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Crescent City councilors will consider proposed changes to city positions at a special meeting Monday.

They’re also expected to vote on the official dissolution of the Tri-Agency Economic Development Authority.

The proposed staffing adjustments would affect the public works department, finance department, administration and the economic development/recreation department, according to the city’s staff report.

Part of the concern is the city’s difficulty in filling part-time staff vacancies, City Manager Eric Wier told the Wild Rivers Outpost on Aug. 14. One possible reason for that is the city doesn’t offer the same benefits to its part-time staff as it does to full-time staff, he said.

“We have five seasonal park positions we’ve been unable to fill and we’re almost through with the summer,” Wier said, adding that there’s also high turnover in some of the city’s seasonal positions. “We’re looking at consolidating some of those [positions] so we’re not having as many part-time and maybe a few more full-time positions.”

According to the city’s staff report, the proposed staff adjustments for the public works department includes consolidating three part-time seasonal maintenance worker positions into one full-time position.

In the finance department, proposed staff adjustments include changing a current finance technician and part-time account clerk to two full-time finance technician positions. There’s also a proposal to reclassify a part-time file clerk position to an office technician position and to increase the hours.

In administration, proposed adjustments include having economic development fall under the purview of the city manager. There’s also a proposal to change a grants coordinator position to a  grants-economic development manager position and place that position into the administration department.

According to Wier, grant money benefits a variety of different departments from Crescent City police to the fire department as well as the water and sewer departments.

Wier pointed out that managing the various grants is different than implementing them, which would fall to the directors of whatever department obtained that funding. Bridget Lacey is the city’s

“Let’s say it’s a street project, that street project will be implemented by Dave Yeager, our public works director, yet Bridget will be responsible for the overall grant itself,” Wier said.

Meanwhile, instead of having an economic development and recreation director, that position would change to recreation director/events coordinator. According to Wier, this position would include running the pool and Shoreline RV Park more like a business and to enhance the city’s community events.

“The other aspect of this position will focus on the social media side of things,” he said, “marketing those amenities like the pool and RV park.”

The city’s previous economic development and recreation director, Ashley Taylor, resigned in July. As economic development director, Taylor was tasked with implementing the city’s economic development strategic action plan, or EDSAP.

As for the Tri-Agency, each member agency — the City Council, Del Norte County Board of Supervisors and the Crescent City Harbor District Board of Directors — will vote on a termination agreement.
The Harbor District and the Board of Supervisors voted to terminate the Tri-Agency during a joint meeting that included the city on June 11. A motion from Crescent City Mayor Blake Inscore to terminate the JPA died due to lack of a second at that June 11 meeting.

The Council agreed to terminate the Tri-Agency at its June 20 meeting. They also agreed to share the costs of existing litigation, debts and liabilities belonging to the Tri-Agency equally with the county and the Harbor District.

Outstanding debts and liabilities consist of about $10,000 in legal fees for a lawsuit Harbor District candidate Linda Sutter filed last year. Each member agency would be on the hook for $3,333. The city’s budget includes $5,000 set aside for terminating the Tri-Agency.

The Del Norte County Board of Supervisors is expected to consider a similar action at its Tuesday meeting.

The Crescent City Council will meet at 5:30 p.m. Monday at the Wastewater Treatment Plant, 210 Battery Street in Crescent City. Agenda packets are available at www.crescentcity.org and meetings are streamed live on YouTube.

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