2023 11 21 City Council Agenda Packet

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PUBLIC WORKS 
 
MEMORANDUM 
 
TO:  Deb Wallace, City Manager  
  Mike Keith, Finance Director 
   
FROM:  Ben Burchfield, Public Works Director 
 
DATE:  November 8, 2023 
 
SUBJECT: Converting Part-time Animal Shelter Position to Full-time  
 
Construction on the new animal shelter is progressing, and we are on track to meet  the original 
construction contract timeline of 365 days . Based on tentative estimates from Wilson 
Construction, they expect substantial completion by EOY.  We expect between 30 -60 days to 
complete punch- list items which puts us on track for a January -March shelter move -in. In an 
effort to prepare ahead of adjusting operations  when that occurs, I am providing this memo to 
request Council approval to restructure shelter staff starting in December. 
 
To preface, there  have been numerous discussions between myself and the City Manager, 
interim City Manager, and previous and current Council about operational needs of the shelte r 
as it has consistently been a fluid situation it seems we  have to reassess year-to-year. Changes 
from initially  scaling up personnel to provide better animal control response and shelter 
management, then reallocating a position to the police department who took animal control into 
its operations in 2021, and then adjusting one of the two  remaining part-time positions to full -
time to improve consistency of at the shelter. 
 
The shelter is currently operating with one full -time shelter manager, a full- time animal shelter 
technician, and one part-time position. This is a better staffing situation than has been the case 
historically, but I am requesting conversion of the remaining part-time position to full-time that 
will better equip us for current and  future operational needs . This request  stems from both 
challenges still being experienced, and operational changes we anticipate: 
 
1. The turnover of part-time positions at the shelter is well established. While the gross costs 
of part- time positions are lower than full -time at a surface level, the hidden costs of 
overtime to provide coverage and time and money spent on the  training and  hiring 
process steadily chip away at this balance. Because animal welfare is a 24/7/365 
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