MuskogeePhoenix.com, Muskogee, OK

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June 13, 2012

City needs personnel director

Muskogee city councilors did the right thing by approving a budget item to hire a full-time human resources director.

City Hall is one of the largest employers in the city.

With approximately 450 full-time city employees, Muskogee is far too large to have a part-time director.

The council recently approved the budget for fiscal year 2013.

While the council chose to nix an assistant city manager, the council appears to agree with the need to hire a human resources specialist.

The new hire presumably would be in charge of the city’s personnel department.

The department administers the city’s internal promotional processes and employee payroll and benefit functions.

According to the city’s website, the Personnel Director also negotiates annual collective bargaining agreements with the city’s union employees. The department ensures these agreements are followed.

The city should have a full-time specialist.

While the city has job openings frozen may not be the best time to add top level staff. The council said as much when it turned down the request for an assistant city manager.

But the city has far too many employees not to have a fulltime HR specialist.

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