AUBURN -- Three weeks into his new post, City Manager Mark Palesh is fixing a situation that some might find "arguably illegal."

Thursday marked the second Auburn City Council meeting where the council returned to the manager authority originally granted in the city charter.

Councilors unanimously approved ending the self-imposed hiring freeze and allowing Palesh to make those administrative decisions.

Last week, the council rescinded two other measures which allows the manager to oversee departmental expenditures without council review.

"Arguably it could be said they (the resolutions) were illegal" because they went against the city charter, Corporation Counsel John Rossi said.

"The city manager getting 100 percent of his power -- I'm totally for it. That's why we have a city manager," Councilor William Graney said. "I have extreme confidence in (Palesh)."

Rossi said the council likely took the right to impose a modified hiring freeze because of a "budgetary crisis." However, he said returning the authority was the proper action.

Mayor Timothy Lattimore suggested the hiring freeze in November 2005. Councilor Matt Smith later put the measure up for vote in February 2006. The resolution was renewed with the start of this fiscal year in July 2006, near the end of former City Manager John Salomone's tenure.

Smith's proposal came close to Salomone's announcement of a possible tax increase to help ease the deficit.

Councilor Thomas McNabb said he questioned the resolution at the time. The council still has to vote to add on employees to positions not included in the council-approved budget, he added. Otherwise, the manager may hire at his discretion

"If there's a vacancy, I can choose to not fill it," Palesh added.

Read the full report in Friday's edition of The Citizen.