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Selma council approves combined economic development director/public information officer position, 4-1
Summary
The Selma City Council on June 17 approved a hybrid economic development director and public information officer (PIO) position, directing staff to advertise the role and return with applications at the July 1 meeting.
Selma — The Selma City Council voted 4-1 on June 17 to approve a new combined economic development director/public information officer classification and salary range and directed staff to advertise the position with applications returned for council review at the July 1 regular meeting.
Council members and staff framed the job as an immediate need for the city’s communications, marketing and economic outreach — functions council members said are key to recruiting businesses and supporting the ongoing city manager search. “Our city is in need of more transparency and more communications,” Mayor Robertson said during the discussion.
Administrative staff told the council the hybrid job is a fiscally smaller alternative to a standalone communications director. “Staff strongly recommends adoption of resolution 2025-47R to approve the economic development director, PIO classification and salary range,” a staff presenter told the council, noting that the hybrid slot would add roughly $30,000 to the projected general-fund deficit, versus a larger increase if a separate communications director were hired.
Council members debated the tradeoffs. Supporters said the role is a practical way to immediately provide marketing, website and outreach capacity; opponents warned that combining economic development and communications risks diluting both functions. The final roll-call vote was yes: Abalos, Oseguera, Guerra and Robertson; no: Trujillo.
Under the motion approved by council, the position will be advertised with a salary range of $92,000 to $120,000 and applications will be provided to council for review; interviews and selection are expected to be handled by the council in a closed-session applicant review at a future meeting. Staff said the job will operate under the city’s personnel rules and daily supervision will fall to the appropriate administrative manager while the council remains the appointing authority.
The action follows council and staff discussions this spring about communications gaps and the workload of ongoing recruitments. Staff also said the hybrid approach preserves the ability to recruit a dedicated economic development director later if council and budget conditions allow.
