Agenda - Council - 10/13/1998 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Motion by Mayor Gamec and seconded by Councilmember Beyer to recommend Council authorize hiring Joan Smith as half-time Finance Clerk, effective immediately, at an annualized salary of $23,370 ($11.24 per hour), contingent on successful completion of checks for references, criminal history and driving record, and a physical examination. Motion carded. Voting Yes: Mayor Gamec and Councilmember Beyer. Voting No: None. Absent: None. Case #4: Authorize Activities to Replace Retiring Streets Supervisor Administrative Services Manager Waite Smith reported that Merle Mevissen is retiring after 25 years of service. His last day will be October 16, but he will be paid for the rest of the year because he has enough leave on the books. Mr. Mevissen and the Parks/Utilities Supervisor are both working supervisors. The Director of Public Works believes there's a need for both positions. We are asking for authorization to replace Mr. Mevissen. We will post the position internally, then externally. Ms. Waite Smith asked for authority for the process to replace Mr. Mevissen to begin and authority to back-fill should the position be filled internally.. Mayor Gamec asked if once the Council agrees to this, are we obligated to fill the position in this way. He felt that we are looking at this as becoming more of a field-type supervisor. Director of Public Works Kapler responded that he is a strong advocate of more supervision in the field. He feels that the demands of this position will increase over time and added that he would like to see the Public Works Department play a bigger roll in the street maintenance program. He also sees more demands with regard to storm water issues, etc. Councilmember Beyer suggested that storm water issues should be handled by the City Engineer. Councilmember Haas Steffen felt that the Public Works organization is "top heavy", however, there is still a gap. Storm water management was mentioned and the organization has no one who has expertise in that field. She suggested that the entire organization needs to be reviewed and that possibly there is more of a need for lead workers than for more supervisors. Ms. Waite Smith thought this might be addressed at the time staff discusses goals and objectives. Mayor Gamec commented about people calling in to complain about what is not getting done in the City's parks. It is getting better, however, the parks are demanding more and more time. Personnel Committee/September 22, 1998 Page 3 of 4