Minutes - Council Work Session - 04/25/2023

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Mayor Kuzma stated that when they removed the interim part of his role it seemed as though everything was going well and being managed well. He thanked City Engineer/Public Works Director Westby for coming forward with this request. Councilmember Specht said that he sees the need for this role. He asked if the City will be adding a lot of other positions this year and how all of these things will fit into the budget. City Administrator Hagen stated that this is the only new 2023 Staff addition that is expected to happen. He added that there might be new positions needed in Community Development and finance next year. He guessed that there would be, at most, five new positions next year. Councilmember Specht reiterated that he is for this new role but wants to make sure it will fit into the budget. Councilmember Riley stated that there was an overall savings in Public Works when City Engineer/Public Works Director Westby took over. He clarified that they would be building in this increase for next year. Councilmember Musgrove appreciated that City Engineer/Public Works Director Westby was looking at different departments where these funds could come from. She added that there is a built in increase for the water treatment plant. She noted that looking at the job description she is not sure how one person will be able to handle all of the responsibilities. She asked where this person would be throughout the day to do all of this work. City Engineer/Public Works Director Westby explained that there are a lot of duties for this position and that he would like for this person to sit at the front desk at Public Works. He stated that all onboarding and training would be introduced on the job. Councilmember Specht stated that the grant could bring in some funds as well. Councilmember Woestehoff asked what the year two costs will be. City Engineer/Public Works Director Westby stated that the costs are in the packet and they do include insurance. Councilmember Howell stated that she would be curious what the added expense would be to house this person at Public Works. City Engineer/Public Works Director Westby explained that they have been looking at options for where this person would work from without adding much of a cost. He stated that the desk where the current Administrative Assistant sits is open to everything and where people walk by which is not the most efficient for work. The consensus of the Council was to move forward with hiring for a new full-time Public Works Administrative Assistant. City Council Work Session /April 25, 2023 Page 2 of 7