Council to place day-camp staff reinstatement on consent after department seeks 0.75 FTE

The city’s recreation director told the Committee of the Whole on April 15 the department is asking the council to reinstate four part‑time day‑camp assistant positions, the equivalent of 0.75 full‑time equivalent (FTE), so the summer day‑camp program can be staffed and run.

The request is revenue‑neutral, staff said. The department eliminated the program last year for budget reasons, then reworked the staffing model and removed a part‑time director post so the seasonal program can break even or generate revenue. Staff reported registration of 91 campers and $33,000 in fees already taken in for the program.

Recreation staff said there is no additional appropriation required: the department believes it has expenditure authority within the existing recreation programs budget and only needs council authorization to restore the irregular (seasonal) position allocation at 0.75 FTE. Staff said job descriptions and pay ranges are already on file and hiring had proceeded until the team discovered the January ordinance reduced the authorized hours to zero.

Committee members asked whether the staffing allocation covered just the summer program and how long the positions would exist. The recreation director confirmed the allocation (388 hours per position) covers roughly 10 weeks of program time, including training days, and that the positions are seasonal and would end after the program.

Council President asked whether there was any objection to placing the reinstatement on next week’s consent agenda; no objection was raised in the committee and staff said they would move it forward for consent at the regular council meeting.

Ending: The council committee did not vote to approve the reinstatement at the committee meeting; it directed staff to place the request on next week’s consent agenda for formal council action. If approved on consent, staff expects to proceed with appointments and complete summer hiring.