Kimberley City Council has voted to post a new position for a Manager of Community Development and Communications after management staff outlined the need for more personnel to help with Kimberley’s increasing population and demand for services.
At a regular council meeting on Monday, Council discussed the position and what it will entail.
According to a report from CAO Scott Sommerville, social media has increased the expectations for more communication and engagement from the City. He also says that the non-profit sector has become more reliant on city staff for assistance in completing grant applications.
“The [city’s] workload is growing more complex and the management team has shrunk by one member in the last five years,” explained Sommerville. “This position will be able to help with capacity issues, communications and non-profits.”
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Councillor Darryl Oakley, who voted against the motion, says the position is the “wrong fit” for the community.
He stated that he’s opposed to the hiring of a Community Development and Communications Manager for several reasons, including the fact that the City decided to hire a Manager of Community Economic Development last year.
“What will happen is people on council will be gently directed to follow those lines of communication,” said Oakley. “I’m not interested in following whatever is coming from this person…it’s a ripoff to the taxpayers.”
He adds that he, and the rest of council, are always available to chat with members of the public about city-related concerns or questions they might have.
Councillor Jason McBain said he appreciated Oakley’s comments, however, he said, “I don’t need to be directed to be able to communicate on an issue. This [position] is more about consistency and team work. This can help provide consistency in the city’s messaging and convey the ideas we have to make them more clear.”
Councillor Dalum says the new manager will simply pick up what staff is already struggling to do off the side of their desk.
“The communications piece of this job will really just be picking up what’s already happening,” he said. “We [council] will continue to be approachable and have our own voice.”
Councillor Sandra Roberts agreed, saying that the city struggles to communicate projects and changes to the taxpayers.
“Whatever is going on in the city, this will allow us to share it in a way that everyone can understand. It will help the taxpayers to be at ease,” she said.
“It comes down to a capacity issue,” said Councillor Nigel Kitto. “[It’s about] the efficiency of managers’ time. Another challenge is we don’t have the volunteers that we used to…”
He says the addition of this manager may help non-profits, such as the Kimberley Community Development Society, to find volunteers.
Mayor Don McCormick says the position is much more than just communications.
“There’s no end of issues with managers trying to stay ahead of projects. This position is much broader,” said McCormick.
Sommerville added that the communications aspect of the job represents around 40 per cent of the position. He says that the position will likely be a term position, meaning it will not be permanent and will be reviewed as the city continues to evolve.
The city also recently signed an agreement to become the legal entity for the Kimberley Youth Action Network. This new manager will be responsible for overseeing all responsibilities associated with KYAN.
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“As we’ve become busier and better, the expectations have become greater. There are several community issues we need to weigh in on and resolve. We’ve been able to save hundreds of thousands [of dollars] over the past few years but we’ve reached a ceiling,” explained McCormick. “It’s time to enhance the offering for things to expand and get done. We will ensure that this person is efficient and effective.”
Sommerville explained in the report that the addition of the management position will add to the city’s baseline operational budget. The increase for salary and benefits is expected to be around $100,000 per year, depending on experience.
“This equates to approximately a one per cent tax increase,” wrote Sommerville. “The community should expect to see financial return through the grant writing support that this position will provide to the non-profit sector.”
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