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County staff present plan to move grounds maintenance under Parks; commissioners ask for more study
Summary
Staff presented a plan to shift grounds maintenance staff and budgets under the Parks department (or potentially contract it out), citing turnover and workload. The plan would reclassify Ryan to align pay with other department heads, transfer several grounds positions, and use existing budgeted equipment funds; commissioners asked staff to continue studying the proposal through budget sessions.
County staff presented a proposal to move grounds maintenance responsibilities under the Parks department or, alternatively, to contract out the work. Staff said the idea arose from repeated commissioner concerns about the appearance of county facilities and the Parks department’s horticultural expertise. A staff packet provided figures for grounds and building maintenance spending; one itemization showed roughly $6,000 in direct grounds spending, and another line (including fuel) raised the year-to-date total to about $14,000.
Staff described significant turnover in the current building and grounds crew over the past three-and-a-half years and recommended reclassifying Ryan’s position to match other department heads. The transcript records that reclassification would move Ryan up two pay grades and produce an approximate 5.85% salary increase for him; staff said that change would align his compensation with other department heads such as Jerry Lynch and Jeff Jennings.
The plan described moving roughly three employees from building maintenance into the grounds/parks structure (creating a total of about six employees under the restructured unit), transferring some trucks and a budgeted 0-turn mower (budgeted at $14,000 but not yet purchased), and reallocating existing building-maintenance funds to cover grounds operations if the commission approves the change. Staff also noted certain capital items budgeted for maintenance have not yet been purchased and might be repurposed for operations.
Commissioners and affected supervisors raised operational concerns: several commissioners emphasized they did not want Parks to suffer from added workload or to set up supervisors for failure given the geographic spread of properties (Jerry Lynch was recorded as maintaining 13 buildings and Ron maintaining three). Supervisors described duties beyond mowing (keying projects, door/lock work, janitorial oversight, election support and event setup) and warned that moving crews could affect those responsibilities. The Sheriff’s Office and highway crews were noted as frequent helpers for events and elections.
Staff and commissioners agreed the proposal warranted further work and review during budget work sessions. Staff said they would continue refining job descriptions, vacancy management and funding options and return with recommendations for the commission to consider; no formal reorganization vote occurred during the work session.
