Council asks staff to revisit a part‑time customer service clerk after credit‑card fee revenue estimated

Council instructed staff to revisit a part‑time customer service clerk position as a supplemental budget item once the city has more concrete figures from newly adopted credit‑card service fees, voting 8-1 to request a return to council in August with an analysis.

Why it matters: Customer service staffing affects in‑person service, phone wait times and cross‑training capacity; the council tied the staffing decision to anticipated fee revenue created by a credit‑card convenience fee that was not fully in the draft budget.

Staff presentations and staffing context Allison Haines, interim customer service director, said she originally requested an additional floor staffer to provide cross‑training and coverage when staff are pulled for other duties. Haines said her team has expanded since 2016 but is down one position; she described increased phone volume and a need for flexible coverage, especially as customer service absorbed tax office and deed‑stamp work.

Council finance context and motion Council members noted that earlier this month the council had approved a credit‑card fee policy that will shift many transactions off the general fund and that staff estimated the fee would generate hundreds of thousands of dollars across funds. Several council members argued a modest share of that projected fee revenue should be used to fund a part‑time clerk if workload increases materialize.

Motion and next steps Councilman Anderson moved and Councilman Suttler seconded a direction asking staff to bring a supplemental budget proposal in August tied to the credit‑card fee revenue; the motion passed 8-1. Staff were asked to include updated workload estimates, a breakdown of how fee income is allocated across funds and the net general‑fund impact.

Ending: The council’s direction defers a final hiring decision until staff can show whether fee revenue materializes and whether in‑person traffic increases as predicted.