There have been and will be a goodly number of positions to fill in Christiansburg in the near future. Some of these will serve as town employees and some will be appointments. Don't turn up your nose as those who serve as appointees -- they set policy and make recommendations to the legislative arm of government.
All of these public servants can influence the direction Christiansburg takes, and how money is generated and allocated.
The question will be the process used to seek applicants and determine who to choose for each position.
Whether a locality is a city, county or town council seeking to fill executive positions such as the top administrator or superintendent, to public safety chiefs and advisory committees -- citizens want to understand the process and evaluate whether it is fair. Understanding why an incumbent was determined to be the most highly qualified and best fit is a fair question to address.
Obviously, in Christiansburg, the big question will be the selection of a new Town Manager. Will there be open discussion by Council as to the skills, knowledge and abilities sought in the next incumbent? What types of experience will be most important, based on current budget priorities or stated future goals? What interpersonal skills and management style will provide the best fit for staff, Council, citizens, the business community and regional partners?
At the August 3rd Town Council meeting, a draft Town Manager job description was passed around -- but you won't find it on the town's web site, see a "public input" option or even a tentative timeline for filling this position. If Council so chooses, this can be done and readers should be assured Christiansburg is an EEOC employer. Ultimately Council has the final say because this is one of the positions allowed by the Town Charter as an annual appointment (also Town Attorney, Police Chief, Council Clerk and Treasurer). Perhaps Council should use this as an opportunity to review whether these appointees should actually report directly to them, or through the next Town Manager.
Then there is the question of the Rescue Squad's next leader. News of this expected change brought out questions about the process used to install a new Fire Chief. The Fire Department's volunteers "voted" for the most popular, and citizens didn't know there was an expected change until after it was a done deal. The former Town Manager was expected to choose the next Rescue Captain, but this stalled once the public became aware a different process was being used. So the retiring captain withdrew his verbal resignation indefinitely, even though it's common knowledge the incumbent has struggled with personal health issues over the past several years making it difficult to be on call 24/7.
In volunteer organizations especially, this hurts morale which may make it more challenging to attract and retain members. This is becoming an apparent truth as the Christiansburg Rescue Squad membership is currently very low, response times are increasing and partner jurisdictions are filling the gap. Because Riner now has their own building and squad (expected to be fully operational next year), they also are in the volunteer recruitment and development stage.
This leads to questions about Christiansburg's growth, and an unbuilt (on donated land with partial construction and equipment funding in reserves) second emergency station on Peppers Ferry Road. Is it time to transition from volunteer Fire and Rescue squads? If so, will this be some regular town positions and some volunteers (medical field trainees)? What might this cost taxpayers, and would it provide better response times, more highly trained responders, or lower home insurance rates?
Then there are some expected appointments. During the annual organizational meeting of Council, it should certainly do away with ceremonial appointments of its members. This means assignments to regional organizations which they may or may not attend (to report back on in public meetings to citizens and their peers), delegate to former officials, or committees that don't ever meet.
The Planning Commission is treated like employment rather than an appointment, but this is a common regional practice on government advisory boards. Christiansburg's PC will have at least two vacancies to fill, yet should consider bumping that number up to at least nine.
It is Council's choice to continue a revolving door and maintaining the smallest member allowed by law, or make changes which could support stated goals.
Keep checking in with your elected officials, the town's web site and local newspaper classified advertisements (legal notices and job opportunities) to see how these open positions are addressed.