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GRAND FORKS – On a split vote during a Monday meeting, the Grand Forks City Council approved the creation of the new environmental management department.
The council approved the creation of the department with a 4-3 vote, with members Rebecca Osowski, Tricia Lunski and Ken Vein dissenting. The new department combines many of the environmental management tasks done in the water works department, along with mosquito control under a department head. Current Assistant Water Works Director Lisa Botnen, who already oversees many of these functions, will become the new department head. There will be approximately $78,000 in savings due to positions being eliminated and restricted as part of the move.
While there were variations in their dissents, Osowski, Lunski and Vein were concerned about the potential effects of moving mosquito control from Grand Forks Public Health, where it was, to this new department.
Lunski had concerns about the amount of work that division entails and the elimination of the mosquito control manager position.
“I think my concern is mosquito control is very important in our community. What happens to the 40 hours we’re losing?” Lunski said. “How is that work going to be taken over? Is one person going to be responsible for what two people used to do?”
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Many of the aspects of the role are being spread over to the new director of environmental management and the mosquito control supervisor, a position that moved up a grade as there are new responsibilities for the job. Likewise, Osowski asked if Grand Forks City Administrator Todd Feland needed, or wanted, another direct report.
“I think that you do a great job as city administrator,” Osowski said. “I guess I would hate to see your plate being overloaded with direct reports because this would put another person under you. … I know you’re very busy — you don’t even have time to do your security trainings. You’re still at 0%.”
Feland responded by saying that this department helps make things more sustainable, combines many of the laboratory testing functions of the city under one umbrella, and that he’ll work on those IT security trainings.
“Now is the time for us to create some succession planning, some redundancy and some wherewithal so that we can start sharing responsibilities,” Feland said. “We have lots of employees throughout water (works) and public works that can help support this program.”
With the creation of the department, Feland now has 14 department heads who report to him, along with the city’s public information officer and an administrative assistant he shares with the mayor.
In his dissent, Vein said that while he supports the initiative, but he doesn’t support the department head position being a contract position. Contract employees are generally paid more, but have fewer job protections than civil service, a classification that covers many city employees. It’s a conversation that tends to come up every time department head positions are discussed.
“I’m really OK with the mayor creating this environmental management position. (Botnen) has been around a long time and has shown she’s willing to be able to do that,” Vein said. “We’ve talked a little bit last week about the contract position and this is my concern and will remain my concern.”
In other news, the council:
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