Does Batavia need to hire a communications director?

Batavia aldermen are considering hiring a communications director for the city, but first they want to talk about where it would fit with their priorities.

City Administrator Bill McGrath has recommended hiring someone to handle writing items for the city's website, Neighbors magazine, news releases and posts on social media accounts.

In a memo to the council, McGrath noted the city's new website has more capability for providing information, but it has required more oversight. The information technology director is spending 15 percent to 25 percent of his time on site-related tasks and issues, McGrath said. The city's Facebook and Twitter accounts could use more management too, he added.

In late 2015, adding such a position, at a salary around $50,000, was included in the initial draft of the 2016 budget. But that position, as well as a vacant fire marshal position, both were dropped when aldermen directed that $150,000 be trimmed from the budget.

Most of the alderman and the mayor said Tuesday night they favored hiring a communications director.

But Alderman Drew McFadden was one of at least seven who said the communications director position needed to be weighed against other priorities.

"I think we need to do in context," McFadden said.

The aldermen agreed to discuss priorities at a committee-of-the-whole meeting in March.

"It will probably be a pretty good priority, but where will we find the money for it?" Alderman Marty Callahan asked.

McGrath - who is retiring this summer - reiterated a recommendation that the council should have an annual retreat-style meeting to discuss priorities and goals and suggested scheduling one in August. By then, the mayor and council hope to have a new administrator in place. Information from that meeting would then be used in the fall to prepare the budget.

Alderman Dave Brown said that perhaps adding a communication director should be postponed until there is a new administrator, to get his or her thoughts on the idea.

And Alderman Lucy Thelin Atac said the discussion was approaching "micromanaging." The council should revisit the city's strategic plan each year, set goals and priorities, then allow city staff members to figure out how to meet them, she said. Whether to hire a communications director should then be left to the administrator and the human resources director, she said.

Neighboring Geneva has a full-time communications director, who was hired in 2013 and is paid about $50,000 a year. St. Charles has a part-time worker handling the duties.