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Columbus utility commission approves revised director job description; creates assistant utility director
Summary
The Columbus Utility Commission approved a revised utility director job description April 16 and authorized creation of an assistant utility director position with flexibility in the final title; commissioners amended the assistant roles driving requirement to a Class B CDL.
The Columbus Utility Commission on April 16 approved revisions to the citys utility director job description and authorized creation of an assistant utility director position, a shift staff said is intended to fold public works under a unified utilities structure and create internal succession capacity.
The commissions action follows staffs proposal to treat public works as a fourth division within utilities and to split the utility director salary across the utilities and a public-works oversight allocation: "the cost of the utility director salary be split, 25% to each of the 3 utilities and 25% to the general fund for the oversight of public works," staff said. The revised description was approved after commissioners discussed recruitment flexibility and how the city will label the role.
Commissioners also authorized creation of an assistant utility director to support the larger department and act as a succession path. The commission debated a proposed Class A commercial drivers license requirement for the assistant role. Utility Director Randall said requiring a Class A could restrict the candidate pool and recommended keeping the requirement aligned with operational needs; "I would not recommend requiring an A," he said, arguing a Class B requirement with specific endorsements for heavy equipment operators would be sufficient.
The commission amended the assistant positions qualifications to change the CDL requirement from Class A to Class B and approved the position and job description with flexibility on the final title. Commissioners noted salaries under consideration during the discussion: staff presented proposed annual figures of $145,000 for the utility director and $125,000 for the assistant director as planning numbers to estimate budget impacts.
The commissions approval is an authorization to proceed with the job descriptions and, where applicable, recruitment; staff clarified final salary determinations and any required ordinance adjustments will be addressed by the city council as appropriate.
