City Council Agenda and Packet 2015 10 06

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City Council Meeting Minutes September 21, 2015 Page 13 of 17 Council member Lipton said Council had received a letter from the Open Space Advisory Board (OSAB) concerning the summer Open Space Ranger. Parks and Recreation Director Stevens noted this was a pilot program this last year and OSAB supported but it is budgeted for seasonal work. Mayor Muckle wanted this to be a year round position. Parks and Recreations Director Stevens said they had changed the title and duties to Ranger /Naturalist because of the education piece and cooperation with the Police Department. Finance Director Watson noted this is a .5 FTE, the part -time non - benefitted personnel budget works on number of hours. Council member Lipton noted the OSAB had had good discussion on a number of things this position could do and this position as full time is not expensive to add. Council member Stolzmann felt the Ranger Position had changed from the original approval. She felt the education piece was good, but not what was funded. She saw scope creep on some of the programming and hikes. She asked if the Arborist Tech III added last year for this year's budget is in the base and if Horticulturist is additional. The answer was yes. Mayor Pro Tem Dalton was bothered by the feeling of scope creep in the Ranger position. Mayor Muckle noted a kinder /gentler approach was asked for after hearing from the public about some aggressiveness. Council member Lipton noted the Ranger did a lot and there were a lot of compliments. Parks and Recreation Director Stevens noted it was a pilot project and there was a lot of flex and push to get voluntary compliance. Mayor Muckle inquired if there was Council support for this Ranger position being full - time. Council member Keany wanted to first see how adding hours to the Ranger position would impact other positions. Mayor Pro Tem Dalton supported eliminating the Sustainability Coordinator, the CMO Intern, and the Historic Preservation Intern to accommodate a full time Ranger. Council member Lipton cautioned there could be hidden costs with program development and funding programs, not just adding a full time position. Mayor Muckle was unsure there would be hidden costs in the Ranger position. He asked about the City Manager's Office (CMO) intern. City Manager Fleming noted there was a request for a social media person and a management analyst and he could not recommend funding those, but thought it appropriate to request a summer intern particularly for social media. 50