Committee forwards salary corrections, new communications role, building‑maintenance post and several budget appropriations

The Personnel & Finance Committee voted unanimously to forward a package of personnel and budget measures to the Committee of the Whole with favorable recommendations, commissioners said during the meeting.

The package included a salary correction for certain non‑captain fire positions, title changes and a new public‑facing communications role in the fire department, a Teamsters building‑maintenance position for the planned new City Hall, internal budget transfers to align program budgets, and multiple appropriations including a pending federal grant for Kennedy Park.

City Controller Kyle Willis told the committee that Bill 9‑25 corrects an omission in the collective bargaining agreement negotiations for fiscal year 2025: certain non‑captain positions that historically have been paid at the captain salary level were inadvertently omitted from the CBA chart. Willis described the change as retroactive for 2025 and requested authorization to correct the salaries and make retroactive payments. Assistant City Attorney Adam Taylor characterized the issue as a scrivener’s error in drafting rather than an operational change; Fire Chief Carl R. Buchanan said the omission was not intentional and that some employees who perform investigator/inspector/paramedic duties have long received captain pay despite not holding the captain rank in the 24‑hour captain contract.

Bill 10‑25 updates position titles in Innovation & Technology and creates a fire department non‑bargaining position described as a digital communications and multimedia training coordinator. Chief Buchanan said the role expands the previous public information function to provide more proactive, multimedia outreach about fire department programs (for example smoke alarm and carbon monoxide outreach, CPR instruction and other life‑safety education) and that the position would coordinate with existing public‑education officers.

Bill 11‑25 adds a full‑time Teamsters building‑maintenance position to serve as the primary maintenance contact for the new City Hall building; staff said the new building will require dedicated on‑site maintenance distinct from current arrangements.

Substitute Bill 12‑25 carries internal budget transfers, including alignment for community initiatives and reallocation of a personnel line to the legal department for an office clerk position.

Bill 13‑25 contains several appropriations: a $7.5 million appropriation to cover the Kennedy Park grant (staff said federal awards are paused at the federal level and the agreement is not yet executed, but the appropriation is being readied so the city can move quickly if/when the award is finalized); $1.3 million to furnish the new City Hall; $1.4 million for streets and sewers utility expenses that had been missed in the 2025 budget realignment; and a $250,000 increase to a sewer lateral connection program to meet increased demand from new housing.

All measures were advanced without public opposition and will proceed to the Committee of the Whole.

Votes at a glance (selected)

Bill 9‑25 — Salary correction for certain fire positions (retroactive to 2025) Motion: Move that Bill 9‑25 be sent to the Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation. Vote: Unanimous roll call; outcome: Sent to Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation.

Bill 10‑25 — Title changes; creation of fire department digital communications and multimedia training coordinator Motion: Move that Bill 10‑25 be sent to the Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation. Vote: Unanimous roll call; outcome: Sent to Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation.

Bill 11‑25 — Add Teamsters building maintenance position for new City Hall Motion: Move that Bill 11‑25 be sent to the Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation. Vote: Unanimous roll call; outcome: Sent to Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation.

Substitute Bill 12‑25 — Budget transfers Motion: Move that Substitute Bill 12‑25 be sent to the Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation. Vote: Unanimous roll call; outcome: Sent to Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation.

Bill 13‑25 — Appropriations (Kennedy Park grant, City Hall furnishings, streets & sewers, sewer lateral program increase) Motion: Move that Bill 13‑25 be sent to the Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation. Vote: Unanimous roll call; outcome: Sent to Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation.

What officials said

City Controller Kyle Willis: Presented the salary corrections, title changes and appropriation summaries. He explained that many grants are reimbursable and that staff is preparing local approvals so work can proceed when federal agreement documents are available.

Fire Chief Carl R. Buchanan: Asked the committee to recognize that the omission was inadvertent and explained the new communications role would expand public education, including smoke alarm and CPR outreach.

Assistant City Attorney Adam Taylor: Called the salary omission a scrivener’s error in drafting and said both sides of the negotiating table understood captains and those positions should be paid at the captain level.

Public comment and next steps

No members of the public registered in favor or opposition during the committee hearing. The bills will proceed to the Committee of the Whole for further consideration.