Gunnison council adopts updated job descriptions, clarifies finance role and moves into executive session

GUNNISON — The City Council voted to revise municipal code language and its personnel policy to establish clearer duties for a separate director of finance, adopt updated job descriptions for several positions and provide a framework for wage adjustments tied to certifications, then moved into executive session to discuss personnel matters.

Speaker 3, who led the code review, told the council the changes reflect state law responsibilities for city recorders and clarify that ‘‘the director of finance can be an individual or a firm, a consulting firm,’’ language intended to separate bookkeeping and payroll duties from other city functions. The draft replaces references to the recorder with a distinct director of finance in several places to strengthen checks and balances.

The change also addresses bonding and signatures for financial transactions. Speaker 3 said employees who work with money ‘‘have to be bonded’’ and proposed that the treasurer and employees handling payroll and accounts payable be explicitly covered. Council members debated who should prepare checks and who should sign them; speakers emphasized a two‑signature system and that the person receiving deposits should not be the sole signer on city checks.

A second strand of discussion focused on operations for water and sewer service. Speaker 3 proposed that both the Watermaster (superintendent) and the director of finance approve reconnection of service to ensure customers are on acceptable payment arrangements and that operational conditions are met. Speaker 5 raised a concern about the equity of charging a reconnection fee to customers who already struggle to pay: ‘‘If people can't afford to pay their water bill when we turn off their water...I don't like that idea,’’ Speaker 5 said.

Council members also debated certificate requirements and pay incentives in the new job descriptions. Speaker 6 suggested using a wage range to reward certifications rather than itemizing every possible certificate, offering an example range ‘‘from 50¢ to a dollar’’ per certification and recommending mayoral approval or council consent for final determinations. Speaker 3 said certification expectations can be set in hiring and applied as merit triggers in the budget cycle.

The council voted to adopt the related ordinance/resolution language on job descriptions. Roll‑call‑style responses of ‘‘Yes’’ were recorded aloud during the vote. Later, Speaker 6 moved to adopt Resolution 2025‑06, ‘‘amending the personnel policy to include additional job descriptions,’’ and Speaker 3 seconded; the motion was approved by the members present.

After the vote, the council approved a motion to enter executive session to discuss personnel matters, citing ‘‘professional competence or physical or mental health of an individual’’ as the subject to be considered. The council went into executive session following the motion.

Votes at a glance: Resolution 2025‑06 — adopted; vote responses recorded as audible ‘‘Yes’’ from council members listed during roll call (see meeting record). Exact individual vote attributions were recorded aloud during the meeting.