Last week, the Citizen-Tribune reported on the restructuring of the city’s organizational framework. In that article, City Administrator Greg Pruszinske said, “In the context of the vast changes in the utility industry and the planned decommissioning of Sherco units 1 & 2, (not to mention the natural gas plant that’s pending), it is imperative that the City of Becker be prepared for the changes to the local economy.” 

 

For many years, the city’s organizational chart consisted of police, BCC/parks & rec, streets, community development, finance, WWTF, golf and the city clerk all reporting to one person — City Administrator Greg Pruszinske.

 

At last week’s council meeting, Pruszinske presented a revised chart that would create “umbrellas” of structure designed to work in concert with enhancing customer service, meeting demands of the community and position the city for future growth.

 

“This realignment was vetted over the period of several months and is strategic in nature,” said Pruszinske.  Our current organizational structure is very flat, cumbersome and slow.  A contemporary structure that is organized with departments and divisions will strengthen the organization and grow along with us as we continue to ramp up our commercial and industrial efforts.” 

 

The ramifications of such  changes means the job classifications of Director of Golf (Troy Malo), BCC Director (Jamie Cassidy) and Streets Supervisor (Joe Danielson) have been eliminated.

 

New positions — such as management assistant under Pruszinske as well as recreation & leisure assistant, golf services manager, recreation services manager and public works & parks assistant have been created. 

 

Pruszinske told this reporter that Malo, Cassidy and Danielson are free to explore employment elsewhere or apply for one of the above titled positions.

 

The restructure would free up Pruszinske to spend more time doing the job of city administrator rather than dealing with specific issues associated with each department.

 

The newly-formed management assistant position would work below Pruszinske just like the police chief, the public services director (vacant), community development director, finance director and the city clerk.

 

The public services director would then be an umbrella for the public works & parks assistant (vacant)  and the recreation & leisure assistant (vacant). The public works & parks assistant would be an umbrella over WWTF and the streets & parks operation lead and the recreation & leisure assistant would be an umbrella over the golf services manager, the event services manager and the recreation services manager.

 

The changes will be conducted in three phases.

 

“We are currently on track to have the bulk of implementation completed by the end of 2018,” Pruszinske said.  

 

“We are starting with the public services director and realignment of city clerk position as Phase I in June.  Once the public services director has been hired, I will finalize the job descriptions to post for a public works & parks assistant and recreation & leisure assistant.”

 

Pruszinske says those will both be new divisions reporting directly to the public services director.  

 

“Public works & parks is part of Phase II and is to be completed during the second quarter and recreation & leisure is part of Phase III to be completed in third quarter.”

 

Clerk Julie Blesi will be given two new duties including HR and risk management and her job grade level will climb to 10 from 12. The public services director will have a grade 14 level. The public works & parks assistant as well as the recreation & leisure assistant will be at grade levels 12 and the golf services manager and recreation services manager will be at grades 11.

 

“After we implement this new organizational structure, we will review, evaluate and if necessary, make changes accordingly,” said Pruszinske. 

 

“For the city to shift and diversify its economy we will have to make changes to meet a plethora of business needs (e.g., commercial, heavy industrial, blue chip, etc).  We must continue to partner  and collaborate to meet a broad spectrum of needs. By being innovative, taking initiative and following through, we become a nimble organization.”