5.5. SR 09-13-1999
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ITEM 5.5.
Memorandum
River
TO:
MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
FROM: STEPHEN ROHLF, BUILDING AND
ZONING ADMINISTRATOR
SIC..
DATE: SEPTEMBER 13, 1999
SUBJECT: HIRING AN ENVIRONMENTAL
AND CODE ENFORCEMENT
OFFICER
The City Council gave staff permission to hire a fulltime Environmental and Code
Enforcement Officer. The two main emphases of this position are various city
environmental programs (recycling, city refuse franchise, etc.) and nuisance complaints.
In the past, it has been hard to find someone with the training and temperament that is
good at both of these differing tasks. Staff is recommending that this job be split
between two people.
.
Nuisance Complaints
Staff is recommending the city hire Robert Cartwright for up to a maximum of 20
hours per week to deal with nuisance complaints (depending on work load). Mr.
Cartwright recently retired from the State Highway Patrol after 22 years of service. Four
of those years involved the inspection of commercial vehicles. He is quite familiar with
hazardous substances being transported, which is an issue the Building and Zoning
Department has to deal with on occasion. Mr. Cartwright also has a Certificate in
Building Construction from the Dunwoody Industrial Institute. Unsafe buildings are also
a cornmon issue for our Department. Mr. Cartwright's police training will serve him well
in this position and being part time fits his retired lifestyle.
Staff recommends Mr. Cartwright start his employment at the City of Elk River on
September 27,1999, at a wage of $14.20 per hour (pay grade 8, step C). Mr.
Cartwright will receive prorated benefits only if he averages 20 hours per week.
However, he will receive normal cost of living increases on January 1st of each year,
and step increases on July rt, subject to satisfactory job performance. His
orientation period will end on after March 27, 2000.
.
Environmental Programs
The Building and Zoning Department has two full time secretaries. Staff believes that
currently their workload would allow one of them to work on the environmental issues
halftime. Since lead Building and Zoning Secretary is a position that needs to be dealt
with fulltime, staff is recommending the assistant secretary, Deb Long, devote
approximately half of her time to environmental programs.
13065 Orono Parkway · P.O. Box 490 · Elk River, MN 55330 · TDD & Phone: (612) 441-7420 · Fax: (612) 441-7425
.
Ms. Long has no formal training in these issues, but has demonstrated an ability to learn.
She will be given close supervision for as long as it takes for her to become familiar with
these functions. Ms. Long will also need to be proficient at prioritizing and balancing her
time between the Department's secretarial needs and her new duties.
Once Ms. Long demonstrates that she is able to conduct the city's environmental
programs under normal supervision, staff recommends she receive out of grade pay
for time spent on these functions at a starting wage of $12.96 per hour (pay grade 8,
step B). This portion of her pay will receive normal cost of living increases and step
increases.
If the proposed arrangement works, Bob Cartwright doing nuisance complaints halftime
and Deb Long working on the environmental programs halftime and secretarial duties
halftime, it will save the city one half of a position over hiring a fulltime Environmental
and Code Enforcement Officer. In these times oftight budgets, staff wants this
arrangement to work, but emphasizes that code enforcement and environmental programs
combined easily take 40 hours per week. Workload, staff turnover, etc. may make this
arrangement unworkable in the future and a fulltime Environmental and Code
Enforcement Officer's position may need to be reinstated.
.
Staff recommends the Personnel Committee review both of these positions under
Comparable Worth prior to July rt, 2000 to ensure they are still in the correct pay
grade with this new division of duties.
.