- April 17, 2024
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The budget season has come and gone, and now the city will begin filling vacancies to balance the workload.
Twenty-seven employees have left their Palm Coast city jobs, dating back to July. But with the city’s budget for next fiscal year final, approximately 25 vacancies will be filled during the coming weeks.
City Manager Jim Landon said not all 25 of those will be open searches, though. Most of the positions will be filled internally first. But as lower-level employees move up the ladder by applying for jobs within the city, other positions will become vacant. The trickle-down effect will eventually lead to job opportunities for unemployed Palm Coast residents.
According to the city’s website, there currently are seven job openings now open to residents.
Most of the vacancies are for work outside of city offices.
“This is your front line,” Landon said. “(They are) out there sweating in treatment plants — your blue-collar worker.”
Landon said city employees have been stretched to become more efficient during the past few months, as turnover has increased and some departments have been understaffed.
“We haven’t hired because we were worried the City Council might slash,” Landon said. That didn’t happen though, and now departments are planning to fill vacant positions.
“There is a breaking point for your organization,” Landon said. “We’ll get staff back to its normal level.”
Richard Adams, public works director for the city, has experienced employee stress firsthand.
He said many of the 198 public works employees are feeling the strain of extra responsibilities. For example, a utility systems technician who typically performs work on equipment and other maintenance duties might be assisting others in the department by helping to read meters.
Adams said state law requires meters to be read monthly, and therefore the task has to remain a high priority. Other tasks have had to be put off, when possible.
“(The items you put off) come back and haunt you later,” Adams said, “but they are the kinds of things that you can temporarily postpone.”
Employee performance is also directly related to being understaffed. With no raises or merit increases in site, Adams has had to seek other ways to boost employee morale. One way is to look at the bright side of the added responsibilities.
“I think that most employees relish in the opportunity to learn something different,” Adams said. “So the result in cross training is helpful in their careers, and it’s helpful to the change of pace.”
But ultimately, there has to be some type of reward at the end, Adams said.
He added: “Your pay is one of those rewards. It’s not the only one, but it’s one that keeps the morale up, and that’s an issue that we’re dealing with right now only because of the economy.”
Contact Andrew O’Brien at [email protected].
NOW HIRING
According to the city of Palm Coast’s website, there are currently seven job openings available. To apply, go to www.PalmCoastGov.com, and search “Job openings.”
Positions open:
• Internet Technology and Communications Director
• Utility Systems Tech I
• Utility Systems Operator I
• Meter Reader
• Equipment Operator I
• Maintenance Worker
• Sign Technician II
