Norwich – The City Council will start its search for a new city manager with a meeting Monday, but don’t look for the agenda on the city website or the city clerk’s office. 

As a result of past court rulings, municipal executive search committees — including searches for city managers and school superintendents — can be done in secrecy, without posted agendas or minutes. 

Mayor Deberey Hinchey said Thursday the first secret meeting is tentatively scheduled for 5 p.m. Monday at City Hall. 

Former City Manager Alan Bergren resigned at the start of this week’s City Council meeting Monday night, and immediately afterward the council appointed itself as the executive search committee. Bergren’s resignation came after he met with Hinchey and two aldermen last Friday. Hinchey had approached Norwich Public Utilities General Manager John Bilda three weeks earlier to ask him to serve as acting city manager. 

Upon accepting Bergren’s resignation Monday, the council also authorized Corporation Counsel Michael Driscoll and Comptroller Josh Pothier to negotiate a severance agreement with Bergren based on his contract with the city. 

Bergren’s contract calls for him to receive six months’ pay based on his current salary of $127,500 and “such other benefits, and at the same rates or proportions, as Norwich by policy then in effect would pay to any Norwich non-union department head under the equivalent circumstances.” 

The contract also calls for Bergren to be allowed to remain on the city’s health insurance coverage, including life insurance and short-term and long-term disability coverage, for no more than one year or until he obtains other employment. 

The City Council — not acting as the search committee — will have to approve the final severance package. 

Tom Hennick, public information officer at the state Freedom of Information Commission, said the state’s rules governing executive searches evolved from court decisions. The Norwich City Council, acting as a committee of the whole search committee, is allowed to meet in secret to discuss the city manager search. 

But Hennick said the committee must follow strict rules and only discuss city manager search issues. Members cannot branch off to discuss the budget or other city issues, and cannot take votes when acting as the search committee. Any votes would have to be done at a posted City Council meeting, Hennick said. 

Hinchey said prior to planning for Monday’s meting she asked her secretary, Rafaela Rivera, to contact the FOI Commission to learn the rules for the executive search committee. Hinchey said the permitted secrecy was surprising and very different from usual rules requiring public meeting postings. 

Hinchey said Friday that Monday’s meeting is planned to last about one hour “just to get things started,” and there are no plans to hold a posted council meeting afterward for any votes. 

Hinchey said she would favor hiring a search consultant and conduct a national search for a new city manager, but will ask other aldermen their opinions on the issue. 

The council hired Randi Frank Consulting LLC of Wallingford in the 2007 search that resulted in hiring Bergren in November 2007. He served for just over seven years in the position. 

“I don’t think hiring a consultant is such a bad idea,” Hinchey said. “It’s such a crucial position, so I think getting help doing that is a good idea.”

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