City council Tuesday night again debated the cost of a part-time parking manager while the mayor hopes to move forward with the appointment this week.

Mayor Tom Donaldson said he expects to appoint Jim Chiprean as the city parking manager. Chiprean previously served as chairman of the parking authority for 18 years.

“I’d like to get Jim on the job as soon as possible,” Donaldson said.

The mayor will propose Chiprean’s salary be at $30,000 for the first year — down from the $35,000 he initially proposed. Council will vote on the motion Thursday.

Councilwoman Kathy Kline said she was against paying $30,000 for the salary.

“That’s a healthy part- time position,” she said.

Kline said the city doesn’t know what all the position will entail and thought the salary should be lower for the first year until council can get a better understanding of what the manager will be doing.

The manager will replace the responsibilities previously held by the city parking authority, which disbanded last month at the request of the city.

Donaldson produced a two-page job description for the position. He said it is heavily based on the description used by State College in Centre County.

The manager will be responsible for the daily operations of all parking and will prepare budgets, conduct surveys, and assist in the development of policies.

He will oversee maintenance, scheduling, and bidding on parking projects, including paving, line painting, lighting and drainage. He also will field phone calls on parking issues, including complaints by residents. Donaldson said he will work a maximum of 28 hours per week.

The mayor said he consulted with other municipalities with parking managers to get a comparison of wages. He said State College pays more than $63,000 for its full-time parking manager, while New Castle pays $61,000 annually. Bradford in McKean County, which has about 8,600 residents, pays $25,000 for its part-time manager, the mayor reported.

Councilman Richard Schontz said he would be fine with the mayor’s proposed salary, but said he’d like the city to review the position annually.

“I think we should go ahead one year at a time,” he said.

While Kline was against the salary figure, she said she supported Chiprean to fill the position.

“This was never a question of ability,” she said. “It’s all about dollars and cents, and what the city can afford.”

The manager’s salary will come from the newly formed parking fund budget, which has a little more flexibility than the city’s tight general fund.

Council said the move to replace the authority with a manager will “streamline” the management of parking in the city, which is expect to undergo numerous changes in the next few years.

Donaldson said he wants to replace coined meters with automated lots and kiosks in the streets.

Council originally stated the move to a manager was required to get a $6.8 million bond issue to pay for its new parking garage on South McKean Street.

However, solicitor Jim Coulter said he reviewed the bond documents and said there is not a requirement to dissolve the authority.

The parking authority originally failed to pass the motion to disband with a 2-2 split vote. Donaldson removed the two members who were against the idea and replaced them with two residents who supported it — a move he is authorized to make as mayor.