Agenda - Council Work Session - 03/23/2021

Home

d. Can the position remain unfilled temporarily or permanently? Please explain. If the position were to remain unfilled, the immediate recruitment of an intern(s)* would be necessary to support the existing recreation program(s) that are already in place for 2021. Any potential recreation programs contemplated would not be able to be developed, except for limited programming through Rumriver Arts, an already established contracted service. *Note: The Recreation Specialist position was established after an analysis of recreation related programming utilizing interns — finding that both effectiveness and continuity was improved with a regular staff assignment (versus repeating training of interns), and also the annual operating costs in providing recreation services to residents was less with a dedicated Recreation Specialist, in comparison to years when two interns attempted to fulfill the same job duties. e. Can the position be filled internally An internal recruitment can be performed to advertise the position, but the 20 hour per week job duties cannot be added to an existing staff position — unless there would be a part time employee qualified, and Council authorized a new full-time job category. (The Recreation Specialist is a part-time, 20 hour per week position.) f. What is the impact (i.e., to residents, business owners, employees, and/or operations) if the position is not filled? Certain businesses benefit from recreation programming like Adrenaline Sports which rents facility space to the city. Some recreation programs like Wine and Canvas are at no net cost to the city, with a local restaurant (Kitchen Table) and another small business directly benefiting from patron expenditures back into their community. Residents appreciate recreation programming, and indeed may have come to expect this from their local government as a symbol of a maturing full -service city. If the position is not filled, and programs are eliminated and limited, there may be a diminution in that 'sense of community' that is viewed by many as a measure of the Quality of Life in the city — the drive-in movie last Summer during the Pandemic as example, was viewed as a favorable government sponsored activity. Health and Wellness programs are valued by residents, and would be missed by many, including retired individuals with time for leisure activities. The Recreation Specialist also facilitated volunteering in the community, like the 'Hike with a Naturalist' in parks that was a reoccurring program at no net cost to the city.