Personnel and Finance Committee

Minutes Agenda City Website ↗

The committee kept circling two staffing issues—whether to fund a full-time building inspector and whether the city’s employee residency rule is legally defensible—but made no recommendations yet. The only clear next step was to keep talking at a follow-up meeting.

No decision on funding a full-time building inspector, even as the City Manager put rough price tags on the options ($50,000 to keep using part-time inspectors this year vs. about $70,000 for a full-time position for the rest of the year). That delay matters because code enforcement and contractor/customer service are directly tied to whether the city staffs this role full-time.

The committee agreed the city’s residency restrictions likely sweep too broadly by labeling “most full-time employees” as emergency responders—something the City Manager said could be hard to defend under state law. They did not change the policy, but agreed to continue the discussion next meeting.

The City Manager said the 2024 audit draft is in hand and staff aim to bring it to the City Council in August, with management’s narrative section still being worked on. This is a basic timeline update, but it’s worth watching because audits are where financial control problems tend to surface.

No public comments or communications recorded for this meeting.

Continue Discussion of Funding Options for Full-time Building Inspector Position: Possible Recommendation to Cityv Council
The committee continued discussing whether to fund a full-time building inspector, with members generally agreeing a full-time role would improve code enforcement and service to property owners and contractors. The City Manager estimated about $50,000 in added costs this year if the city sticks with part-time inspectors, versus about $70,000 to cover a full-time position for the rest of the year. Despite the clear staffing and cost tradeoff, the committee took no action—meaning the question stays unresolved for now.
Continue Discussion of Possible Amendment to Personnel Policy Regarding Residency Restrictions; Possible Recommendation to City Council
The City Manager laid out why the city’s residency rule may be on shaky ground: state law since 2013 sharply limits residency requirements, and Two Rivers’ policy still treats most full-time employees as “emergency response personnel.” He said some roles included under the current policy (including several department heads and clerical/programming staff) could be difficult to justify as emergency responders. The committee reviewed draft language but chose to keep the issue open and continue discussion at the next meeting—so the city is acknowledging risk without yet fixing it.
Update on 2024 Audit
The City Manager reported that he and the Finance Director received a draft of the 2024 audit from CliftonLarsonAllen. Staff said they are working on the Management Discussion and Analysis section, aiming to present the audit to the City Council in August. This was an update only, but it sets expectations for when residents can see the full audit results.