. A possible $1,000 weekly stipend is up for consideration Monday, March 11.

Heise received glowing reviews from the city in February 2023 during an annual performance review. He met or exceeded expectations in all categories and was given a 10% raise.

"Ryan is the right manager at the right time for our city," council wrote in the review.

The vote to approve a resignation agreement with Heise came during the final minutes of a lengthy workshop on Feb. 21, following a closed session. Neither the closed session nor the vote on the agreement appeared on the meeting's agenda. Neither motion included the name or position of the employee referenced.

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When asked why council took an official vote during a workshop, when residents typically don't expect decisions to be made, Stanton said:

"The public meeting you are referencing was very well attended by many members of the public (in-person and virtual) who came to share their beliefs with the council about the short-term rental regulations.

"Council’s vote at the end of that meeting reflects a decision to timely respond to the development of the change in leadership as it occurred, while still having given substantial time that night to ensure all those who attended and desired to speak on the issue of short-term rentals could do so in a timely manner, and not have to wait through a closed-session personnel discussion.

"The purpose of the later-issued release was to officially relay to the public that a change in city management would be occurring, because we believed the public should be informed about that through more than just a vote at the meeting."

Stanton did not respond to a follow-up question asking why the details of the resignation agreement were not included in the release.

— Contact reporter Austin Metz at ametz@hollandsentinel.com.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Report: Saugatuck City Manager was paid nearly $100K to resign