Council approves temporary administrative specialist in City Clerk’s office tied to planned Tyler software work

The Common Council on March 4 approved a staffing change in the City Clerk’s office to create a temporary full-time administrative specialist position to assist with an anticipated Tyler technology implementation. The motion authorized a budget transfer of $29,000 from a part-time personal services line to full-time personal services and amendments to insurance and retirement lines to cover benefits. The council vote carried with council members recorded as voting in the affirmative.

City staff said the appointment would be temporary and could last up to 18 months to support software implementation and that the council would later determine whether to make the role permanent. Department staff and several council members asked staff not to fill the position until the council had final Tyler contract numbers and an explicit implementation authorization. The clerk’s office said it wants to recruit early so that candidate availability will align with implementation timing; staff emphasized the hire would not be made without the council first approving the underlying Tyler technology contract.

Why it matters: The temporary position is intended to provide internal capacity to run a municipal records and permitting software upgrade. Council members asked for a clear presentation of Tyler’s initial purchase and ongoing subscription costs and suggested the matter return through the Finance and HR committee for final budget action before hiring.

Next steps: Staff will return with the final Tyler proposal and detailed cost estimates for council review prior to appointing or filling the temporary position.