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Meriden city manager seeks new Director of Facilities amid succession concerns; councilors question timing and cost
Summary
City Manager Bridal Daniels asked the joint Finance & Personnel Committee to approve a nonunion Director of Facilities position to provide department leadership and succession planning for aging municipal buildings. Councilors acknowledged operational risks but raised concerns about cost, timing and whether the schools or regional partners could help instead.
The joint Finance & Personnel Committee on March 16 took up a previously tabled resolution to create a nonunion Director of Facilities position after staff attached a job description and justification.
City Manager Bridal Daniels told the committee the city’s inventory of buildings and aging systems requires a dedicated department head and a formal succession plan. She said Rich Doucette, the current superintendent of facilities, is the primary technical expert and that creating a director-level, nonunion role would allow a multi‑year transition and training plan so knowledge does not leave with a single employee.
The proposal would add headcount rather than replace an existing full-time post, and the job description lists preferred qualifications including a building-official license and trade experience in HVAC, electrical or plumbing. Daniels said the proposed director role would be appointed in accordance with charter section C5-3 and would allow internal candidates to move into the superintendent role, creating a pipeline for the department.
Several councilors supported the need to plan for continuity but questioned whether the city must add the position in the current budget cycle. Mayor (speaker 8) and other members noted Doucette had not given a firm retirement date and argued the city should not hire a new department head primarily on the possibility of imminent retirement. One councilor called the timing premature, saying the city faces competing budget demands and that the current superintendent is performing effectively.
Councilors also asked whether the Board of Education could share facilities resources or whether a regionalized solution could reduce costs. Daniels said she had discussed the idea with Superintendent Mark Benigni and that, given the schools’ workload and staffing, sharing facilities management with the Board of Education was not feasible in the near term.
Finance-related questions focused on where the proposed director’s salary would appear in the budget (councilors referenced pages 41–42 of the budget book) and how staff benchmarked pay. Daniels and finance staff said the proposed salary was derived from comparable municipalities and that creating the director would be additional headcount, not a replacement.
The transcript records the committee moving the item off the table to allow discussion; the record does not show a finalized vote on adoption of the director position in this segment. The city manager provided the requested job description and offered to supply further budget detail on request. The matter remains scheduled to return to committee and council processes for any formal adoption.
The committee then proceeded to the finance agenda.
