Personnel committee reclassifies a long-vacant Public Works right-of-way specialist position

Public Works staff told the City of Green Bay Personnel Committee on Jan. 27 that a right-of-way specialist position has been vacant for 21 months and that the department reworked the job description — including removing a prior land surveyor license requirement — to attract a broader candidate pool. The committee approved reclassifying the position to "land and property specialist" and authorized filling any vacancies resulting from internal moves; the motion passed unanimously.

Public Works staff described that some specialized tasks, such as legal descriptions and surveying work, have been contracted out while the position remained vacant. "We haven't had any luck filling the position," the staff member said, adding that revising the classification may expand the applicant pool and reduce the burden on staff who have covered the duties.

Committee member Judge Redoon asked whether the city might pay for training to enable a new hire without a land surveyor license to obtain licensure, which could allow some contracted work to be performed in-house. Public Works staff said that possibility would depend on whether the need is for on-the-job training or formal further education and on budget considerations; staff also said they had not brought historical contract spending figures to the meeting.

A motion to approve the reclassification and the authorization to fill resulting vacancies was made and seconded; the committee voted "aye" and the motion passed unanimously. The committee did not provide roll-call vote names or a timeline for hiring in the transcript.

Clarifying details: the right-of-way specialist position had been vacant for 21 months; the previously required land surveyor license was removed from the job description during the rewrite.