2002-98 AMENDING CITY CODE - CHAPTER 7 - OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES GENERALLY

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COUNCIL MEMORANDUM #2002-12 October 30, 2002 TO: Honorable Mayor Howley City Council Members FROM: Steve Garman, City Manager 'M'�� A. J. Krieger, Assistant City Manage Jerry Bauer, Management Services ' or� SUBJECT: Assistant to the City Manager and Senior Planner SUMMARY RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of the attached ordinance authorizing the positions of Assistant to the City Manager and Senior Planner. BACKGROUND: The attached ordinance revises Section 2 of Chapter 7 of the City Code, entitled "Officers and Employees Generall�'. It adds the positions of "Assistant to the City Manager" and "Senior Planner" to the list of positions in Section 2 for which the City Manager has authorization to appoint and remove individuals. We are recommending that the position of Public Information Officer be reclassified to that of Assistant to the City Manager. The job of Public Information Officer has been one in which increasing administrative responsibility has been placed since its inception some two years ago. Also, though originally in the Management Services Departrnent, the job has evolved to working directly with the City Manager's office and receiving assignments from the City Manager. The position is thus misclassified, and should be retitled Assistant to the City Manager. It should be situated in the City Manager's office. Public Information Officer Billy Tyus will be moved to this position if this ordinance is approved. We are also recommending that the position of Senior Planner be created to replace one of the three (3) budgeted Planner slots in the Department of Economic and Urban Development. Most organizations the size of the City of Decatur have more than one level of planners, whereby the most senior has some oversight responsibility for certain planning activities. The Senior Planner would provide staff level oversight and very specific direction for routine planning activities; the kinds of activities that are not necessarily a good use of the Planning Manager's time. Planner Kathy Miller will be moved to this position if this ordinance is approved. The net effect of these changes would be neither an increase or decrease in the number of budgeted positions. They are being recommended as a way to better align positions with the work currently required in the organization. Staff thus recommends approval of the ordinance.