Council adopts ordinance adding urban forester and principal civil engineer to salary schedule

Pacific Grove’s city council voted unanimously Feb. 19 to add two new job classifications — an urban forester and a principal civil engineer — to the city’s salary schedule.

The council adopted an ordinance “amending the salary classification schedule to add urban forester and principal civil engineer classifications,” with a roll‑call vote of 7–0. City staff said both positions were funded as part of the FY 2024–25 midyear budget adjustments and must be added to the official salary schedule by ordinance.

Director Lillian told the council the city is ready to recruit and that an experienced principal engineer position was budgeted with a fully loaded annual cost in the mid‑six figures. Staff said the $306,000 figure in the report represents a fully loaded budget estimate and that actual placement in the salary range will depend on qualifications and hiring step.

Council members praised the action as responsive to priorities cited in the organizational diagnostic presented earlier in the evening. “This is a request repeatedly expressed by residents and the consultant,” Mayor Pro Tem Amelia said before the vote.

Staff said the urban forester will work across departments — planning, public works and parks — to manage urban canopy concerns, tree permits and natural‑resource issues; the principal civil engineer will support capital improvement planning, public works projects and permit review.

Ending: Staff will begin recruitment and return with job descriptions and recruitment timelines; council members asked that staff report back with expected onboarding timelines and any space or equipment needs as hiring proceeds.