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Committee moves forward on GM recruitment and tightens director-of-operations requirements amid state certification rules
Summary
Committee accepted recommendations to present updated salary ranges for the general manager and to send revised director-of-operations job descriptions to the board; members debated whether certifications should be required, preferred, or 'expected' within a 24-month timeframe and agreed to forward the job descriptions for board review.
The Personnel Committee on April 6 endorsed moving forward with the search for a permanent general manager and reviewed updated salary ranges, and it approved revised job-description language for the director of operations that reflects state operator-certification requirements.
Staff described the recruitment timeline: Peckham and McKinney will conduct board interviews, prepare marketing materials, and begin advertising; the committee asked staff to provide monthly recruitment updates. The committee agreed it was appropriate to present both the general manager and director-of-operations salary recommendations to the board so the two recruitments can proceed in sequence or concurrently depending on recruiter availability.
A major portion of the meeting focused on operator certifications required by state rules. A district operations representative explained that state regulations require a wastewater Grade 4 to sign wastewater reports and a water Grade 3 for the water treatment plant, and that at least one person on staff must hold those registrations. Committee members discussed whether the job description should list certifications as mandatory, preferred, or 'expected' with time to comply.
After debate the committee agreed to revise the director-of-operations posting to state that possession and maintenance of the relevant operator grades are "expected" and to allow a period (committee discussion suggested 24 months) for staff in the role to obtain the required credentials, while retaining language that the district must have qualified staff or a contract operator available to meet state reporting obligations.
The committee also discussed contingency plans — using contract operators during transitional staffing gaps — and directed staff to incorporate the certification expectations and transition language in the job posting and board packet.
What happens next: staff will finalize the director-of-operations job description reflecting the 'expected' certification timeline and submit both the job descriptions and the salary survey to the full board for approval; recruitment work will proceed according to the agreed timeline.
