City manager presents Baker Tilly review, proposes 16 additional staff and a deputy city manager

The city manager summarized a 100-page Baker Tilly organizational review at the Nov. 4 New Albany City Council meeting, saying the consultant analyzed the city's structure, staffing levels and resource allocation and proposed a set of operational changes to meet rising service demands.

"I provided an email yesterday evening with the full 100 page report," the city manager said, and handed council hard copies of the executive summary. He told council the consultants recommended "16 additional FTEs" and identified "21 structural or functional changes" to address workload and service-level gaps. The manager said the budget packet presented in coming weeks will incorporate some of the consultants' recommendations but not all.

The manager framed one priority as hiring a deputy city manager ahead of the search for a new city manager, saying that person would provide stability and help onboard the incoming manager while allowing the city manager to focus on strategic initiatives. "One of the big ones was the recommendation that we bring on a deputy city manager sooner than later," he said.

Council members asked whether proposed positions were included in the budget; the manager confirmed that several staff additions appear in the draft budget and that more detail will be provided during the budget presentation. He also discussed potential departmental realignments, such as aligning communications with events, and said a consultant recommendation to consider bringing legal services in-house may be better suited for future years.

The manager acknowledged staff contributions to the review, thanking several employees who worked with the consultant. He invited questions and indicated council would review the budgetary implications in follow-up meetings.

The council did not take a formal vote on the report at the meeting; review and budget deliberations were set to continue during the scheduled budget workshop.