Peachtree City’s top two positions are either vacant or about to be vacant — police chief and city manager. As of this week, add one more vacancy.
The Peachtree City Council on May 7 supported city staff’s call to create a human resources manager position and agreed to the full-time slot on a 4-1 vote. Pay will be between $81,800 and $96,500.
Councilman Eric Imker opposed the full-time hire though he did support the need for the department to receive additional part-time help.
Human Resources and Risk Management Division Director Ellece Brown in an April 30 letter laid out the need for the new position.
“We’ve had a need for well over a year to bring this forward,” Brown told the council.
Citing the current search to hire a police chief and city manager, Imker said human resources needs help, adding that he was not convinced that hiring another full-time employee in the department was the best solution.
“I’m having a hard time seeing another permanent hire,” said Imker. “I’d rather not jump in right now.”
Mayor Vanessa Fleisch weighed in, noting a number of additional tasks required of the human resources department compared to a few years ago.
“We have 250 (employees) and three people in HR,” said Councilman Mike King. “We’ve seen the need so why not try to fix it?”
Imker agreed on the need, though he recommended a different approach, such as the potential for hiring someone on a part-time, but not a full-time, basis.
Brown said human resources responsibilities have increased significantly over the past decade while the department has operated with limited staff.
Citing a number of examples as a justification for the hire, Brown said bringing third-party services in-house has increased the employee headcount, annual hiring needs have increased considerably due to turnover and new positions, new federal laws require more reporting and compliance, an increase in risk management claims and work previously accomplished by the payroll department now requires, due to the new computer system, that her staff take on payroll-related tasks and functions.
Brown said projects impacting city employees have been delayed due to a lack of staff. Those include issues such as management training, the comprehensive safety program and the wellness program that addresses specific healthcare costs.
The Human Resources Manager will be supervised by Brown. The position will have an annualized budget impact of $81,800 to $96,500.
