The DeKalb City Council will consider proposing an ordinance to amend the position of deputy city clerk from a municipal employee to an independant contractor at a special meeting today at 7 p.m.

The amendment, a consideration discussed at the regular meeting on March 28, must be voted into an ordinance proposal so the council can vote on it at the next regular council meeting April 11, Mayor Greg Sparrow said.

The amendment cannot be voted on while it still is a consideration because, “considerations are just subjects to talk about to get a council opinion,” Sparrow said.

If proposed, the ordinance would revise the position so the deputy no longer would receive insurance benefits or personal and vacation days with pay, Corporation Counsel Rick Turner said.

But the position still might be able to collect workman’s compensation because the deputy’s work and salary will be controlled—which would make her an employee under compensation laws, he said.

The ordinance also would protect the city from liability of dishonorable discharge—so the deputy could be dismissed without any specific reason, Turner said. “Liability suits are becoming more and more frequent,” he said.

The contract would allow City Clerk Peggy Hoyt or a majority vote from Sparrow and the council to terminate the deputy’s position at any time with or without any cause for dismissal, Turner said. The contract would be signed by Sparrow, Hoyt and the deputy and would be renewed on an annual basis, Turner said.

Hoyt said if the ordinance passes, the contract will be negotiated with the new deputy, Donna Croom, 10 days after its passage.

The council also will vote on an ordinance to publish an official zoning map of DeKalb at the meeting, Sparrow said.

The state law requires a new zoning map to be published before April 1, annually, Sparrow said.