Town reports hiring gains but employee housing and facilities remain significant challenges

Nantucket — Town staff told the advisory committee on July 12 that the town has made multiple recent hires but remains challenged by facilities maintenance and employee housing shortages. Libby Gibson reported the town has “nearly” filled police and fire vacancies, added a deputy housing director, one additional real-estate staffer, an environmental contamination coordinator, an IT staffer and a full-time projects manager in town administration. “We need at least 1 more” projects manager, she said, and noted facilities maintenance remains understaffed relative to the town’s building portfolio. Gibson said a proposed $14 million appropriation for town employee housing (design, construction and owner's project manager services) did not pass at town meeting or the election; she said the town is planning year-round and seasonal employee-housing initiatives and bundling certain real-estate parcels (Orange Street, Vesper Lane, Bartlett Road) into an RFP that staff are sorting. Why it matters: municipal operations depend on adequate staffing and affordable employee housing to recruit and retain workers. Failing to secure housing funding increases pressure on payroll and service continuity and can raise long-term costs. Supporting details: Gibson said the town has increased positions in multiple departments and has a new contract RFP for strategic-plan facilitation and consulting services. She said facilities staff shortages create issues in maintaining town-owned buildings and employee housing units. Quotes from the meeting: “We are nearly, not totally, but nearly fully staffed with police and fire. We've filled more vacancies in DPW. Facilities is still very challenging,” Gibson said. On housing she said, “We had a proposed appropriation for town employee housing… That did not pass town meeting or the election.” Ending: Town staff said it will continue personnel recruiting, pursue bundled real-estate RFPs for housing, and prepare for collective-bargaining negotiations this fall; the committee asked staff to return with updates on housing procurements and facilities staffing.