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City council expedites acceptance of state lifeguard recruitment grant
Summary
The City Council moved to expedite acceptance of a New York State "NY Swims" grant routed through the county to reimburse lifeguard certification costs and provide a $100 hiring bonus for timely applicants; staff said the award covered only the current season and arrived after hiring season.
The Binghamton City Council on Monday voted to expedite consideration of a grant from a county routing of New York State’s "NY Swims" initiative to reimburse lifeguard certification costs and provide an employment incentive. Council members voted 7-0 to expedite the item.
The grant, staff said, reimbursed certification costs for lifeguards for the current season and gave a $100 bonus to lifeguards who completed paperwork and certifications by a stated deadline. "The grant covered their certification costs for this year and this year only, and it also gave them an employment incentive," Jacob, the city's recreation supervisor, told the public works and parks committee.
Jacob and Nick Ballard, acting commissioner of parks and recreation, said the award was applied for in April but the county and the state approval process delayed delivery until August, limiting managers’ ability to advertise the incentive during spring recruitment. "We put in for April, I believe, and we just got it back in August," Jacob said. Ballard said the county had to receive state approval before sending a contract to the city.
Council members asked whether the city could reimburse earlier in the hiring process despite the delay; Jacob said the county had approved the concept but the contract paperwork was delayed. When asked if a similar lag was expected next year, Jacob said the program was a one-year grant "as far as I'm aware."
Ballard and Jacob told council the incentive produced a quicker uptick in returning staff once the program was announced locally. "Once that came through that their certification cost was to be covered, it kinda gives them a little ... push through," Jacob said.
The item was presented by Council member Hotchkiss as chair of the public works and parks committee; Ballard and Jacob answered council questions. The council did not take additional substantive votes on program details during the discussion beyond the procedural vote to expedite consideration.
