DATE: May 6, 2026
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
FROM: Parks and Recreation Department
TITLE: CREATE A LIMITED TERM FULL-TIME RECREATION PROGRAM ADMINISTRATOR POSITION WITHIN THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT
RECOMMENDATION
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Staff recommends that the City Council approve the creation of a limited term full-time Recreation Program Administrator position within the Parks and Recreation Department and appropriate $28,000 from the General Fund Unassigned Fund Balance for the increased cost, effective FY 2026/27, until the incumbent Recreation Program Administrator returns from active military duty.
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BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
The Parks and Recreation Department currently has a temporary vacancy because the incumbent Recreation Administrator is on active military duty under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), with current deployment orders through March 31, 2027. This vacancy has been filled by temporarily out-of-class Acting assignments since the incumbent began USERRA leave on June 1, 2023. This method of filling the long-term vacancy has caused administrative instability and the Department needs to identify a more stable solution to address the prolonged vacancy. USERRA leave protections extend up to five (5) cumulative years, meaning the leave could be extended past March 31, 2027 if the employee's deployment continues.
Filling this position with a stable long-term staff member is critical because the Recreation Administrator provides direct oversight of operations at the recreation centers, senior centers and manages sports and youth programs. There are several major projects that the Department is initiating that require this position to be filled by staff that understand recreation management operations, including:
* Implementation of the Age Friendly Network 5-year Action Plan
* Development of a Senior Commission
* Implementation of the updated Field and Facility Allocation Policy
* Improvem...
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