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Council transfers community engagement manager position from Police to City Manager; manager to report back after consulting police
Summary
The council approved moving one community engagement manager FTE from the Police Department to the City Manager's Office and added a requirement that the city manager report back on consultations with the police department; the motion passed with one no vote.
The Richmond City Council voted Oct. 7 to transfer an existing vacant community engagement manager position from the Police Department to the City Manager's Office to support communications and community outreach work. The motion passed with Councilmember Bana casting the lone no vote.
City Manager Shasta Krolls told the council the position originally sat in the city manager's office under a prior manager, was later moved to the Police Department and is currently unfilled. "Originally, the position was in the city manager's office under a former city manager prior to to my tenure. Then we, moved it to the police department, and it's currently not filled," Krolls said. She said she moved the position back to her office to respond to an increased workload for communications, policy requests and council inquiries.
Councilmembers asked that the city manager consult with Police Chief Christian French before the change is finalized. Councilmember Abana specifically requested that Krolls speak with the police chief and report back; the city manager accepted a friendly amendment to return at the next council meeting with the results of that conversation. Krolls said the police department currently has a sworn public information officer and that the reallocated position would be non‑sworn but could collaborate with police communications as needed.
A motion to adopt the resolution amending position control — transferring one community engagement manager FTE from the Police Department to the City Manager's Office — was moved, seconded and approved. The council recorded votes as follows: Brown yes; Abana no; Jimenez yes; Wilson yes; Robinson yes; Vice Mayor Zepeda yes; Mayor Martinez yes. Councilmember Bana voted no. The council directed the city manager to consult with the police department and report back at the next meeting on that conversation.
Krolls said that if the police department needs additional staffing as a result of the reallocation, staff would return to council later with recommendations for any new positions or adjustments to police staffing.
