Growing city staff searching for space

Moses Lake departments propose additions

MOSES LAKE — The Columbia Basin continues to grow, leading the city of Moses Lake to add new staff in the coming months to accommodate that growth.

The city council was optimistic toward plans to increase staff last weekend, one of many issues discussed during the council's annual retreat at Cave B Inn in Quincy.

Additional people moving to the city limits, City Manager Joe Gavinski said, is creating a need for the city to provide additional services. He said the city can't keep growing and adding responsibilities without adding on positions, but added the city will have to look at where to house these positions.

Gavinski's proposal includes adding two staff members to the engineering department, one maintenance worker to the parks and recreation staff, one building inspector/plans examiner to the community development staff and one additional police officer.

Gavinski said the proposed additions were not unexpected, and would add an additional $450,000-$500,000 to the city's budget annually. The funds would include the costs of the employees, their vehicles and office necessities.

The engineering department is adding on two technicians under the plan, and the city will have those new employees aid in the work of a number of construction projects including downtown revitalization.

City Hall however, is not growing along with the rest of the community, leaving the city council to decide what to do before construction of more offices to fit in the growing staff.

"One thing," Gavinski told council members in proposing staff additions, "There's not place to put anyone within City Hall."

A new city building to house a new council chambers and Museum and Art Center building adjacent to the current City Hall is currently in the conceptual stages, but would provide much-needed space at the city. Until then, the city's Community Development department is looking to relocate from its current space.

Community Development Director Gilbert Alvarado has seen his department grow from four or five people when he came to the city 15 years ago, to the 12 people currently handling planning and building duties. The addition of community development staff has slowly sent the city's engineering technicians to the City Hall basement over the years, and the addition of two code enforcement officers has also put limitations on where to house employees in City Hall.

Gavinski said city directors will discuss alternatives for the department this week, but one proposal is the old Busby building near City Hall, a facility currently owned by the city.

The city plans on looking at alternatives for the department this week, but Gavinski said if space is a problem, the Busby building will be one solution.

In addition to setting up phones and desks in a new facility, Alvarado said the department will also have to have some sort of accounting system currently handled by another department in City Hall.

Looking at the sheer number of inspections and building permits the community development department handles, Alvarado points to the growing community in saying the building inspector/plans examiner position is a needed one.

The position, he said, will allow community development to improve customer service for a department that has seen an increasing number of permits being taken out, Alvarado said.

Of the staff increases, Gavinski said those additions will happen as soon as possible, adding the city has already begun to open the positions to current employees of the city.

"It may take us time to get these positions filled," Gavinski said. "But we'll get started right away."

Gavinski also proposed to the council the transferring of three employees from part to full-time this week. Further staff member changes have also been proposed to Gavinski, which he said would be brought to the city council at a later date.