The Montebello Civil Service Commission on Oct. 28 approved a revised job specification for the assistant engineer position, emphasizing civil-engineering experience and skills in geographic information systems (GIS) and computer-aided drafting (CAD).

Director Caesar O'Lan, Montebello's director of public works, told commissioners the city has received applicants with diverse engineering backgrounds but wants the assistant engineer role to focus on municipal civil engineering tasks. "GIS ... is something that is extremely important to not just myself, but the entire city," O'Lan said, adding that CAD skills would let staff do more work in-house and reduce consultant costs.

The commission's approval matters because the specification narrows the technical expectations for applicants and clarifies on-the-job duties. O'Lan described expectations that the assistant engineer will help manage consultant contracts, provide weekly project updates, review designers' 35%–45% submittals, and lead smaller design tasks such as sidewalk repairs that often trigger trip-and-fall claims.

Commissioner Briseno asked whether the city had considered requiring an Engineer-in-Training (EIT) certification, noting that some larger agencies make it mandatory within a set period. O'Lan said the requirement was discussed but not included because it can be difficult for smaller cities to fill positions under that constraint. "I just didn't add it on purpose just because I thought it was a little tough, especially when we have two positions," he said, while encouraging staff to pursue certificates and professional licensure.

Commissioner Pacheco and others asked how in-house staff would interact with outside engineering firms; O'Lan said assistant engineers would read and redline consultant plans, return comments to third parties, and help move projects along. O'Lan also said the public works department currently has two assistant engineers, recently lost one to another employer, and often must rely on outside firms for larger design workloads because of capacity limits.

A motion to approve the recommendation passed on a roll call vote, 4-0. The motion was moved and seconded during the meeting; the transcript did not clearly identify which commissioners made the motion and second.

The commission had no further substantive edits to the packet language and the chair closed discussion before the vote. The revised job specification will be used in the city's upcoming recruitment for the assistant engineer position.