Council approves hiring, wages for additional city staff

   Multiple items on the June 6 Monticello City Council agenda dealt with the hiring of city staff to fill or re-fill current positions. Those departments include: ambulance, Parks and Recreation, and library.

   “The department heads all determined that these positions were necessary,” noted City Administrator Russ Farnum.

   The council approved the hiring of five on-call service members for the Monticello Ambulance Service. These employees serve as a second crew member during the hours of 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., seven days a week. These employees also allow the Service to maintain its 24/7 emergency coverage.

   The on-call hires include:

   • Tobias Luetkemeier, driver

   • Sam Hunt, driver

   • Lexi Etringer, AEMT (advanced EMT)

   • Amanda Husmann, AEMT

   • Trevor King, driver

   Ambulance Administrator Britt Smith noted that these on-call employees would receive $8 an hour. The AEMTs will receive a pay rate of $19.30 when responding to a call.

   The council approved the hiring of two part-time paramedics for the Ambulance Service. Smith noted in his background information to the council that part-time positions always seem to be the hardest to fill.

   “They’re needed to assist in the coverage of open shifts vacated by full-time staff due to time-off requests, sick time usage, and other various special events,” Smith explained.

   Furthermore, he said that adding additional part-time staff to the Service roster doesn’t increase departmental costs, but rather it decreases the amount of overtime.

   Those part-time paramedics include:

   • Abigale Frisch

   • Kaleb Payne

   Their pay rate is established through collective bargaining at $22.85 an hour.

   “These part-time staff members give full-time staff breaks,” noted Farnum. “We have limited staff. They get burnt out, even with overtime.”

   The council also approved the hiring of both a seasonal and full-time employee of the Monticello Public Library. The seasonal, summer employee is working 15 to 20 hours a week at $10 an hour. The rate of pay for the full-time, 40-hour-a-week position will be determined by the library board.

   The council approved the hiring of staff for the Monticello Aquatic Center.

   The pool opened on May 30 for the season and is fully staffed.

   On April 4, the council approved the wages for the pool staff, depending on years of experience:

   • Lifeguard, $9 to $9.75 an hour

   • Pool assistant, $7.25 to $8 an hour

   • Assistant manager, $10 to $10.50 an hour

   • Manager, $11 to $12 an hour