Mobile city leaders held off on a decision this week that would shift day-to-day management of the History Museum of Mobile from a city department to the museum’s own nonprofit board, a change that would affect nearly two dozen city employees.
The proposed resolution, sponsored by the mayor’s office, would authorize the museum’s nonprofit board to operate several city-owned cultural sites, including Fort Conde, the Phoenix Fire Museum and the historic building that houses the main museum collection. The measure also includes roughly $210,000 in city funding to help the board cover operating costs through the end of September as the transition takes place.
Under the arrangement, the museum’s board would take on full responsibility for finances and personnel, shifting the institution away from its current status as a city department. Roughly 19 city employees connected to the museum were previously notified that their positions would be eliminated at the start of August to make way for the handover, with the board expected to conduct its own hiring for replacement staff.
A board member said interviews for the newly created positions would begin as soon as this week, though the exact number of jobs available has not yet been finalized. The board also plans to launch a nationwide search for a new executive director to replace the museum’s longtime director, who was among those informed of the layoffs.
“We’re just pleased that the administration and the council has enough trust in the board to put us in charge,” one board member said, adding that a hiring committee will conduct interviews and recommend candidates for the board’s final approval.
The board’s chairman said the process for determining staffing levels and identifying new leadership candidates is still being worked out, with more details expected to firm up in the coming week.
Not everyone at the meeting was fully at ease with the pace of the transition. A longtime volunteer at Fort Conde told council members he was concerned about uncertainty facing museum workers in the weeks leading up to the handover, urging officials to move carefully given how much is riding on the outcome for current staff.
Council members ultimately chose to delay a final vote by one week to allow more time for questions to be resolved before formally approving the management shift.