Council approves mid‑year deputy director position for Parks & Recreation after 4–1 vote

Council member Benning moved to authorize a mid‑year full‑time equivalent position for the Parks & Recreation Department to add a Deputy Director for Recreation. Benning said the department has “matured significantly” and that additional management assistance is appropriate to support the director and the large number of part‑time staff the department manages. He moved to approve the position.

Council member Padilla opposed the request, saying he could not support adding ongoing salaries given rising annual parks maintenance costs: “our annual parks and rec maintenance fees…has climbed from over 3 to $4,000,000 5 years ago to over $10,000,000 a year,” and he said he opposed additional ongoing expenses.

Staff explained that the department now includes both recreation (centers, pools, programs) and park maintenance staff moved into the department in recent years, creating a larger overall staff count and a need for an additional leadership layer. The council took a roll-call vote; the motion passed, reported in the meeting as 4–1.

The action authorizes the additional full‑time equivalent position and associated compensation as a mid‑year change; staff did not present a detailed salary line in the public remarks and councilors asked staff to provide continuing workload and budget information in future briefings.