Manchester HR committee approves change to solicitor staff; selects Elliot Hospital for employee medical services

At a meeting of the Committee on Human Resource Insurance of the Manchester Board Mayor & Aldermen, members approved a requested change to the city solicitor's staffing complement and heard informational reports on HR matters, including the department's selection of Elliot Hospital for city employment-related medical services.

The committee unanimously approved a motion to remove one Attorney I (grade 23) position and add one Attorney II (grade 25) to the solicitor's office. Lisa Drabek, the city's human resources director, described the Attorney II as a supervisory role with the ability to handle a broader mix of civil and criminal matters than the existing Attorney I positions.

"So in this particular instance, what Solicitor Rice is trying to do is create another sort of supervisory position as well as a position that can handle civil and criminal matters," Drabek said.

The staffing request was presented by Emily Rice, the city solicitor. Members asked whether the change related to the recent compensation study that the city completed; Drabek said the study standardized titles and market wages across similar jobs but would not automatically prevent departments from requesting different classifications when duties change or vacancies occur.

A committee member raised a concern about the time it can take to resolve personnel complaints, citing a personal complaint filed in August 2023 that was not resolved until January 2024. The speaker asked whether adding an Attorney II would speed complaint-related processes. Rice said she could not guarantee faster resolution in future cases and noted the solicitor's office currently has 10 authorized attorney positions with three vacancies.

"So we're basically operating at 70% of our legal staff," Rice said, adding that moving some civil litigation work across the office should "free up some time" for other duties.

The committee also received informational HR materials submitted by Drabek, including a position summary report, vacancy requisition requests and approvals, and a summary of arbitrations and grievances. Item 2 on the agenda advised that the human resources department had selected Elliot Hospital to provide city employment-related medical services; the committee treated that item as informational.

Votes at a glance: The committee approved the solicitor's staffing change by voice vote after Alderman Burke moved and Alderman Sapienza seconded the motion. The committee subsequently approved a motion to adjourn by voice vote after Alderman Vincent moved and Alderman Sapienza seconded. The transcript records aye votes by voice; no roll-call tally or recorded no votes are shown in the meeting record.

The staffing change is intended to allow the solicitor's office to assign a wider range of civil and criminal work across its attorneys and to create a supervisory-level role. The HR reports and the Elliot Hospital selection were presented for information and did not require committee action at the meeting.