Allentown committee advances Bill 35 to convert part-time public works roles to full time
May 20, 2026 | Allentown City, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania
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Vice President Moulton, chair of the Public Works Committee, moved Thursday to advance Bill 35, a proposed amendment to the 2026 general fund budget that would upgrade a part‑time Clerk 3 to an administrative assistant and convert two part‑time custodial positions to full‑time, sending the measure to the full council for consideration.
The committee heard from Mark Shada, director of the Public Works Department, who described the change as a small internal reorganization aimed at stabilizing staffing and reducing turnover. "As these positions become vacant, we're proposing to upgrade them to full time positions," Shada said, adding that the city has experienced repeated turnover in the part‑time Clerk 3 role: "We've had 3 vacancies within the last 3 years." He said the Clerk 3 upgrade would align duties with a proposed pay grade of S7 and support succession planning for long‑serving compliance auditors.
Shada also outlined custodial staffing challenges in building maintenance: the department has nine custodians responsible for about 350,000 square feet of city buildings, while industry standards suggest roughly 18,000 square feet per custodian — which he said equates to about 19 custodians. "So what we're doing this evening is we're not asking for additional personnel, but we would like to upgrade the 2 part time positions and make them full time positions," Shada said, adding that the department will offset any additional cost within its operating budget.
Committee members raised no substantive objections during discussion. Moulton called for a motion; the committee moved Bill 35 forward to the full council by a voice vote. Individual roll‑call votes were not recorded in the committee proceedings.
Why it matters: Committee leaders said the changes are intended to reduce repeated training costs, retain institutional knowledge and prepare for upcoming facility maintenance needs, including additional square footage from recent and planned projects.
Next steps: Bill 35 will be considered by the full Allentown City Council at a future meeting.
The committee heard from Mark Shada, director of the Public Works Department, who described the change as a small internal reorganization aimed at stabilizing staffing and reducing turnover. "As these positions become vacant, we're proposing to upgrade them to full time positions," Shada said, adding that the city has experienced repeated turnover in the part‑time Clerk 3 role: "We've had 3 vacancies within the last 3 years." He said the Clerk 3 upgrade would align duties with a proposed pay grade of S7 and support succession planning for long‑serving compliance auditors.
Shada also outlined custodial staffing challenges in building maintenance: the department has nine custodians responsible for about 350,000 square feet of city buildings, while industry standards suggest roughly 18,000 square feet per custodian — which he said equates to about 19 custodians. "So what we're doing this evening is we're not asking for additional personnel, but we would like to upgrade the 2 part time positions and make them full time positions," Shada said, adding that the department will offset any additional cost within its operating budget.
Committee members raised no substantive objections during discussion. Moulton called for a motion; the committee moved Bill 35 forward to the full council by a voice vote. Individual roll‑call votes were not recorded in the committee proceedings.
Why it matters: Committee leaders said the changes are intended to reduce repeated training costs, retain institutional knowledge and prepare for upcoming facility maintenance needs, including additional square footage from recent and planned projects.
Next steps: Bill 35 will be considered by the full Allentown City Council at a future meeting.
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