C.Falls public-works job on hold

Whether Columbia Falls will have a public works director remains in question after the City Council on Monday night tabled a decision on filling the position.

A blunt statement from Streets and Parks Superintendent John Lawler urging the council to "question the motives for this request and to be very clear on the impact of your decision" prompted an extended discussion on a major shift in City Hall hierarchy.

City Manager Bill Shaw has recommended creating the public works position to handle Water, Sewer, Streets and Parks departments. He would fund the new salary by doing away with the superintendent positions held by Lawler, and Sewer and Water Superintendent Gary Root.

Authorization to advertise for and fill the post had been on Monday's consent agenda. But the council asked to pull it out for full discussion on the regular agenda.

With far more questions than answers, differences of opinion and the absence of council members Mike Shepard and Harvey Reikofski, the council agreed to put off a decision until all could be present.

Speaking during the public-comment portion of the meeting, Lawler asked, "If Mr. Shaw needs to have some of the burden of the work he has placed upon himself reduced, why not delegate the work to his subordinates or look at hiring a part-time assistant city manager?"

He said Shaw told him that neither he nor Root demonstrated the ability to handle the job.

"Mr. Shaw has stated numerous times that he was able to do all of the duties Mr. Root and I currently do while he was the public works director in Lewistown," Lawler said.

"Not everything can be a one-man show. This is why we are in this situation in the first place. And not many people have all of the experience Mr. Shaw has. Nor do they enjoy working themselves into the ground for very little pay. And just how is hiring one person to do two persons' work going to alleviate the workload of Mr. Shaw?"

During council discussion later, Shaw said at least one superintendent's position definitely "would disappear," but the city "eventually may get back to having superintendents. Now, what we need is upper management and more boots on the ground."

He cited 180 new homes planned at Meadow Lake Resort, 300 to 400 new homes that could go in near the U.S. 2 and Montana 40 junction and possibly 250 east of the Flathead River.

"The next two to three years in the city will change everything about our perspective on how we take care of public works," Shaw said.

Mayor Jolie Fish said she initially understood Shaw's proposal was for an additional position without eliminating superintendent jobs. She also thought there would be a longer lead time.

"I think the superintendents' workload is adequate for the job. They are not overworked. But I see a lack of higher level management," Shaw said, arguing for a "visionary" director.

With employee contract negotiations this year, he said, the city's "position is going to be very tight." Yet major infrastructure projects loom, such as a rebuild for Talbott Road, and "we will soon be swamped if we don't get ahead of it."

Fish questioned whether the director would handle those and other responsibilities.

"I've done it myself," Shaw answered. "It's not uncharacteristic to handle five or six departments' [workloads], plus run the department. Now we're looking at the technical aspects, too, and we're not keeping up with that."

Council member Julie Plevel asked whether the director's time would be divided between the office and the field.

Shaw said he would expect the director to "do it all." He said he managed seven departments and 17 employees for the city of Lewistown while it built a water plant.

"Is it wise to do this when we are so close to this major sewer-plant upgrade?" Plevel asked, referring to a $3.4 million project planned for 2008.

When Shaw asked for the council's direction, council member Doug Karper asked, "What happens to these two men?"

Shaw said he told Lawler that his position would be gone, but he plans to keep Root in place for technical expertise until the upgrade is completed. If city growth warrants, he added, the director also may hand off some duties to a superintendent.

Council member Don Barnhart cited Karper's comment from several weeks earlier that "the council's job is to say what, and the city manager's job is to say how."

"Yes, we've got to be careful as a council with how far we go with that," Karper said. "On the other hand, this impacts people and I want to be comfortable with that."

Shaw said that is why he gave Root and Lawler early notice and conceded, "I don't even know if we'll find the person we want."

"Can the public works duties be taught to the current superintendents," asked Charlie McCubbins, "to see if they have the capabilities?"

"I don't know how you teach visionary thinking," Shaw replied. "That is not a very simple thing to comprehend."

Ultimately, four of the five - Plevel, Fish, McCubbins and Karper -- said they were uncomfortable making the decision until the other two council members weighed in, and they voted to table the matter.

"I feel a lot of the questions would be worked out through the process," Barnhart said after casting the sole dissenting vote. "I feel uncomfortable putting this off."

Reporter Nancy Kimball can be reached at 758-4483 or by e-mail at nkimball@dailyinterlake.com.