Council advances combined community development/public information officer, asks for funding details

Mount Vernon City Council on March 9 advanced Ordinance 2026-05, which would create a combined community development and public information officer position, and gave the measure its second reading while asking staff for more financial detail.

The safety service director described the position as a hybrid role: it would take on grant management and donor coordination, pursue small-scale retail and quality-of-life recruitment, and operate as the city’s public information point for routine communications and emergency messaging. "This person should be telling the story of the city," the safety service director said, describing training expectations for emergency communications and the role's social-media responsibilities.

Staff suggested the position be funded primarily from enterprise utility funds by shifting and repurposing existing budgeted roles (including funding moves within administrative assistant lines and other non-general-fund sources) so as to minimize impact on the general fund. The director said the position would be evaluated in part on its ability to secure outside funds for the city.

Several council members asked for more time to review the specific line-item shifts and asked staff to provide written answers before the next meeting rather than ask detailed questions on the floor tonight. One council member expressed concern about creating a new post if existing staff could absorb the duties; staff responded that the combination matches best practices in similarly sized cities and that the city previously budgeted for related positions.

Ordinance 2026-05 received its second reading; council scheduled a brief committee meeting and requested staff provide a funding breakdown and other clarifications for the next session.