Staff changes at Quesnel City Hall

Courtesy of the City of Quesnel:

Quesnel Council announced today that they are restructuring City Hall in order to more effectively serve the public and to achieve operational savings. The restructuring primarily involves reductions to management staff and the creation of new positions to address skills gaps and succession needs.

In order to maintain its commitment to reduce operating costs and once again tax only to address the City’s infrastructure deficit, Council must find $525,000 in operational savings in its 2016 budget. This is in addition to the $600,000 in operating cost reductions Council achieved in its 2015 budget. The $1.125 million in combined annual savings means Council can avoid imposing an 8.2% tax increase simply to maintain programs and services at 2014 levels.

“While Council must reduce operating costs in order to achieve its budget objectives for 2016, the focus of our City Hall restructuring was on improving the delivery of public services and on succession planning,” said Quesnel Mayor Bob Simpson. “This restructuring enables us to create positions that address critical skills gaps at City Hall while also addressing a time-sensitive succession issue in our Public Works Department.”

The restructuring involves:

the permanent elimination of the Communications Supervisor, Corporate Services Supervisor, and GIS Technician positions at City Hall;

the conversion of an Information Technologist contract position to a part-time unionized position;

the conversion of a management staff Purchasing Agent position to a union function in 2016 as part of a re-organization of Public Works;

the creation of a new Senior Accounting Clerk position at City Hall without adding an additional FTE; and,

the conversion of the Airport Manager position to a Senior Clerk within the union, enabling the current Airport Manager to return to the Public Works Department as Operations Manager.

The restructuring results in a net reduction of three permanent positions and cost saving of approximately $250,000 per year starting in 2016. The maximum one-time severance costs associated with the immediate elimination of these three positions is $200,000.

“Council did not make this restructuring decision lightly or easily,” said Mayor Simpson. “We fully understand the impact these decisions have on the people affected by them and we directed our senior management to ensure resources were made available to assist these long-term employees through their personal transition. However, Council has an obligation to make governance decisions that ensure the long term vibrancy and resiliency of Quesnel and the financial sustainability of the City is foundational to achieving that vision.”