Green Bay personnel committee approves multiple staffing actions, creates ARPA-funded grant-account role

The City of Green Bay Personnel Committee on Tuesday approved a package of staffing requests and reclassifications, including filling multiple vacancies, over-hiring two firefighters, creating a limited-term ARPA-funded grant accountant position and reclassifying a role to a public records specialist.

Committee members approved filling positions listed under agenda item E‑1 — including an account clerk, truck driver, administrative clerk and city sealer — and separately approved filling the public honors coordinator position. Both votes passed unanimously.

The public honors coordinator drew extended discussion about day‑to‑day responsibilities and funding. Matt, a city staff member who presented the public arts materials, described the role as managing the city’s public art programs, including rotating art, artist grants and coordination with developers and businesses. "This is physical art pieces, sculptures, murals. It's also performances, putting art in our parks departments as well," Matt said, noting staff also pursue outside grants such as projects funded by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Committee members pressed staff for budget detail on how the coordinator is funded. Matt said a significant portion of the position is supported by the city’s percent‑for‑art funding and that block grants and development agreements vary the program’s budget year to year. A committee member requested that staff provide a breakdown of the position’s funding for the full council; the motion to approve the public honors coordinator included a requirement that staff provide that information.

The committee also voted unanimously to over‑hire two firefighter positions (agenda item E‑2). No additional discussion was recorded during the vote.

On agenda item E‑3, staff asked to convert a limited‑term employee (LTE) role created to manage ARPA coordination into a limited‑term grant account (accountant) position to handle accounting, journal entries, reconciliations and federal reporting for multiple grants. Diana, a finance staff member, said the city has administrative ARPA dollars to fund the position through 2026 and likely into early 2027 for final reporting. "We have funding through 2026 ... our last reporting for ARPA will be probably March of 2027," Diana said. The committee approved creation of the limited‑term grant account position unanimously.

Finally, the panel approved a reclassification of an existing position to a public records specialist with a marginal salary increase the staff said will be absorbed in the normal staffing budget.

Votes at a glance

- E‑1a–d (fill account clerk, truck driver, administrative clerk, city sealer): approved unanimously (tally: 3‑0). - E‑1e (fill public honors coordinator; staff to provide funding breakdown to council): approved unanimously (tally: 3‑0). - E‑2 (over‑hire two firefighter positions): approved unanimously (tally: 3‑0). - E‑3 (create limited‑term grant account/accountant position, ARPA‑funded through 2026/early 2027): approved unanimously (tally: 3‑0). - E‑4 (reclassify position to public records specialist): approved unanimously (tally: 3‑0).

The committee asked staff to return budget and funding breakdowns to the full council for the public arts coordinator and noted that ARPA administrative dollars are expected to fund the new grant accounting position through the end of 2026 and into the final reporting period in early 2027.