The Green Bay Personnel Committee on Sept. 9 approved multiple staffing actions and a temporary change to the vacancy-approval process intended to speed hiring while preserving committee oversight.

The committee voted to: approve the routine request to fill four budgeted positions (custodian, administrative clerk, laborer and a conservation fields assistant); authorize converting one vacant parking maintenance technician to a parking maintenance lead (Parking Maintenance 4) when the vacancy is filled; reclassify a vacant Civil Engineer 2 position to Senior Landscape Architect to post the appropriate vacancy; and implement a weekly notification process for replacement hires and internal transfers through the end of 2026, giving the committee a short window to pull items for discussion.

Why it matters: the changes balance faster hiring and internal promotions with continued council visibility. Staff described examples in which a resignation close to a council meeting delayed an offer by weeks, and the weekly notification was pitched as a middle ground to reduce candidate loss and administrative burden while keeping the committee able to review specific cases.

Most significant facts first: committee members approved the parking classification change as a conversion, not an addition to headcount. The staff fiscal note listed roughly $10,000 for the year as the fiscal impact tied to the parking reclassification; staff said the position would be filled only when a vacancy occurs and that the change would not add headcount or reduce field support.

On the landscape architecture request, a staff member explained that the city once had multiple landscape architect positions but budget cuts in 2007 reduced that capacity. The committee heard that with recent departures and internal promotions (one civil engineer moved into a park planner role), the division lacks a landscape architect and that a Senior Landscape Architect would restore design and master‑planning skills. Staff told the committee a consultant review found the Senior Landscape Architect and Civil Engineer 2 pay scales are comparable, and that the reclassification would not change the budget.

The committee approved a temporary administrative change to the vacancy-approval process. Under the adopted Option 2, HR will send a weekly (Wednesday) notification to committee members listing ready-to-fill replacement positions and internal transfers arising from vacancies; committee members will have a short period to request an item be pulled for full personnel committee discussion. If no pull is requested, directors may proceed with offers subject to council rules. Committee members said they preferred this interim process until the city’s priority‑based budgeting software (ResourceX) and related reporting are fully in place.

The committee also discussed the recent transfer of a violence interrupter position. Staff said one former violence interrupter was reassigned into a limited “sunsetting” role to help close out program reporting and participant referrals; that position remains grant-funded and is scheduled to sunset at the end of the grant year.

Votes and procedure: motions reported in the transcript were voiced and carried; the record shows motions moved and seconded by committee alderpersons (for example, Alder Grant and Alder Hinkfest) and the chair called the voice votes as “aye” with “motion carries.” The meeting transcript does not contain a roll-call vote tally with individual yes/no votes for these items.

Context and outlook: several alderpersons said they support giving directors discretion to manage budgeted positions but want continued opportunities to review higher‑level or program‑sensitive roles during the budget cycle. Staff and committee members agreed to revisit the notification process in 2026 once priority‑based budgeting outputs are available.

Next steps: the weekly notification process will run through the end of 2026 unless the committee acts sooner; the committee’s next meeting was set for a future date in September.