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<br /> <br /> <br /> <br />COUNCIL PRESENT: Klein, Petryk, Strub, Weidt <br />COUNCIL ABSENT: Miron <br />OTHERS PRESENT: City Administrator Bryan Bear, Finance Director Anna Wobse, Fire Chief <br />Jim Compton, Jr., Deputy Fire Chief Dave Jensen, Public Works Director Scott Anderson <br /> <br />City Administrator Bryan Bear highlighted the topics to be discussed at the workshop which <br />included Public Works staffing restructure, Fire Department staffing needs, City Hall staffing <br />needs, American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, and the flat tax rate policy. <br /> <br />Public Works Director Scott Anderson shared with the Council a proposal to restructure the <br />Public Works department into divisions. An organizational chart was displayed that showed a <br />new superintendent position along with the creation of a streets, parks and utilities lead worker <br />positions. Anderson shared the benefits of restructuring included providing better service to the <br />community because lead workers would be able to provide better direction to their crews in the <br />field, department goals would be established and achieved, and it would also help with employee <br />retention. Anderson noted that these changes were already accounted for in the 2022 budget. <br />Council questioned how the remaining workers would be assigned under the leads and how tasks <br />would be assigned under the proposed model. Council asked that Anderson revamp the <br />organizational chart to show that the superintendent position has supervisor authority over the <br />lead workers and workers and bring the revised chart back to Council for further discussion. <br /> <br />Next, Bear began discussion on the hiring of a full-time fire chief by providing statistics on last <br />year’s call volume and types of calls. Call volume does not have a high impact on the chief, <br />whose main duty is to manage the department, which involves taking care of staff, equipment, <br />training, fleet, along with other duties that take time and effort. Bear provided options for <br />running a fire department ranging from doing less than the department is doing now, doing the <br />same, doing more, to hiring a full-time department. Bear asked that Council focus tonight’s <br />discussion specifically on the need for a full-time chief position. Council questioned the current <br />workload of the chief. Fire Chief Jim Compton, Jr. shared that he felt there was more than <br />enough work to keep a full-time chief busy with the current services offered by the department. <br />The City was continuing to grow, and the Fire Department wants to continue to provide good <br />service to the community. Council felt it was important to retain some of the currently budgeted <br />part-time positions to help maintain leadership and ownership within the Department. Council <br />directed the Fire Chief to create a list of tasks currently being completed by the Chief and a list <br />of tasks currently not being completed because of time constraints. They asked that information <br />be included to how completing those tasks would benefit residents. The list should be brought <br />back to Council for further discussion. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Minutes <br /> <br />HUGO CITY COUNCIL MEETING <br />PRELIMINARY BUDGET WORKSHOP <br />HUGO CITY HALL <br /> <br />MONDAY, JULY 25, 2022 – 5 P.M.