Business Agenda Item 5c
STAFF REPORT
Business Agenda Item
DATE: September 8, 2026
TO: Honorable Mayor and Council Members
FROM: Aaron Felmlee, Acting City Manager
SUBJECT: Hiring Freeze Exception – Finance Office Supervisor STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommend that the City Council approve an exception to the current hiring freeze to allow recruitment and appointment of a Finance Office Supervisor and, if necessary, to fill a resulting Finance vacancy provided an internal Finance staff member is promoted.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The current Finance Office Supervisor is in background with another agency. It is anticipated the position will be vacant by the end of the month.
The Finance Office Supervisor is an advanced-level supervisor position that works under the administrative supervision of the Finance Director and is responsible for overseeing and supervising the assigned functions within the department, including but not limited to water and wastewater billing, accounts payable, revenue collection, business licenses, accounts receivable, and cashier/customer service.
The Finance Office Supervisor position also provides critical support for Department and City operations, including being the backup/support for Payroll, budget creation, budget monitoring, and various accounting tasks.
Maintaining the Finance Office Supervisor duties for an extended period is not sustainable and would reduce the Department's ability to provide timely, accurate, and consistent service to the public. The monthly utility bills, weekly vendor payments, and grant reporting would be impacted potentially leading to lost revenue for the City.
Should the Council authorize the filling of the Finance Office Supervisor position it may result in a vacancy in another Finance Office position, depending on the selected candidate. To ensure continuity of essential Finance Office operations, staff may need to recruit and fill for a vacated Finance Office position if a vacancy is created because of the Finance Office Supervisor selection process.
Staff therefore request authorization to fill the Finance Office Supervisor position and, if necessary, to fill a resulting Finance vacancy without returning to Council for separate authorization, provided the position is an existing authorized position within the Finance Department organization chart and sufficient budget appropriations are available. This approach will allow the Department to maintain appropriate staffing levels and minimize disruption to critical financial services, including utility billing, accounts payable, revenue collection, payroll support, grant reporting, and customer service.
Business Agenda Item 5c
STRATEGIC PLAN 2026-2036:
This action supports the following area(s) of your City Council’s Strategic Plan 2026-2036.
Core Values:
Quality of Life: Family, Nature and Neighbors: Safety, family life, care for youth, economic resilience, parks, forests, and river.
Priority 2: Our People – Staff Retention, Pay & Succession Priority 3: Fiscal Foundation – Revenue, Cost Accounting & Honest Commitments Priority 8: Youth, Recreation & Community Life
FISCAL IMPACT:
Upon review of the Finance Office Supervisor job description and duties it is being recommended to redistribute the percentages charged to each Fund. Previously, the position was allocated 30% to the General Fund, 45% to the Water Fund, and 25% to the Wastewater Fund. Staff are proposing to change the allocation to be 25% to the General Fund, 45% to the Water Fund, and 30% to the Wastewater Fund. This change, along with anticipated pay savings, will result in savings to the General Fund of $14,600.
No additional appropriation is required. Salary and benefits for the position are included in the adopted budget across all Funds.
ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
Deny the exception – Not recommended. This would leave the Finance Office Supervisor position vacant and require the Finance Director and remaining staff to continue absorbing essential duties; thus, negatively impacting the Finance Departments ability to maintain timely and accurate service, and in particular the monthly utility bills, weekly vendor payments, and grant reporting potentially leading to lost revenue for the City.
RECOMMENDED COUNCIL ACTION:
1. Receive staff presentation and review Council questions
2. Open and Close Public Comment
3. Motion to approve an exception to the hiring freeze for the Finance Office Supervisor position and, if necessary, to fill a resulting Finance vacancy provided an internal Finance staff member is promoted. Roll Call vote.