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Smithville board agrees to proceed with public works reorganization and police administrative captain recommendation
Summary
At a Smithville Board of Aldermen work session April 21, Assistant City Administrator Gina Pate outlined plans to create a third Public Works division, reclassify an assistant to assistant public works director, and add an administrative police captain; the board unanimously agreed to let staff advance budget and compensation amendments.
Assistant City Administrator Gina Pate presented a staffing update at the Smithville Board of Aldermen work session on April 21, outlining organizational changes designed to address population growth, rising projects and larger workloads across city departments.
Pate told the board the city currently employs 67 full-time staff and has added three new positions this year. She said Public Works, which includes streets and utilities, has about 25 employees and is overseeing a five-year capital improvement program totaling more than $65 million, including grant-funded projects. Pate described the assistant to the public works director role as having expanded substantially over the past five years and proposed reclassifying that position to assistant public works director and creating a third division focused on administrative functions to reduce the director’s span of control and better support project management and leadership continuity.
Pate listed duties the assistant currently performs that would be formalized under the reclassification: administering the MS4 stormwater permit, overseeing grant administration and easement acquisition, managing financial components of CIP projects, serving as acting director when needed, leading departmental communications, and supervising the solid waste and household hazardous waste programs. The change, she said, would also help ease transition when a new public works director is hired.
On public safety, Pate reported the Police Department has 22 full-time employees and that the captain currently supervises nine direct reports. Citing a 2022 compensation and classification study by McGrath Consulting, she said the consultant recommended adding an administrative captain position to oversee animal control, school resource officers, detectives, investigations and public information while leaving the existing captain focused on patrol operations to reduce spans of control and improve day-to-day supervision.
Staff reviewed conservative funding scenarios for the proposed police administrative captain and recommended splitting the cost 50/50 between revenue from the new public safety sales tax and the general fund; staff also considered, but said it would not immediately pursue, purchase of an unmarked vehicle for the role.
Cynthia Wagner noted the public works director recruitment is underway, with application review and phone interviews in progress and finalist interviews to include governing body members and department directors. Staff said they hope to have a new public works director in place in time for the Board retreat on June 16.
Pate asked the board for direction to proceed with the proposed reclassifications, recruitment efforts and related budget and compensation amendments. The board signaled unanimous support to move forward; staff will bring a compensation plan amendment and a budget amendment to the May 5 meeting for formal consideration.
The board adjourned at 6:52 p.m. after a 6-0 vote on a motion to adjourn.
