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Talent moves to interim combined community development and public works director to reduce contractor costs
Summary
Staff proposed a six‑month trial in which Rick will serve as interim community development and public works director to reduce contract planner costs and allow the city to hire a full‑time planner; the council requested budget scenarios and safeguards if the arrangement does not work.
City Manager Alex Capull told the Talent City Council on July 1 that, with a transition in public works leadership, the city plans to try a six‑month interim arrangement in which Rick will take on both community development and public works director duties on a trial basis.
"Rick has agreed to take that on for a trial period," Capull said, adding the approach could allow the city to end a contract planner arrangement and hire a full‑time planner while capturing some savings in the general fund.
Capull said the change is intended to be temporary and reversible: he described a letter offering Rick a "workout of class" compensation for six months and said the job description would not be permanently changed at this point so the arrangement is easier to undo if it does not work out.
Councilors pressed for specifics. Mayor Ariswood asked for scenarios showing how the city would avoid ending up with an unbudgeted half FTE if the interim arrangement becomes permanent. "I would ask the city to figure out a plan to not put us in that position," the mayor said, emphasizing budget constraints and the need for safeguards. Councilors also asked whether the union had been consulted; staff said the city would broach the topic with bargaining partners because a planner 2 position would need to be added to the collective‑bargaining agreement if hiring proceeded.
Capull said staff would return with scenarios outlining steps to protect the budget if the trial proved unsuccessful and that professional engineering services would likely supplement in‑house capacity, since Rick is not a licensed professional engineer. He also said the city extended a short contract to Paula Brown to advise staff during the transition.
Related planning work: Rick reported the city received about $40,000 from the state Department of Land Conservation and Development for a housing production assistance grant; staff asked the council to identify one council member for an advisory committee, with the first meeting scheduled at the end of September and follow‑ups in January and March 2027.
Next steps: staff will return with budgetary scenarios and implementation safeguards, begin recruitment for a planner level 1 or 2, and coordinate the housing grant advisory committee schedule and membership.
