Happy Valley-Goose Bay reorganizing town employees, roles

The new mayor of the town of Happy Valley-Goose Bay says council is finally acting on a consultant's report that recommends overhauling how the town hall operates.

"I mean, if you're going to plan, and get serious about things, somebody [has] got to start somewhere," Mayor Jamie Snook said.

The report recommends massive change, including the reorganization of employees, their responsibilities and their titles.

It also calls for the hiring of seven more people to fill in gaps, such as an events coordinator and a full-time fire chief.

The town received the report in the summer of 2012 but it wasn't released until an all-new council took the reins.

At the town's monthly meeting on Tuesday night, council voted to hire a human resources director, a position the report said should have been filled a year ago.

"This is a critical piece. If you're going to recruit people in a professional way, and improve employee relations, all of that needs to be done with expertise on staff, and that was something highlighted in the report that we were missing," Snook said.

After the town hires its new HR director, council will look at filling other positions.Before that happens, the town will need to find money to pay those new salaries.