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July 8, 2014 Page 6 of 7 Councilmember Strub commented New Brighton was a Tree City and has been for the past 32 years. This demonstrates the importance of the urban canopy in New Brighton. He supported staffs proposal as it was a priority to maintain the City's parks and forest, and due to the fact the position was revenue neutral based on the infonnation presented by staff. Mayor Jacobsen reported he lived adjacent to Sunnyside Park and has seen the deterioration of the park hedges over the past two years. This has created a traffic pattern from the school playground to the park. In addition, there were low hanging limbs along the City trails. He stated the City's trees have not been properly limbed or maintained as they have been in the past . He appreciated the work completed by Village Green Landscapes but noted this company was not qualified to preserve the health of the City's forest and landscaping . He explained he supported the parks maintenance/forester position but requested that staff report back to the Council after one year on the forestry duties . Councilmember Bauman was surprised that the Council was willing to support this position when it was not provided with a clear job description. Parks and Recreation Director Breuer commented she had drafted a job description and forwarded this language to City Manager Lotter. Councilmember Jacobsen questioned when this language would be made available to the City Council. City Manager Lotter stated the requested position was quite unique. He requested the Council not micromanage staff in this area. He then discussed the extreme staffing short fall in the Parks Department. He did not believe it was fair that the entire forest situation be placed on the shoulders of one staff member. Councilmember Jacobsen questioned how one full-time staff member would be able to take over all of the mowing, snow removal and forestry services. City Manager Lotter understood this point. He explained that with contractual services, there would always be weaknesses. In addition, the City was having trouble getting bids and qualified seasonal employees. It was staffs hope to hire a qualified individual that would be invested in the City 's parks and forest. Councilmember Burg supported City Manager Lotter's ability to draft a job description. She believed that it was the Council's responsibility to make the decision if this was an essential position for the City. It was her opinion that an employee would provide much better services than a contractor. She questioned why the City dropped snow removal services with the contractor in February. Parks and Recreation Director Breuer explained that the contractor was having difficulty clearing the Community Center and for this reason, a portion of the contract was dropped. Councilmember Burg inquired if the City had enough equipment to complete the lawn mowing and snow removal by Parks Department with the new staff member. Parks and Recreation Director Breuer commented all of this work was completed by the City prior to 2013. She reported that the proposed full-time employee would offer more flexibility to keep the parks mowed during the summer months in conjunction with the seasonal employees . Councilmember Bauman stated the Council had budget and organizational rights. She explained that for her to make a sound decision on this matter, she would have appreciated being able to review the job description prior to voting on the item . She did not believe she was micromanaging the situation, but rather wanted further infonnation to validate the decision. She took offense to staffs comment. Mayor Jacobsen understood the requested level of detail was not provided by staff, but he did not believe it was necessary for staff to justifY this revenue neutral position. He did not see the risk with adding this position. It was his opinion that the condition of the City's parks and forest would improve by adding this full-time employee. Councilmember Jacobsen thanked the Council and staff for their discussion on this matter. Motion by Councilmember Burg, seconded by Councilmember Strub to authorize the hiring of a full- time Park Maintenance/Forester in the Parks and Recreation Department 4 Ayes, 1 Nays (Bauman opposed)-Motion Carried Commission Liaison Reports, Announcements and Updates Dean Lotter Commission Liaison Reports, Announcements and Updates