Two items affecting 30 employees with the city of College Station were approved at the last city council meeting.
An outsourcing contract involving College Station Utilities means March 31st is the last day for two full time and three part time meter readers. Councilman John Nichols and assistant city manager Jeff Kersten brought up outsourcing in regards to quality of service…where customer bills have occasionally been for 34 days or longer. Meter readers are still used in College Station instead of radio controlled smartmeters. According to communications director Jay Socol, all the affected employees “have been readied for this possibility for quite some time.” Socol also says three of the five applied with the private company and will be interviewed. And all five have the opportunity to apply for other city positions.
The council approved staff recommendations that moves 25 employees out of overcrowded city owned offices to more than 5,400 square feet of leased space. Councilman James Benham and special projects coordinator Aubrey Nettles discussed details of a three year lease sending community service workers from city hall and the police department’s code enforcement and community enhancement divisions to the same strip center on East University as Fox and Hound.