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Police Chief Bluml shared his request for an increase in hours for the Records Technician. He <br />noted that there has been an increase in demand for body camera footage, and this has kept the <br />Record Technicians busy, and he would like one of the current part-time positions to become full- <br />time. He added that they used to have an individual who was a part-time Records Technician and <br />part-time crime data analyst, and this individual is now a full-time crime data analyst, so there is a <br />need to fill these missing hours. <br /> <br />City Administrator Hagen shared the request for a part-time Communications Specialist to help <br />with some of the Strategic Plan items around communication. He said they currently have one full- <br />time communications person but would like to bring someone on in a part-time capacity to focus <br />on social media. <br /> <br />Councilmember Specht said he would not be supportive of this position, as they are doing a good <br />job with communication and using social media as it is. <br /> <br />Councilmember Buscher said she would support this position as part of the goal of the Council is <br />to make sure that the residents know what is going on in the City and feel the City is being <br />transparent. <br /> <br />Police Chief Bluml shared that he is asking for an additional Investigator for the Police <br />Department. <br /> <br />Fire Chief Kohner shared the request for a new Firefighter/Fire Technician role in response to the <br />recent increase in call volume. He said this position would help with fire response as well as <br />administrative duties. <br /> <br />Community Development Director Hanson reviewed the request for a full-time Building <br />Inspector/Plans Examiner. She shared that they currently contract with Rum River Consulting for <br />inspection services. She noted this position would conduct all inspections, including plan reviews <br />and septic inspections. She added that they already know that 2026 will be a busy year for <br />commercial development. She explained that they already have the cost of the services from Rum <br />River Consulting in their budget, so if this position is approved, then those fees would drop out of <br />the budget. <br /> <br />Councilmember Peters asked if they would end up spending more money to hire a full-time <br />position than they currently spend on the contracted services. <br /> <br />Community Development Director Hanson said it would be cheaper to hire their own person. <br /> <br />City Administrator Hagen noted that the contractor does not work for the City full-time, so a City <br />position would give them more labor hours. <br /> <br />Mayor Heineman asked where the budget savings would come from if they chose to hire for this <br />role. <br /> <br />City Council Work Session / July 8, 2025 <br />Page 3 of 9 <br /> <br />