Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Personnel Planning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Meriden personnel committee approves reclassification of vacant planning post to speed hiring and save about $33,000
Summary
The committee approved replacing a vacant assistant planning director post with an assistant city planner position that aligns pay and duties with recent practice; the change is budget-neutral and intended to make recruitment easier.
Meriden’s personnel committee approved a resolution to replace a vacant assistant planning director position with a newly created assistant city planner role that city officials said better reflects the day‑to‑day duties and will make the post easier to fill.
Planning Director Megan Pilla told the committee the assistant planning director position has functioned in recent years as a mid‑level planner rather than as the department’s second‑in‑command. She said the city proposes a title and pay change to match that practice and to align with commonly used municipal planning classifications from the American Planning Association. “Recruiting at that level can be more difficult in planning,” Pilla said, and the reclassification would “establish a chain of mentorship within the department and a clear path for career progression.”
Pilla said the previous assistant planning director was paid $109,865 annually (grade H, step 5). The proposed assistant city planner would be in grade F, step 1, with a starting salary just over $77,000 — a differential of nearly $33,000 — and the position is already budgeted for fiscal 2026, she said. City staff told the committee the change would not alter department headcount or require additional budget appropriations.
Council members asked whether the new title would change the work performed and whether the lower salary would allow the city to recruit a qualified candidate. Pilla said the duties would match what the previous occupant had actually performed in recent years, not the broader supervisory responsibilities described in the old job description. One councilor praised the savings and clarity the change provides but also cautioned that hiring in the current market could be challenging.
The committee voted to approve the resolution. The planning reclassification now moves to the full city council for final action as required by the city’s approval process.
The committee then proceeded to the next agenda items and later entered an executive session before adjourning.
