City Council Agenda Report Meeting Date: October 6, 2026 TO: City Council
FROM: Gillian Haen, City Manager
RE: City Manager’s Office Staffing Enhancements
REPORT IN BRIEF:
The City Manager’s Office provides executive leadership and coordination of Citywide operations, implementation of City Council priorities, public communications, and support for strategic initiatives. The Office currently consists of the City Manager, Assistant City Manager, one Management Analyst who also performs Public Information Officer (PIO) duties, and a half-time Administrative Specialist.
As Citywide initiatives, community engagement, economic development efforts, and organizational responsibilities continue to expand, additional staffing capacity is needed within the City Manager’s Office. Staff proposes adding a dedicated Public Information Officer and a full-time Administrative Specialist to strengthen public communications and administrative support while providing existing executive and analytical staff greater capacity to advance Council priorities, economic development efforts, special projects, and other strategic initiatives.
RECOMMENDATION:
The City Manager recommends that the City Council approve the addition of one Public Information Officer and one Administrative Specialist position to the City Manager’s Office and authorize the corresponding amendments to the City’s position allocations and budget.
FISCAL IMPACT: Budgeted: Yes Supplemental Required: Yes The estimated annual cost of the two proposed positions is between $230,000 and $330,000 to the General Fund.
The cost for the remainder of FY 2026-27 is estimated to be $150,000.
DISCUSSION:
The responsibilities of the City Manager’s Office have continued to grow as the City advances Council priorities, coordinates increasingly complex Citywide initiatives, expands economic development efforts, and responds to greater public information and community engagement needs. Under the current structure, the Management Analyst also serves as the City’s Public Information Officer. These dual responsibilities require the position to divide its time between analytical and project work and public information functions, including media relations, public communications, social media, and coordination of information regarding City programs and initiatives.
Establishing a dedicated Public Information Officer would provide focused capacity for proactive and consistent Citywide communications while allowing the Management Analyst to devote greater attention to policy analysis, special projects, interdepartmental coordination, economic development, and implementation of Council and City Manager initiatives.
The City Manager’s Office also currently has limited administrative support through a half-time Administrative Specialist. Adding full-time administrative capacity would provide greater support for scheduling, correspondence, meeting coordination, document preparation, Council-related activities, community engagement, and other administrative functions. This would allow executive and professional staff to spend more time on work requiring their respective levels of expertise.
Together, the proposed staffing changes would better align resources with the work of the City Manager’s Office and strengthen the City's capacity to advance economic development, strategic initiatives, Council priorities, public communications, and effective Citywide operations.
ATTACHMENTS:
Exhibit A – Budget Appendix B-3
2023-24 2024-25 2025-26
JOB TITLE ACTUAL ACTUAL ACTUAL
COUNCIL
ADOPTED
CHANGE
REQUEST
CITY OF CHICO
FY2026-27 ANNUAL BUDGET
SCHEDULE OF JOB TITLE ALLOCATIONS TO DEPARTMENTS
FULL-TIME (EXEMPT & CLASSIFIED) AND HOURLY-EXEMPT POSITIONS 2026-27
CITY MANAGER
A. Full Time (Exempt & Class)
Administrative Specialist 0 0.5 0.5 0.5 +1
Assistant City Manager 0 0 1 1
City Manager 1 1 1 1
Deputy City Manager 1 1 0 0
Executive Administrative Assistant 1 0 0 0
Management Analyst 1 1 1 1
Public Information Officer 0 0 0 0 +1
DEPARTMENT TOTAL: 4 3.5 3.5 3.5
Appendix B-3