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City Council Minutes <br />March 18, 2019 <br />Page 7 <br />would require some time management but thought we could make it work with <br />hopes that by investing time to train apprentices, time and money could be saved <br />later. <br />Mayor Dietz questioned if this would fit for high school students. Mr. Femrite <br />explained the program is geared towards high school graduates as this is a yearlong <br />program. He indicated they are still working on the pay and titling as they have to be <br />sensitive to the unions. He noted staff is working with human resources on the <br />details. <br />Mayor Dietz questioned what incentives are available upon completion of the <br />yearlong apprentice program. Mr. Feturite stated the goal is to train these employees <br />to create a bench of qualified applicants available when resignations or retirements <br />are presented. <br />Mr. Portner added we could also provide an excellent reference if the apprentice did <br />a good job but we don't have any positions available. <br />Councilmember Wagner stated she believes there would bean interest as many high <br />school students don't know what they want to do or where they want to go when <br />they graduate. She added it would also be a good fit for someone making a career <br />change. She believes it will serve as a yearlong interview for the city to see if people <br />would be a good fit. Councilmember Westgaard concurred. <br />Councilmember Christianson questioned if this is a union position. Mr. Femrite <br />indicated we are proposing it would be non-union filling a laborer position. Mr. <br />Portner added he will continue discussions with the union representative. <br />Councilmember Christianson questioned if it was possible to transition a seasonal <br />worker to the yearlong apprenticeship. He indicated at the company he works for <br />they train all seasonal employees but if they find one that is exceptional they do <br />additional training. Mr. Femrite added he does try to retain and provide additional <br />training to the better seasonal staff. <br />Mr. Femrite indicated staff will formalize the program identifying pay, benefits, and <br />other details and bring back to the Council for formal approval. <br />9.4 Pavement Management Funding <br />Mr. Ferrite presented the staff report. <br />Councilmember Wagner questioned if it makes sense to look at the city's pavement <br />needs as a whole including new parking lots rather than just existing streets. <br />Councilmember Westgaard indicated the intent of the franchise fee is to get away <br />from assessments and questioned the impact of adding trails and parking lots in to <br />the franchise fee fund. He stated liquor store funds have been added to the Park <br />ATVRE <br />