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Council divided over reassigning a budgeted position to an assistant‑to‑the‑city‑manager role pending audit
Summary
Councilors debated reallocating an already budgeted role to create an assistant‑to‑the‑city‑manager post to relieve department workloads. Supporters said funds are available and staff would relieve burnout; opponents urged waiting for the pending audit and clearer financials before final approval.
City staff asked the Rawlins City Council to consider reclassifying an already‑budgeted staff line into an assistant‑to‑the‑city‑manager role designed to help implement the city’s strategic plan and relieve overburdened department heads.
"If I have this person I could have them supervise...and the intent is just if I can have something like tackle this for me to go figure it out," City Manager Sean Metcalfe said, describing duties such as background research, cross‑training and targeted project work across departments.
Proponents said the money was already budgeted and reallocating the existing appropriation would not increase the overall payroll. "All we're doing is saying instead of assistant city attorney, we're simply going to have assistant city manager," one council supporter said, urging quick action to reduce chronic overtime and turnover.
Several council members opposed immediate approval until the city’s outstanding audit is complete. One councilor said the audit absence made them "not comfortable" and that the council needed a clearer picture of reserves and enterprise fund balances before adding responsibilities back into the budget.
The conversation focused on scope (which departments the position would assist), measurable workload reductions, whether one employee could substantially cut hours across many departments, and whether hiring could foreclose future needs such as an assistant attorney.
Next steps: Council asked staff to provide an organizational chart showing direct reports, a clearer job description and the audit results before a formal vote. No appointment or final reallocation occurred at the meeting.
