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Lewistown leaders weigh pay, recruitment and creative incentives to fill public works, fire and police vacancies
Summary
Commissioners and staff agreed Lewistown faces persistent vacancies in public works, fire and police; options discussed included higher pay ranges, recruitment marketing, loan forgiveness programs, housing assistance and structural changes to positions.
Lewistown — City officials spent extensive time on May 4 discussing staffing shortages across multiple departments and options to recruit and retain qualified employees.
City Manager Holly Phelps reviewed the city’s organizational chart and a list of current vacancies, saying the city recently posted firefighter/EMT, dispatch, planning director and several parks and street positions. She reported commercial permit valuation activity and recent hires (trails coordinator, street worker) but said some roles have been hard to fill for months.
Fire representative Jimmy described the fire department’s unique operating model and training hurdles, saying recruiting is difficult: “We hire one every three to five years maybe…It takes a special person.” He described rigorous written, agility and interview tests and the need to invest in turnout gear and training.
Commissioners debated whether to increase pay to attract candidates. One commissioner suggested a public works director salary of "$125,000 to $150,000" to attract engineers and senior professionals; others proposed targeted recruitment, more aggressive marketing, loan‑forgiveness incentives and assistance locating housing. Manager Phelps noted the state’s loan forgiveness programs and said staff would explore advertising and compensation comparisons with neighboring municipalities.
Why it matters: Multiple essential city services — water/wastewater oversight, streets, parks and emergency response — depend on filling specialized positions. Prolonged vacancies can raise regulatory risk (DEQ compliance), service disruptions and maintenance backlogs.
What the commission did: No immediate pay increases were adopted. Commissioners directed staff to research compensation benchmarks, recruitment strategies (including loan forgiveness and housing assistance), and to return with options for budgetary impact and possible timeline for implementation.
Next steps: Staff will prepare proposals on recruitment, compensation comparisons and creative incentives for commission consideration in future budget discussions.
