Agenda - Council - 12/10/2019 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Community Development Director Gladhill replied that he did not believe the City would obtain a quality candidate offering less than 40 hours per week. He highly recommended against that option given the need for a quality candidate and the workload for code enforcement and land use. Councilmember Riley referenced the employee survey, noting that comments were provided that some employees feel overworked or that there is not sufficient staffing. He commented that he would believe that department heads would prioritize the workload and staffing needs. City Administrator Ulrich stated that this feedback was provided to the department heads and Council for consideration. He stated that those comments will be used to identify department shortages that would then be addressed through additional prioritization and proposals for additional staffing needs that are brought to the Council. Councilmember Kuzma commented that most employees would feel overworked most of the time. He stated that in his opinion there would be a problem when there is work that is not able to be completed. City Administrator Ulrich stated that there is a police officer position currently in the process of being filled. Councilmember Heinrich asked for input on the reclassification in the fire department and how that position would be impacted by the dissolution of the JPA. Fire Chief Kohner replied that the reclassification would not be impacted by the dissolution of the JPA. He provided additional details on the duties that would be handled by the Assistant Chief position. Councilmember Heinrich asked if there are any proposed positions that would be considered "wants" using the example of the Planning Technician. City Administrator Ulrich stated that the Planning Technician is a high priority to replace the position moving to phased retirement and the hours lost. He stated that the highest priority would be to backfill any vacant positions or time lost. He stated that reclassifications would be characterized as important and would be valuable to the organization and critical to the mission of the City for the purposes of retention and compensation for the work completed. Councilmember Riley referenced the Community Development position, which will partially be offset by permit revenue, and asked if that would reduce the hours of contract review. Community Development Director Gladhill stated that there are other areas within Community Development where he could attempt to further offset the cost for that position if necessary. He stated that each year the activity level increases and he would want to ensure sufficient coverage in the department. He agreed that the addition of this position would hopefully reduce some utilization of consultants. He explained that there will be a learning curve for the new employee. City Council Work Session / November 18, 2019 Page 8 of 14