News : New ordinance would give city coordinator final say in P & R hiring choices

The Vinton City Council will consider making a significant change in who has the ultimate authority over the Vinton Parks and Recreation Department when it holds its regular meeting this Thursday, May 12.

The council has been asked to consider an ordinance that will take the authority of the Vinton Parks and Recreation Board to hire a director and other personnel and give it to the city coordinator. Under the new ordinance, it will be the job of the P & R Board to make recommendations to the city coordinator, who would be given authority to make hiring decisions, subject to approval by the city council. Currently, city code gives the Vinton Parks and Recreation Board the authority to "employ a director of parks and recreation, assistants and other employees..."

The regular meeting of the parks board takes place at 6 a.m. this Thursday, the same day as the council meeting. The issue will be on the their agenda, as well.

The new ordinance would replace Section 116.03(3) of the city Code with a new section. Section 116 deals with the duties of the P & R Board

That section currently reads:

3. Employees. To employ a director of parks and recreation, assistants and other employees necessary for the proper management of the parks and recreational facilities within specific municipal budget allocations, and to receive reports therefrom. Wages, benefits and other compensation of full time and regular part time employees will be fixed by the Council. Wages of temporary and season employees will be set by the Parks and Recreations Board.

The proposed ordinance would eliminate Section 116.03(3) and replace it with the following subsection 3 of section 116.03 on duties:

Employees. Make recommendation to the City Coordinator for the hiring of a Director of Parks and Recreation, assistants, and other employees necessary for the proper management of the park and recreational facilities, who shall be appointed by the City Coordinator, subject to Council approval. The Director shall assume such duties as established in the job description approved by the City Coordinator, City Council and Parks and Recreation Board. The Parks and Recreation Director shall be under the direct supervision of the City Coordinator. The Parks and Recreation Board shall receive from the Director such assistance and information as necessary in the performance of its duties as specified in Section 116.03 of this Chapter. The Director shall meet regularly with the Board to discuss policies and programs relating to the Parks and Recreation Department. Wages, benefits and other compensation of full time and regular part time employees will be fixed by the Council. Wages of temporary and seasonal employees will be set by the Parks and Recreation Board within budgetary guidelines.

The current Vinton Parks and Recreation Board members include: Chairman Jeff Peterson, Vice-Chair Sandy Lyons, Tedd Mann, Stuart Overton, Craig Flickinger, Ed Haag and Brenda Bartz. The issue is likely to be on the agenda when the Parks and Rec Board meets at 6 a.m.this Thursday for its regular monthly meeting. The meetings take place upstairs at the Rec Center.

The proposed change comes nine months after a controversy arose over the housing of Vinton Parks and Recreation Director Duane Randall. Since being hired in 1986, Randall has lived in a city-owned house as part of his compensation package. In September, Parks and Recreation Board members submitted a proposal that would allow Randall to move out of the city-owned home and buy his own house and increase his pay by $1,080 per month. But that plan was dropped after some local residents complained that the change constituted a pay raise.

Some city council members agreed with that assessment.

"You might as well call it a raise," council member Bud Maynard told Parks and Recreation Board President Jeff Peterson during a city council meeting last autumn.

After that meeting, the Parks and Rec Board dropped that housing change proposal; Randall and his family continue to live in the city-owned home.

Vinton City Coordinator Andy Lent said that the change would make the city's hiring policy for the parks department more similar to the policies of other departments. Also, he said, there are no other cities where the Parks and Recreation Board members have the final say in hiring of employees.

"In all of the other cities, the final hiring is done by the city manager or the city council," said Lent.

Lent said the change is not a move to "disrespect" the efforts made by the Parks and Rec board members over the years.

"We appreciate what the Parks and Rec Board has done to improve the Parks and Recreation Department and its facilities and we want to ensure they still have a role in the hiring of employees," said lent. "Most of the hiring process will still be handled by the Parks and Recreation Board, but the final choice will be up to the city coordinator, with approval by the council."

Lent said that during a discussion about this issue, a board member said he felt the city was not respecting the efforts the all-volunteer board has made over the years.

"But we are not trying to take anything away from them," said Lent. "We are just putting this process more in line with other departments."