Mayor Dave Cieslewicz said Thursday he intends to recommend that the Madison City Council renew the contract for David Denig-Chakroff, general manager for the city's embattled water utility.

But the contract, Cieslewicz said, has been extensively rewritten to include a number of performance standards which will require Denig-Chakroff to address many of the problems with management and water quality that have been raised in recent weeks.

"I think they are very precise and very direct," Ald. Lauren Cnare, 3rd District, a member of the Board of Water Commissioners, said of the performance standards. "I think it would be hard not to comply with them and keep your job."

Denig-Chakroff's salary under the proposed contract would be $113,364, which would is similar to other city department heads. He currently makes $112,173.

The contract would be for five years but includes a provision that would allow the city to terminate the contract after two years if Denig-Chakroff fails to "make substantial progress toward meeting each of the standards" outlined in the memorandum of understanding.

Denig-Chakroff said Thursday he is pleased with the proposed contract and welcomes the benchmarks as a way to improve management of the water utility.

"I think all managers should have goals and objectives," he said.

George Twigg, a spokesman for the mayor, said it is the first time measurable benchmarks have been written into a contract for a city department head.

"We have not done this before," Twigg said. "This is the first time. But it seemed like a good thing in this case."

The performance standards require Denig-Chakroff to:

Better address water quality and public health issues and correct problems with the mineral manganese.

Accelerate efforts to replace aging infrastructure and plan for new growth.

Improve customer service and response to customer complaints, including developing and implementing a 2006 survey to ask about water quality, rate increases and general satisfaction.

Improve public outreach and communication by holding public meetings, fill the empty Water Quality Specialist position, create a citizen panel to review the annual water quality report, and increase communications with the City Council and the Board of Water Commissioners.

Improve internal communications by developing and implementing a more participatory management process, assisting the president of the Board of Water Commissioners to make board meetings more focused on water quality and infrastructure issues.

Cieslewicz said Thursday that, despite recent revelations about the utility, he believes Denig-Chakroff is a "dedicated public servant" and "highly qualified."

The proposed contract will require the approval of the City Council. Cieslewicz said he will introduce the contract at Tuesday's meeting and expects the council to take up the matter at its June 20th meeting.

The Board of Water Commissioners has already recommended renewal of Denig- Chakroff's contract. But Cnare said board members have been involved in rewriting the contract to reflect a need to change course at the utility.

"The board has been active in reviewing and writing the benchmarks," Cnare said.

Cnare added that she expects the board to be exerting more oversight of the utility and its administrators as a result of recent controversy. Previously, some board members complained that utility administrators did not keep the board adequately informed of important issues and developments.

"I feel there is now a greater imperative and permission for board members to say, 'This is an important issue. I want to know more about it. Put it on the agenda,' " Cnare said.

Such a change in attitude, she added, is important if the utility is to get back on course. "The board does not act like a watchdog," Cnare said. "But now, I think it has to ask more hard questions."

Cnare added that she favored renewing Denig-Chakroff's contract because he has made a good faith effort to respond to recently raised problems and shortcomings.

"He's been very open and willing to answer questions," Cnare said. "I just don't think this is a time to change horses. We don't have the luxury of waiting to hire someone new."