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By Brandi Makuski

STEVENS POINT – The Stevens Point City Council has approved increasing the part-time permit technician position in the Community Development Department from 32 hours per week to a full-time position of 40 hours.

The move, which comes at an estimated additional cost of $14,000 per year, was unanimously approved by the Human Resources Committee on August 12 and received full approval from the City Council on August 19.

This decision comes at a time when the department is facing significant challenges in addressing a growing backlog of permits. According to Director Ryan Kernosky, this backlog is being exacerbated by the complexity of the applications and an increase in workload.

“We are currently five weeks behind on issuing what we call over-the-counter permits,” Kernosky explained during the Aug. 12 personnel committee meeting. “Those are things like water heaters, roofs, windows, siding. When I started in the department, we were at about two business days, and that was really always our goal. But the number of permits and their complexity has really impacted our ability to do that in addition to the other duties and responsibilities of the front office staff.”

According to city documents, the $14,000 additional cost associated with the hourly increase will require a budget amendment for the remainder of 2024 and an allocation in the 2025 budget. Mayor Mike Wiza and Deputy Comptroller Carrie Freeburg discussed these costs and agreed that a budget amendment is the best course of action for 2024, with further considerations to be included in the 2025 budget.

The department’s budget is already strained as it has been forced to take on additional responsibilities over the years, including supporting various committees such as the Housing Taskforce, Bike/Ped Street Safety Commission and the Aging Community Committee. Kernosky’s memo states that the responsibilities have further strained the department’s resources and increasing the permit technician’s hours is seen as only a partial solution to the ongoing challenges.

“Both Loren and Maria work more than their 40 hours per week,” Kernosky explained. “Depending on their workload, they both work about 45 to 50 hours, and since we don’t have an overtime budget in our department, they take what’s called compensatory time. And that’s a long-term pay commitment that will have to be addressed at some point.”

The stress on employees goes beyond long hours. Maria Mohr, who has been with the city since 2016, reported the significant impact the job has had on her and her colleague’s well-being. “We can’t do it anymore,” Mohr said. “I’m not embarrassed to say that both Loren and I have been on medication since we started working for the city. It’s just something we needed to balance out the stress. We’re both actively doing therapy. Among other things. It’s not just about being tired; it’s about our physical, emotional and mental health being at stake.”

Loren De Lonay, who has worked as a permit technician for almost six years, also reported on her experiences.

“This is not the first time I have worked full-time for a period of time and not received full-time pay,” De Lonay said. “Since approximately March to April, I have been working 40 hours a week as a 32-hour employee without full-time pay to meet the needs of the department, which has been operating beyond its capacity for months.”

De Lonay stressed that the current situation is unsustainable and that simply going full-time will not solve the department’s larger problems. “If I were to go back to 32 hours a week, it would only set us back further and perpetuate the cycle of understaffing and lack of support,” she said. “I simply cannot go back to trying to maintain a 32-hour work week while expecting my staff to work 40 hours a week. I’ve tried; it doesn’t work and it’s incredibly devastating.”

Despite these challenges, Kernosky made it clear that while the move to full-time work for the permit technician is necessary, it will not completely solve the department’s problems. “Simply increasing Loren’s hours to 40 permanently is not going to really change the current situation in the department. We are significantly understaffed in our front office,” he said.

Councilwoman Jacqui Guthrie expressed her support for the motion and urged the department to find creative solutions to address the staffing and workload issues. “This is not a good service to our contractors or community members,” she said. “I look forward to creative or interdepartmental discussions and proposals to recoup some of that revenue and put it to work on the situation.”

Wiza acknowledged the department’s challenges and noted that discussions are underway to find long-term solutions. “We have made significant changes over the past few years to become more efficient,” Wiza said. “But it is clear that we need to have serious discussions about staffing levels and resource allocation.”

The approved request is seen as a step to alleviate immediate pressure on the department, but Kernosky warned that more staff hours will be needed to fully clear the backlog and meet community needs.

The department’s revenue from permits has fluctuated considerably over the years. Kernosky’s memo indicates that permit revenue is estimated to be $313,785 in 2023, although the final figure has not been reconciled. The total number of permits issued has also increased, from 739 in 2012 to 1,626 in 2022.

The financial impact of the change will be felt in the city budget, as an adjustment will be needed to cover the increased payroll costs. City officials will need to find potential sources of funding, whether by reallocating existing funds, increasing permit fees or other measures, to ensure the department can continue to operate effectively while managing its growing workload, Kernosky said.

As the city continues to grow, adequately staffing a community development department remains a pressing issue.

“This does not alleviate the backlog problem, until we literally get more staff hours, we will still be faced with the same problem,” Kernosky said.

This month’s request is not the first request for more staffing to be presented to the City Council. After years of not increasing its operating budget, the Stevens Point Fire Department was forced to hold a referendum in November to hire nine new firefighter/paramedics. The Stevens Point Police Department is also three positions short due to a lack of funding.