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Budget committee approves cutting economic development position and reallocating funds to city manager salary allocation
Summary
Committee voted to eliminate the newly created economic revitalization position and reallocate the funding to modify the city manager's salary allocation; discussion included the city manager's voluntary pay reduction and possible future contracting of the city attorney to capture savings.
The Coos Bay Budget Committee voted to remove the economic revitalization position from the proposed budget and reallocate those funds to modify the salary allocation for the City Manager/Finance Director.
Committee members discussed staffing tradeoffs amid tight carryover. Nicole (City Manager/Finance Director) had earlier described that the recently added economic revitalization role had mixed funding (70% urban renewal, 30% hotel‑motel tax). Several committee members questioned whether that new position was the highest priority given constrained resources; one member noted Nicole has been performing both city manager and finance director duties during the budget presentation.
A motion to cut the economic development position and reallocate the funds passed after a second. Nicole had announced a voluntary pay reduction of $1,500 per month effective April 1; the committee discussed ensuring sufficient budget to recruit and retain future city managers if needed. Committee members also discussed other potential savings, including a proposed change to the city attorney arrangement: staff said retiring counsel could potentially transition to a contracted, hourly role to preserve institutional knowledge and save an estimated roughly $175,000 in personnel costs if structured as described.
Decisions reached at the meeting: the committee voted to remove the economic revitalization position from the proposed budget and approved a modified allocation of the city manager salary across funds so the budget could remain balanced. Staff said they plan to backfill needed finance work and would manage training and staffing transitions to maintain core services.
Ending: The committee's staffing changes will be reflected in the final budget forwarded to the City Council; staff will continue implementation planning for the finance staffing adjustments and a proposed contracting arrangement for legal services was discussed for later consideration.
