Fragments of information about city-management and port-authority restructuring are bobbing out of the water in the midst of secret meetings, resignations and accusations.

The most recent item to surface is a plan to merge Greater Jobs Inc. with the port authority, which has been considered, according to Councilor Jeff Fjelstad.

City leaders and Greater Jobs board members held a closed meeting Tuesday to discuss Greater Jobs’ involvement, but Fjelstad, who attended the meeting, said that decisions are not finalized and will not yet be made public.

Mayor Jean Eaton and Councilor Warren Amundson also attended the meeting. Because a majority of the council did not attend, the meeting could be kept private.

Brad Arends, president of Greater Jobs and an attendee of the meeting, said the group, which has met three times, looked into merging Greater Jobs with the port authority. However, he said, the group decided &uot;a full merger is not a viable solution.&uot;

Instead, greater cooperation between the two seems to be on the table.

Monday, the city council voted to create a new, full-time position to lead the port authority, which is an arm of the city. City Manager Paul Sparks will resign from the manager job to take the port-authority job.

According to Mayor Jean Eaton, the port-authority director has the power to acquire property, construct buildings and facilities and loan money to private parties for economic development.

Greater Jobs, a private, nonprofit organization, also tries to further economic development by marketing the community and dealing with business prospects.

Fjelstad described a difference between the two organizations that might spur greater cooperation. He said the port authority cannot conduct business outside of Albert Lea, but Greater Jobs can.

He also confirmed that Greater Jobs will not be downsized, nor will its employees lose their jobs.

Another closed meeting will be held near the end of this week, Fjelstad said, and the group will possibly hold a public forum to present the discussed structural changes. He said that the changes will also be presented to the city council at their next meeting on Monday, Oct. 27.

(Contact Benjamin Dipman at ben.dipman@albertleatribune.com or 379-3439.)