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10/05/2021 02:54 PMDuring an early planning meeting for next year’s town budget, some Town Council members expressed support for the possibility of adding a full-time town planner, a much-discussed and -debated position in recent years.
Though there are nearly eight months and many meetings to go until Clinton citizens have their say on the next proposed budget, the Town Council is already broadly discussing the topic. On Sept. 22, the Town Council and Town Manager Karl Kilduff held a workshop to get a jump-start on planning next year’s town budget.
“Early guidance helps in crafting the budget that the council will receive. As a result, I was looking for general direction from the council as a whole for where they wanted to see the budget head and flag early priorities to try and work into the budget,” Kilduff explained.
“Later in the year, this process allows us to have a budget conversation around delivering on the council goals or changes necessary to achieve the guidance the council is setting. [H]aving this type of conversation before budgets are put together gives the council the opportunity to influence the proposed budget,” he added.
During the discussion, the creation of one new position was singled out, and had general support from the council members: the creation of a full-time town planner position. Kilduff said that in particular, Town Council members Eric Bergman (G) and Tim Guerra (D) were in favor of the position.
A full-time town planner position has been controversial in Clinton and seriously debated over the last five years. The debate has crossed party lines with Democrats, Independents, and Republicans having all voiced opinions for or against the position, irrespective of party.
In practice, the full-time town planner would work as an administrator and work with the land use boards and commissions in addition to doing actual planning work.
“In looking at the needs of the organization, I think the position should also function as a land use administrator providing supervision and guidance to make sure there is consistency in how land use matters are handled,” said Kilduff, who noted there are many examples around the state where a planner works in this capacity.
“A consistent review of regulations should also take place with an eye toward improving the process,” said Kilduff.
Currently, the town pays $48,000 for a consultant planner. The consultant planner advises multiple towns and is not in Town Hall every day.
“The conversation also included the value of having an individual in Town Hall five days per week, rather than the current contracted arrangement,” said Kilduff said of the workshop.
Proponents of the full-time position have argued that a town planner could help the town tackle the multiple opportunities for development that have cropped up around town, could spur economic development, could take the pressure off and offer guidance to the volunteers on the Planning & Zoning Commission, and help the Land Use Office. Those in favor of the position have also argued that having a full-time planner would be better for the town than using a consultant planner who has other obligations outside of Clinton.
Opponents of adding the position felt that adding a new position would add a significant cost to the town, expressed concerns that other positions would potentially be cut to accommodate the addition of the planner, and argued that using a consultant or part-time planner can lead to the same results at a reduced cost for the town.
The last time the full-time position was debated was in February 2020. The town had been looking to hire a full-time town planner since summer 2018, when the position was included in that year’s budget. However, the town was never able to fill the position in the following 18 months.
During budget discussions in 2020, Kilduff said he removed the position from the budget due to salary concerns. Kilduff said the salary the town offered for the position was low and did not include benefits, which he argued make it hard to find someone for the position. The salary had been budgeted at $70,000.
At the Sept. 22, 2021 meeting Kilduff estimated the salary and benefits would cost the town about $130,000, an increase of $82,000 from what the town pays the consultant planner.
Just because the council discussed the position now does not mean there will definitely be one when the next budget is officially proposed. There is still a multitude of meetings, priority setting, spending requests and number crunching that must be done before the budget is proposed. Still, Kilduff said getting this early guidance in what council members might be looking for in the next budget is helpful.
“This request is a good example as to why the council should give budget guidance early in the process. It gives me the ability to try a work it into the budget early with some thought on managing a transition rather than trying to add something late in the process,” said Kilduff of the idea of adding a planner.
“My hope is that everyone finds the early budget workshop process helpful and that it becomes a regular part of the budget process going forward,” said Kilduff.