TAMMY TEFFT
WESTFIELD – The City Council voted unanimously to, at least for now, deny a $40,000 request to hire a new director for the newly created Department of Facilities Maintenance.
Councilors cited a number of reasons for voting against the funding, which would have allowed the Human Resource Department to advertise the new position and to negotiate a personal services contract with a candidate, but the council members left the door open for an appropriation of that funding .
Purchasing Director Tammy Tefft, whose departmental budget was funding the new job, said that the person selected would be involved in helping generate a new capital needs budget. Currently each department includes its capital needs for building maintenance.
Tefft said that the $40,000 would fund that position for the remainder of this fiscal year and would be a line item under the Maintenance Department in future fiscal years.
ROBERT PAUL
The new Department of Facilities & Grounds was created in November, on an 8-5 council vote, to centralize building and grounds maintenance to facilitate both short and long-term capital investment, through bonding, intended to protect the recent investment of more than $25 million to repair municipal buildings and schools across the city.
The maintenance director will also be responsible for establishing a consolidated facilities work order system.
Tefft, who appeared before the council’s Finance Committee prior to the City Council’s regular meeting, said that she had hoped that the funding would have been approved earlier to facilitate having a new Facilities Director in place by February so that person could assist departments in identifying maintenance priorities this spring as the 2016 fiscal year budget is developed.
CINDY HARRIS
The city’s long-term plan is that in the future funding, now going directly to departments for maintenance, would be in the budget of the new department.
Ward 5 Councilor Robert A. Paul Sr., a member of the Finance Committee, suggested that Tefft submit an appropriation after the executive branch developed a “better plan” to centralize maintenance. Paul also said he is against creating a new position within the city’s structure.
At-large Councilor Cindy Harris said that the post should not be filled until the council accesses a departmental consolidation request submitted last night by Mayor Daniel M. Knapik.
DANIEL M. KNAPIK
Knapik requested that the council amend city ordinances to create a new Public Works Department which would have at least four major divisions and several subdivisions.
Harris said the new Department of Facilities Maintenance may fit into the revamped Public Works Department as a separate division.
Harris, chairwoman of the Personnel Action Committee, also has the maintenance director job description in committee and is waiting for the Human Resource Department to submit a revised description for council review and approval.
The Council voted 13-0 to reject the $40,000 appropriation.
