The city is adding a new position to help out in the clerk’s office and changing the title of a full-time position in the finance department.
Columbus City Council members on Tuesday night passed the second reading of legislation to amend the salary ordinance to add a part-time position of deputy clerk and rename a previous full-time accounts receivable position to accounts receivable/accounts payable administrator.
Members also passed the second reading of an ordinance to appropriate $12,000 from the city’s general fund to pay for the positions for the rest of the year, which are yet to be filled. Ordinances must be passed on two readings to be approved.
Council members Jerone Wood, D-District 3, and Jay Foyst, R-District 6, were absent.
Executive Director of Administration Eric Frey said the new part-time position is needed because a significant increase in the amount of freedom of information requests the city has been receiving, plus city officials want to ensure there is someone from the clerk’s office at every city meeting in order to do things like putting together meeting minutes.
While the deputy clerk is part-time, set to work about 20 hours a week, there could be one week where they work 30 hours, and another working only 10, city officials said.
There are also plans to siphon through a trove of old city documents, along with digitizing some which would be searchable.
As Columbus transitioned from a third-class to second-class city, the public no longer elected a clerk-treasurer, but a city clerk, Luann Welmer. Welmer assumed the duties of the clerk-treasurer, except one as the city’s fiscal officer. Those responsibilities are now carried out by the city controller, Regina McIntyre, who was appointed by Mayor Mary Ferdon.
A former city employee, Jennifer Wiwi, had helped out both offices, essentially doing some of the work the two aforementioned positions will do.
When Wiwi decided to leave, she suggested separating the jobs, having one dedicated person to do each.
The salary mid-point for the accounts receivable/accounts payable administrator would be $48,511, the salary mid-point for the deputy clerk is $23.32 hourly. Both are consistent with the city’s compensation study, officials said.
