JOHN COFFELTEditor

Manchester City has about 165 personnel in its employ, yet according to the person tasked with the city’s human resources tasks many are working without proper job description.

City employee Christine David, who was recently hired as Payroll Benefits Specialist, yet who is listed as handing Human Resources for the city Finance Department, brought to the Jan. 22 special call meeting of the Finance Department a large notebook that contains job descriptions of all city employees.

Yet as David described at the meeting, when she began searching through the folder, many of the documents did not have any corresponding dates to signify when or if they have been approved by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen. Some positions are empty, leaving questions where the city’s workforce stands.

“I have this binder full of what in my opinion is supposed to be approved job descriptions,” David told the committee.

“We are trying franticly to figure out because if we have these approved, we have these jobs, they just haven’t been filled in quite some times,” she said.

She estimated that 90% of documents lack documented approval.

Whenever a job opening is posted by the city to be filled, a corresponding, job description is posted. That document, as the name suggests, gives the specifics of what tasks are required, duties and prerequisite training or education is needed.

David was unsure if the documentation was simply not noted due to overworked prior employees or if not approved.

“If they’re in here and they don’t have a date, we’re going to have to bring it before the board. We have current positions that I don’t have a date for and job descriptions that are probably over 15 years old,” David said.

Finance Chairman Alderman Joey Hobbs expressed concern about the situation.

“I think that anyone who is hired deserves to know what their job responsibilities are,” Hobbs said.

“How do you hold anybody accountable …” Hobbs asked. “At the end of the day, you know what your job is and your boss knows what your job is, but unless you have it on a piece of paper, how do you know you’re doing your job?”

Vice Mayor Mark Messick felt the situation should be left alone.

“I don’t see the need to bother anybody that’s been (on the job for years),” Messick said.” I don’t see why you arbitrarily say five years. There are people who’ve been there 30 years.”

“You’re not going to change their job description. If they don’t have a job description, what are you going to do?”

“It’s just more paperwork,” he said. “Each time you hire a new person, create a new job description.”

The finance department has been working with city department heads to review the job descriptions to make sure they are accurate, or submitted to BOMA for approval.

Hobbs suggested that the city should in essence “audit” its positions on the organizational chart.

“If we go through the ‘org. chart’ and there’s not a title associated with a job description, we should ask that director to give us that description for that person who is currently there and make sure it fits what their current duties are expected to perform,” Hobbs said.

Finance Director Lisa Myers said after a meeting with the mayor, finance employees is researching BOMA meeting minutes for the last five years, but most of the book’s job descriptions are older than five years.

“That’s going to slow down hiring, unless the directors can show that it’s been approved. If it’s outside of that five year range, it’s going to have to go before the board to be approved,” Myers said.

“Depending on when that job opening comes up in the month and they have to wait for the board meets. It could slow down hiring,” she said.

The issue came to the committee to the committee’s attention during a request by the Water Department for approval of a new Administrative Assistant position. Further discussion on the position will continue at the next Finance meeting.

Mayor Marilyn Howard said that all employees hired since she took office in 2020 have had a job description approved prior to the hire.

John has been with the Manchester Times since May 2011. John has won Tennessee Press Association awards for Best News Photo and placed in numerous other categories. John is a 1994 graduate of Tullahoma High School, a graduate of Motlow State Community College and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Middle Tennessee State University. He lives in Tullahoma, enjoys painting, dancing and exploring the outdoors.