Agenda - Council - 10/09/2007 - Laserfiche WebLink

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due to lack of permits. He stated that he feels this position may be needed in the future, but reiterated that he did not feel it was necessary right now. Mayor Gamec stated that Public Works Director Olson had put together a work plan that showed, even with the lack of building permits, that there would be sufficient work during slow periods. Public Works Director Olson stated that there are a lot of consulting dollars that could be offset by hiring for this position. He stated that there is quite a bit of work to be done internally such as inspection on Well House #3 and other public improvements around the town center that could keep this employee busy during slow times. He stated that he feels, that by hiring this person, the City could be more cost efficient by doing some of the engineering work that developers hire consulting engineers to complete. He stated that the City has been down a half position since March of 2006. He stated that he understands that this is a tight budget time, but he feels this position is really needed. Councilmember Olson stated that she knows the engineering department has been on the slim side for quite a while and is jumping around from project to project, so she feels this position is also justified. Mayor Gamec stated that with current staffing levels our service to people is delayed and communication with residents is harmed. He stated that he feels with this addition to the engineering staff, the City can get things done more quickly than it would if the work was outsourced. Councilmember Dehen stated that his problem is that he was not on the City Council when this issue was debated and nothing was included in the packet covering what was debated. He stated that this is a slow time economically and he feels that this is not the time to be adding personnel. He stated that he is being asked to vote on something in which he did not participate in earlier discussion and was not provided any additional background information before tonight's meeting to make an educated decision on whether the position is justified. Public Works Director Olson stated that the position was authorized in June, so tonight's meeting is not to debate the merits of the position, but to select an individual. He stated that he would be available if Councilmember Dehen would like to discuss some of the background information and prior issues that were debated. Councilmember Dehen stated that he just received this information last Friday which only gave him two days to try to find out whether this position is needed or not. He stated that this has been his long time complaint with the City's process, that the City Council is not getting the information quick enough. He stated that he feels he cannot be expected to vote intelligently on something like this without more information. Motion by Councilmember Olson, seconded by Mayor Gamec, to recommend that the City Council grant authorization to hire Mr. Tim Himmer as the City's Assistant City Engineer pending the results of Mr. Himmer's background check, pre - employment physical and Personnel Committee / September 25, 2007 Page 2 of 3