City Council reappointed the city administrator for another year, months after the mayor decided to offer him the position on a permanent basis.

The governing body at its Dec. 9 regular meeting approved a resolution (AR-252-19) reappointing Landolfi & Associates Government Solutions Corporation in an amount not to exceed $70,000. Landolfi was initially appointed in August 2018 for a five-month contract at a cost of $30,000 and then appointed for 2019 in January.

At the time of the January 2019 appointment, Landolfi was to be interim city administrator until further notice and be part of the team that determined a successor. In March, Abubukar “A.J.” Jalloh was appointed city administrator but before his 90-day probation period ended, he decided to remain in his position as city clerk in Plainfield. Jalloh stepped down in June.

In a brief telephone interview Thursday, Giacobbe said he offered the permanent administrator post to Landolfi in the fall after a brief internal search that followed Jalloh’s departure. Through that process, the mayor said he found Landolfi to be the best person for the job and asked him to stay.

Landolfi’s contract is half the pay of the previous city administrator and he technically is not a city employee but an independent contractor, which means the city saves on health benefits as well, the mayor said. Landolfi also serves as executive director of the Rahway Redevelopment Agency, having been appointed in February, also for a $70,000 contract.

Cherron Rountree ended her five-year tenure as city administrator on Dec. 31 and recently was appointed as the business administrator in Monmouth County’s Holmdel. Giacobbe, who began a full four-year term as mayor in January after winning election in November, said at the time that he and Rountree “mutually decided to move in different directions.” He served as interim mayor after being appointed to succeed Samson Steinman, who resigned as mayor in December 2017.