04-14-2021 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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STAFF REPORT TO:Mayor Keis and Members of City Council FROM:Heidi Heller, City Clerk/HR Manager Bryce Shearen, Parks & Rec/Community Services Manager DATE:April 14, 2021 RE:Hire of Recreation Coordinator Position ACTION TO BE CONSIDERED: Approve hiring Samantha House for the Recreation Coordinator position. BACKGROUND: When considering the rehire of the vacated part-time recreation position in early 2019, staff took the opportunity to consider how the Parks & Recreation Department had evolved over the last few years, and what additional duties and skills were needed to best serve the Parks & Recreation Department, and the city overall. The adopted Strategic Plan encourages optimizing organizational structure and conducting a staff assessment to identify areas of need. The recreation coordinator job description was updated with additional desired skills which have since allowed the position to assume more job duties, along with being able to support other city departments on special projects. Over the next two years, as more recreation programs were developed and the Recreation Coordinator’s job duties increased, the number of weekly hours budgeted for this position have also increased. In 2021, 34 hours per week and insurance benefits were budgeted for the Recreation Coordinator. The Personnel Policy was amended to offer health and dental insurance benefits to regular part-time employees working an average of 30+ hours per week to attract and retain valuable employees. The part-time Recreation Coordinator position became vacant again in February 2021. The position was posted and 34 applications were received. Staff initially selected 10 applicants and conducted interviews by Zoom, then narrowed the list to four candidates for second interviews which took place on March 23 & 24. The interview panel consisted of Parks & Rec/Community Services Manager Bryce Shearen and City Clerk/HR Manager Heidi Heller, and the final candidate meeting with the City Administrator. All four of the final candidates were well-qualified and the decision was very difficult. Ms. House’s experience working for city, county, and federal parks as an outdoor educator and biologist, along with her photography and videography skills, and excitement for new recreation ideas, made her stand out as the top candidate. Ms. House has accepted the employment offer at the starting wage level and her first day will be Monday, April 19, 2021. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends the City Council approve the hire of Samantha House for the Recreation Coordinator position with an official start date of April 19, 2021.