Council to consider entertainment director hire for amphitheater

The city council is considering hiring a director of entertainment for the Sen. Terry Brown Amphitheater on the Island ahead of its completion.

City Attorney Jeff Turnage presented the independent contract and candidate, Matt Parker, to the council during its Tuesday meeting at the Municipal Complex. The contract would run through March 2028, valued at $136,000.

“Parker has been consulting with (City Engineer) Kevin Stafford and others about the amphitheater and its opening for weeks on end,” Turnage said during the meeting. “It’s become several months, I think actually, without any compensation. And the time has come for him to be engaged under contract.”

If hired, Parker would be paid $4,000 for the remainder of November and then $6,000 a month until April. At that point, his rate would increase to $9,000 a month until the contract expires March 2028, Turnage told The Dispatch.

Parker would be responsible for preparing the amphitheater to be bookable ahead of construction finish, Stafford told the council. He added that the pay jump in 2027 would reflect the added workload of actually booking shows for the space once it opens.

Ward 6 Councilman Jason Spears, who is also the city’s finance committee chair, raised concerns about the proposed contract date since it would be renewed on a cycle separate from the city’s budget.

“(The contract’s end) falls in an awkward setting to how our budget runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30,” Spears said. “So if you’re planning for X amount of dollars, and then he decides, under this particular contract when it expires on March 31, that on April 1 going forward they need a raise because things are going well, it just seems like it would be a little bit difficult to plan for those adjustments mid-budget year.”

Stafford told the council he believes Parker would be open to setting the contract expiration date to September 2028. If that change is made, the contract would be valued at $190,000.

Spears, the lone council member to discuss the contract, also said the city would still need to hire a separate facility manager.

The proposed contract will be on the agenda for approval during the council’s Nov. 11 work session at City Hall and is subject to change, Turnage said.

Other business

In other business, the council:

■ approved submitting a loan application to potentially buy a new fire truck for about $1.85 million;

■ approved the hiring of a new boom truck driver in the public works department upon completion of preliminary testing;

■ approved hiring a former Columbus Police Department officer as a constable and hiring a new entry level officer upon successful completion of preliminary testing; and

■ accepted the resignation of a member of the Columbus Fire Department.