Minutes - Council Work Session - 07/14/2026

Home

Building Maintenance - Seasonal Mr. Westby explained that the primary purpose of the position is to handle grounds maintenance at City Hall, the City cemeteries, and the parking ramp. He said those responsibilities have increasingly been shifted to Parks staff, seasonal employees, and other Public Works personnel, but that approach is no longer keeping up with the workload. Adding the position would allow staff to stay focused on their primary responsibilities while ensuring routine grounds maintenance is completed promptly. Happy Days Intern Parks and Assistant Public Works Director Riverblood explained that the requested seasonal intern would support the City's growing recreation programs and special events, including Happy Days and the Art Fair, which require year-long planning. He said the position would run from May through September and provide a cost-effective way to assist with event planning and program coordination. Mr. Riverblood also noted that he plans to retire as early as 2027, and the department expects to restructure rather than replace his position as Assistant Public Works Director. He said an intern would help bridge the transition by providing support as the City transfers decades of institutional knowledge and keeps pace with the continued growth in recreation programming. Councilmember Buscher asked whether the proposed intern position would receive a higher wage than seasonal employees, given that the City expects to hire someone with a college education or professional training. Mr. Riverblood indicated that was correct. Councilmember Buscher asked for clarification after noticing that the Civil Engineer I salary appeared lower than the Building Inspector II salary on the comparison sheet. She questioned whether the difference was related to employee tenure or the pay scale and wanted to understand better how the positions compared. Mr. Hagen explained that the figures shown represented only the increase associated with each reclassification, not each employee's total salary. He said both employees are currently at Step 6 of their existing pay scales, but the Civil Engineer I position has a different pay structure. Under the proposal, the employee would move to Step 3 of the higher pay scale while continuing to have opportunities for future advancement as responsibilities and experience increase. Councilmember Buscher said she still did not feel her question had been fully answered and wanted a direct comparison between the two positions. Ms. Lund explained that the Civil Engineer I position starts at Step 3, which is 88 percent of the top pay step. She said the pay scales would need to be compared in their entirety, rather than by the individual figures shown on the worksheet, to compare the positions accurately. City Council Work Session / July 14, 2026 Page 7 of 14