DATE: July 21, 2025
TO: Mayor and Members of City Council
VIA: Stefan Chatwin, City Manager
FROM: Nate Cruz, Finance Director
Diane Pitman, Administrative Services Director
DEPARTMENT: Finance
SUBJECT: OVERHIRE OF A FINACIAL SERVICES MANAGER AND
APPROVING THE SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATION OF
$96,100 FROM THE GENERAL FUND
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council adopt the attached resolution authorizing an overhire for the Financial Services Manager in the Finance Department and approving a supplemental appropriation of $96,100 from the General Fund.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Financial Services Manager position in the Finance Department is anticipated to become vacant on December 31, 2025.
This key position is responsible for leading and coordinating development of the Citywide Budget and directly manages the utility billing and collection functions.
The incumbent in the position has considerable tenure which brings with it substantial knowledge and experience that will be difficult to transfer without cross training. Finance is requesting:
Authorization to overhire the position, with an estimated start date of October 1, 2025 (depending on the hiring process and timeline); and A one-time supplemental appropriation of $96,100 in FY 2025-2026 for the cost of salary and benefits.
BACKGROUND
The Finance department is responsible for all financial operations of the City, including accounting, budgeting, debt, cash, investing, reporting, internal controls, accounts payable and receivable (including water and wastewater), annual audits, and payroll.
The Financial Services Manager is the primary manager of the Citywide budget process and directly manages utility billing and collection. The incumbent in this position has been with the City for 16 years, where she led budget preparation for nine (9) years including implementation of new budgeting software (OpenGov). Given her tenure and deep expertise in the complex budgeting process, it will be challenging to transfer knowledge without adequate opportunity for crossover training.
ANALYSIS
The Financial Services Manager position is anticipated to become vacant in December 2025. In anticipation of this opening, the Finance and Administrative Services Departments would like to conduct a recruitment to establish a list of eligible candidates for this key classification.
To proactively prepare for the transition of duties associated with this key position, staff recommends that the City Council authorize an overhire of the position anticipated to start on October 1, 2025. Overhiring is a key tool used in succession planning and can be an effective strategy for managing staffing transitions, thus minimizing the workload impacts to remaining staff and impacts on service levels to the community during staff turnover.
Filling this overhire position would allow the incumbent to conduct one-on-one orientation and training with the successor on all aspects of this complex and pivotal role.
CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT
The request for overhire of the position is exempt per CEQA Guideline Section 15061(b)(3), Common Sense Exemption.
FISCAL IMPACT
The additional cost to overhire the Financial Services Manager position is estimated to be $96,100 in salaries and benefits, fully chargeable to the General Fund in FY 2025-2026.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1 – Resolution