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Council presses staff on on-call phone, office hours and contracted finance help
Summary
Council members raised operational concerns about inconsistent office hours vis-à-vis an existing ordinance, reliance on a contracted finance consultant, and the need for a single on-call phone number for after-hours utility emergencies.
Council members questioned whether city operations conform to Ordinance 2024-1185, which one member said prescribes office hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; members asked whether the administration had amended that ordinance to reflect current practices.
Members also questioned the use of a contracted financial consultant (Jamieson), asking staff whether in-house staff could perform the required tasks; staff said the contract is used on an as-needed basis. Council discussed establishing a single on-call phone number to reach the city worker assigned to after-hours utility calls so residents can report urgent issues without calling multiple staff numbers.
A staff member advised council that changes to ordinance-defined hours require a formal amendment to the municipal code. Council directed staff to examine ordinances and clarify the contract terms for external financial assistance and to propose a workable on-call communications plan.
