City manager Pingel told the Newcastle City Council on Jan. 6 that public works is short two maintenance workers of five (one on light duty, one on long-term leave) and asked the council to authorize hiring a temporary maintenance worker to fill gaps; he said general-fund one-time monies could cover the position.

Pingel also reported the city’s engineers estimated $634,000 for emergency generators but the low bid returned at $917,000. He presented options: remove annex generators to bring the bid closer to estimates, reject the bids and rebid with adjusted specifications or timing, or defer action until the incoming public works director (expected Feb. 9) is on board. Pingel recommended prioritizing City Hall if staff must choose only one location to harden; he said keeping City Hall operational preserves essential communications and remote server access during outages.

Council members asked about grant opportunities and solar alternatives. Pingel said staff had pursued grants for several years without success and that a consultant advised onsite solar would likely be more expensive; no on-site solar evaluation had been completed. Staff also reported attempted partnerships with nearby entities but found technical compatibility and capacity problems that prevented shared-generator solutions.

The council did not take immediate action; members suggested scheduling a study session and waiting for the incoming public works director’s input before final decisions.