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Public Works vacancy prompts plan to update job description and seek council approval
Summary
Public Works asked to fill an administrative assistant vacancy created by retirements; committee directed staff to update a multi‑department job description and forward the item to full council for final action.
Public Works staff told the Human Resources committee that multiple retirements and one termination left several vacancies and that the department seeks to fill an administrative assistant position that had been removed from the 2026 budget.
Staff outlined the budgeting calculations: when retirements occur, the city incurs retiree health insurance costs while new hires start at lower wages, creating a projected shortfall in some scenarios (staff estimated a roughly $3,300 shortfall for 2026 under certain hiring timing assumptions and a potential $65,000 impact in 2027 tied largely to retiree insurance). Committee members questioned whether the role could be structured to serve multiple departments, including streets, engineering and wastewater, and whether time could be budgeted across those areas.
The committee did not take final action to fill the position at the HR meeting. Members directed the HR director and Public Works staff to prepare an updated, cross‑departmental job description and include it in the council packet so the full Common Council can consider the request and any related budget amendments.
Next steps: staff will revise the job description, clarify how costs would be allocated across departmental budgets, and present the item to the Common Council for approval and any required budget action.
