Janine Marnien
Upstairs at City Hall, the administration department is a
hodge-podge of activity -- it's where city staff sees to things
ranging from transportation to personnel issues.
As Assistant City Manager Mark Alexander puts it, it's the
"everything else" department.
"If it doesn't fall into public works or planning, it comes to
us," he said. "But that's also one of the nice things about it.
Because it's so diverse, every day is different and it keeps the work
more interesting."
Administration handles items including business licenses, animal
control, emergency preparedness plans for the city and parks and
recreation issues. It works with the Crescenta Valley Sheriff's
Station on issues related to public safety -- the one thing the city
spends the most money on each year.
Recent projects include meeting with officials from the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to finalize a joint-use agreement
for a sports field. It will begin to undertake landscaping issues to
get the field ready to use.
"A lot of the things we do are not seen by the community," he
said. "Other departments have responsibilities that are very visible,
such as street repairs through public works. But when you're doing
things like handling the financial aspects of the city, it's just not
very visible."
It's also a department that's growing. In the past year, it has
added a new management analyst position, expanded the positions of
finance officer and emergency services coordinator from part- to
full-time.
"Because of the diversity that the department deals with, this way
the responsibilities aren't falling onto one or two people,"
Alexander said.
City Council meetings play a large part in the direction the
administration and other departments take, City Manager Jerry Fulwood
said. Fulwood oversees all department heads, and is responsible for
preparing council agendas for each meeting.
"One week you're preparing for the meeting, the next week you're
following up on the decisions the council has made," he said.
Interim City Clerk Caroline deLlamas is busy dealing with upcoming
elections. Although considered a department head, the city clerk
works with other administrative staff on various issues including
City Council meetings.
Handling elections can keep a city clerk very busy, but it is also
exciting, deLlamas said.
"You're doing things that heighten the awareness of the election
to the community," she said.
Marjorie Wahlsten will fill the position beginning Jan. 16.
