Independence Township is looking for a new employee after the Board of Trustees approved hiring a new finance employee.
‘Having someone here full-time is absolutely mission critical,? said Independence Township Supervisor Pat Kittle.
Officials have not come up with an exact title for the position, but concluded the position will pay $55,000 a year plus benefits for the 40-hours-a-week position.
The job opportunity will be posted internally and externally, and will be filled sometime in 2013.
Kittle said there are several reasons the township needs the new employee.
‘Their primary function will be to keep up with the day-to-day budget,? he said. ‘We want to consolidate all of the ledger work, budget adjustments and daily journal entry work, so reports will be in a certain format that is easier for township employees to access reports. Also, they will be able to tell me at the drop of a hat where I’m at in an account.?
‘Time for the finance department to be what it supposed to be,? said Township Clerk Barb Pallotta. She added the new employee will do low level functions, so the finance director can focus on the important aspects of their job.
‘I just cannot describe the workload, and I cannot work like this anymore,? said Pallotta.
Trustee David Lohmeier, who cast the lone vote against filling the position, said other departments have also asked for additional employees and filling the position is premature before final budgets are approved.
Lohmeier added while he does not object to hiring a new finance employee, he does object to the timing of the request and remarked a lot has been done, including outsourcing work, to help the finance department run more smoothly.
‘We could put the resources in other areas,? said Lohmeier. ‘We have done a lot for the clerk and finance office and not a lot for other departments.?
Township Treasurer Paul Brown said he sees all the work that needs to be done and agrees with hiring the new employee.
‘We actually put the township at risk by not putting this person in place,? said Brown. ‘It’s too easy for things to slip through the cracks and the stuff that’s done in the finance department is too important. I really support what she is asking for here. I see a lot of opportunity, and I think getting this person in here they will bring a lot to the table.?
Kittle said adding a new person to the staff is not easy, but there is a lot of work in the finance department that needs to be completed on a timely basis.
Trustee Ron Richie said although there has been a lot of improvements to the department, there has also been a lot of additional work placed on the employees.