Council considered a proposal to hire Municipal Resource Group (MRG) for up to $9,880 to conduct a role and workload assessment of the Administrative Services Officer (ASO), a position described in staff materials as handling city‑clerk duties, payroll, human resources and IT liaison responsibilities.

Steve explained that MRG’s scope would review classification, interview about a dozen staff that interact with the ASO, document processes, and recommend organization and redundancies. Supporters said an external review would produce a professional recommendation with cross‑training and redundancy options; skeptics argued staff could perform a desk audit in‑house or wait until a new city administrator arrives to provide input. One councilmember noted the HR function can be litigious and that professional input is valuable to protect the city.

Rather than immediately awarding the contract, council debated a path that would allow staff to conduct an internal desk audit and return with options. A motion to table for two months to allow staff to report back was discussed and staff was asked to craft a short internal desk audit and report options for staffing and possible cost savings; council did not finalize a contract award at the Dec. 16 meeting.