Codes office trades funded demo supervisor for full‑time clerk in supplemental budget

Leslie Ward, director of Codes & Inspections, told the Finance Committee the department proposed removing a funded demolition‑supervisor position and adding back a full‑time clerk to address an overloaded clerical workload.

Ward said the demo supervisor "moved on to the DPW," and that eliminating the position reduces department costs by about $57,461. She said the mayor and her office agreed restoring the clerk position would be a better operational fit: "We did kind of a trade and it's a... it's a plus for the city trade because, we added in a full time, clerk admin position, but we still come out ahead for the city." Ward noted the accounting/detail appears on pages 24–25 of the supplemental accounting sheet.

Councilors asked where the clerk position appeared in the mayor's summary; Ward said it was added in the accounting sheet even though the summary narrative did not list the change directly. Ward also said the department added $1,000 to an overtime line to support administrative assistant overtime as needed while the clerical workload is rebalanced.

The committee accepted the department's supplemental changes as part of the broader package of items considered that evening. Ward said the demo supervisor had been a newly funded position this fiscal year and that, for now, the department lacks funds to pursue demolition work at the scale originally contemplated.

Ward: "I absolutely need a clerk."