The Auburn City Council has made a wise decision to extend Mark Palesh's contract as city manager for another 18 months beyond the expiration of his original three-year deal.

First and foremost, Palesh has performed well since taking over the day-to-day city leadership role in February 2007. He has brought much-needed stability to the city's finances, which was the primary objective given to him when he started. He has also brought a high level of professionalism and organization to city government.

That said, Palesh has not been perfect. It's taken a while for him to establish an effective communication system with the council, and he has made some decisions based on personal views instead of the community's interest (the attempt to prosecute a video store, for example). But his overall performance has been good for the city's residents, certainly good enough to merit a reasonable extension and a 3-percent raise.

The one city councilor to vote against the extension last week, Thomas McNabb, has said it's too soon to be making such a decision. But by putting the new expiration date at Aug. 28, 2011, the city essentially has the city manager committed for another three years. That length of time suits both the city and the manager. It helps ensure the city some leadership stability, something that had been sorely lacking over the past decade or so. And it gives the manager some job security that he and his family deserve.

It's also important to note that this is a smart time politically to work on an extension. A year from now, city council elections very well could cloud things. In six months, the budget season will be in full swing.

There's relative calm at city hall these days, which provides the best opportunity for making the right decision on this crucial matter to city government.