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Livonia council approves up-to-$45,000 contract to cover finance staffing gaps
Summary
City council approved a temporary contract to bring in outside accounting help while the finance department fills multiple vacancies; administration says department expects to be back to full staffing by mid-October.
Livonia City Council voted to authorize a contract not to exceed $45,000 for outside accounting and financial services after department leaders said recent promotions and retirements left the finance office short-staffed. The council approved the measure after a July-to-October hiring timeline was presented.
Finance Director Deborah Lichtenberg told council the contract is a temporary measure while the department trains and backfills positions. "We are expecting to be fully staffed by October," Lichtenberg said. She told the council that many positions had shifted and that the department needs interim expertise to keep normal accounting operations running.
Council members questioned the cost and duration. Lichtenberg said the city’s finance office of roughly 18 people has seen turnover and internal promotions; "we only have 7 people who are in the same seats today as they were a year ago," she said, and that specialized accounting work requires experienced professionals. The contract is billed hourly and the city will only pay for hours used, officials said.
A handful of residents and candidates addressed council before the vote, asking for transparency on hiring and data protections for the city’s financial records. Council members said they wanted a long-term fix; several asked for a municipal salary study to understand whether pay is limiting recruitment.
The clerk recorded the roll call: Vice President Tashnick, Council members Budzinski, Scheele, Morgan and Toye voted yes; President McCullough voted no. The motion passed 5–1.
