2022.07.25 CC Minutes - Preliminary Budget Workshop

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Minutes r CITY OF HUGO CITY COUNCIL MEETING PRELIMINARY BUDGET WORKSHOP EST.1906 HUGO CITY HALL MONDAY,DULY 25, 2022—5 P.M. COUNCIL PRESENT: Klein, Petryk, Strub,Weidt COUNCIL ABSENT: Miron OTHERS PRESENT: City Administrator Bryan Bear, Finance Director Anna Wobse, Fire Chief Jim Compton, Jr., Deputy Fire Chief Dave Jensen, Public Works Director Scott Anderson City Administrator Bryan Bear highlighted the topics to be discussed at the workshop which included Public Works staffing restructure, Fire Department staffing needs, City Hall staffing needs, American Rescue Plan Act(ARPA) funds, and the flat tax rate policy. Public Works Director Scott Anderson shared with the Council a proposal to restructure the Public Works department into divisions. An organizational chart was displayed that showed a new superintendent position along with the creation of a streets,parks and utilities lead worker positions. Anderson shared the benefits of restructuring included providing better service to the community because lead workers would be able to provide better direction to their crews in the field, department goals would be established and achieved, and it would also help with employee retention. Anderson noted that these changes were already accounted for in the 2022 budget. Council questioned how the remaining workers would be assigned under the leads and how tasks would be assigned under the proposed model. Council asked that Anderson revamp the organizational chart to show that the superintendent position has supervisor authority over the lead workers and workers and bring the revised chart back to Council for further discussion. Next, Bear began discussion on the hiring of a full-time fire chief by providing statistics on last year's call volume and types of calls. Call volume does not have a high impact on the chief, whose main duty is to manage the department,which involves taking care of staff, equipment, training, fleet, along with other duties that take time and effort. Bear provided options for running a fire department ranging from doing less than the department is doing now, doing the same, doing more, to hiring a full-time department. Bear asked that Council focus tonight's discussion specifically on the need for a full-time chief position. Council questioned the current workload of the chief. Fire Chief Jim Compton, Jr. shared that he felt there was more than enough work to keep a full-time chief busy with the current services offered by the department. The City was continuing to grow, and the Fire Department wants to continue to provide good + service to the community. Council felt it was important to retain some of the currently budgeted }4 part-time positions to help maintain leadership and ownership within the Department. Council directed the Fire Chief to create a list of tasks currently being completed by the Chief and a list of tasks currently not being completed because of time constraints. They asked that information be included to how completing those tasks would benefit residents. The list should be brought back to Council for further discussion. I I