Three potential new city positions are on the agenda for the Delaware City Council meeting today.
The first position that will be considered is for a director of the parks and natural resources department. Parks superintendent Stacy Davenport will update council on the position in a discussion. No action is expected to be taken.
“The parks and natural resources department operates and maintain 24 parks, 20 miles of trails, a golf course, a 72-acre cemetery, and an urban forest consisting of more than 15,000 trees,” states the city’s website. “Parks and natural resources is organized under the public service group, which also oversees public works, engineering, public utilities and planning & community development.”
Public service director Dan Whited currently oversees the department. He has spoken at a past council meeting about the need for having a parks and natural resources director.
“Most likely, we’ll spend the rest of this year into the budgeting season determining the definition of what kind of person we’d need for that project, his or her responsibilities, vision, mission and goals, and hire them early in 2016,” Whited recently told The Gazette.
Next, a rare fourth reading will be given to legislation to hire a permanent part-time employee in the finance department. The employee is needed “to offset the additional staff time necessary to administer the Joint Economic Development District tax and related financial transactions,” the legislation states. The city administers a JEDD income tax with Berkshire Township. As part of the contract, “the JEDD will remit to the city an annual amount equal to 4 percent of the gross JEDD tax receipts to offset costs incurred by the city to administer the tax and provide financial administrative support to the JEDD board.”
The 30-hour a week position would pay $10,442 for the remainder of 2015; and about $21,500 in 2016.
Lastly, legislation to add a full-time position in the legal department will receive a second reading. The attorney is needed “to prosecute delinquent income tax cases and to provide other legal assistance.” The council fact sheet said a diversion program for first-time tax offenders and using a law school graduate to prosecute municipal income tax cases resulted in more than $100,000 in collections and another $150,000 pledged in the diversion program. Hiring a full-time attorney in the prosecutor’s office would allow the city to increase the number of cases it files.
“This attorney will have time to help address the increasing criminal caseload at the prosecutor’s office and provide more capacity in the civil department,” the fact sheet said.
The position would pay $20,584 for the remainder of 2015; and $70,000 in 2016.
Council will meet at 5:30 p.m. Monday in the second floor of City Hall, 1 S. Sandusky St. The public may attend and comment.
