City agrees to hire licensed electrician, part-time parks and rec workers

City Council voted last week to allow the public works department to hire a fulltime licensed electrician and the parks and recreation department to hire part-time employees to help with the busy fall youth recreation season.

The councilors unanimously agreed to allow Public Utilities Director Dwan Bell to hire the electrician at last week’s council meeting. The electrician, whose name was not released, will be paid a salary of $72,800, or an hourly rate of about $35.

Council voted following comments by Bell and a recommendation by City Manager Montré Freeman.

Bell said that his department currently has to hire a private electrician to perform work for the city at an hourly rate of about $135. The licensed electrician he had in mind was selected among a couple of candidates who earlier applied for the position, Bell said.

Freeman said that Bell had suggested hiring the electrician prior to the city putting a halt on hiring new workers earlier this year. Traditionally, the city manager can hire new employees, but for the duration of the hiring freeze, all new workers must be approved by City Council.

First Ward Councilor Johnson Biggs noted that the current fiscal budget already accounts for $70,000 to hire a new electrician. Considering almost three months have passed in the fiscal year, which began July 1, and the two to three weeks it will take to actually onboard the new worker, Biggs said the $70,000 should cover the electrician’s salary for the remainder of the fiscal year, which ends June 30, 2025.

Also on Freeman’s recommendation, council also approved Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Parks and Recreation’s request to hire additional part-time employees to help with the busy fall youth athletic season.