FTEE SPREE
Uh oh.
The number’s approaching the previous high.
A number not seen since the aughts.
That number being the number of full-time equivalent employees (FTEE) who work for the Town of Mammoth Lakes.
The projection of FTEE for 2024-2025 = 114.4. That’s up from 111.7 in 2023-2024.
This information comes from the Town’s first preliminary discussion of next year’s budget.
That discussion occurred at Wednesday night meeting of Mammoth’s Town Council in Suite Z.
Lunch was one of two members of the public in attendance.
The other was Brent Truax.
Afterwards, we debated the previous highwater mark – I thought it was about 116. Truax recalls 125.
That occurred just before the Great Recession and the Airport lawsuit eviscerated the Town’s labor force.
But now, we’re back to where we once belonged.
While there was a 2.4% increase in FTEE, there was an overall 4.6% increase in the Town’s labor costs, driven by 6.5% increase in salary and wages and a 10% increase in health insurance.
Town Manager Rob Patterson did say the Town realized some savings in that a few expensive employees moved on over the past year (Town Manager Dan Holler retired and Community Development Director Sandra Moberly became the Mono County CAO), and their replacements are at the lower end of the salary scale.
Patterson described the Town’s labor force as “lean.”
One interesting tidbit: Expenditures on the MLPD (police services) totaled $4.528 million in 2021-2022. The MLPD budget for 2024-2025 is $5.950 million. That’s a 32.3% increase over three years.
*Perhaps deserved since they all suffered trauma working for former Chief Al Davis. Maybe it cost that much to prevent a mass exodus.
In other Council action, occupancy of The Sawyer (the first phase of The Parcel) has been delayed until June 1st at the earliest.
Project Manager Shellan Rodriguez said it’s just a matter of the state signing off on a few documents – and we all know how responsive state government is.
She did say The Sawyer experienced $9 million in cost overruns, or overrun of more than $100,000 per unit for the 81-unit phase one.
Speaking of The Sawyer, Community Development Director Nolan Bobroff estimated its final price tag (for 81 units) to be $55 million.
From Recreation Manager Stu Brown: This season’s ice rink attendance was approximately 30,000 over five months, topping the previous season’s best (at the outdoor rink), which was approximately 10,000.
Colin Frolich of Placemate, a real estate rental agency, made a presentation regarding a potential “lease to locals” incentive program.
Placemate already operates in a number of resort areas, including Placer County, Calif., Truckee, Calif., South Lake Tahoe, Calif., Ketchum, Idaho, Eagle County, Colo. and Summit County, Colo., Nantucket, Mass., Provincetown, Mass. and Woodstock, Vermont.
Initially launched in 2019 as “The Airbnb for locals’ housing,” it has since found its niche as a “strategic partner” for local government agencies.
Translation: Public agency commissions are a better business model.
Frolich used Truckee as a comp which might offer a clue as to what Mammoth could do with a “lease to locals” program.
He said Truckee offers a subsidy to property owners who agree to rent long-term to qualified candidates. ‘New’ long-term rentals (homeowners renting long-term for the first time) are eligible
The goal: To serve middle-income residents.
The average rent per property = $2,700/month.
The average municipal subsidy = $9,000/year.
The subsidy is good for one year, though Frolich found that about two-thirds of the property owners continued to rent out their units long-term even after the subsidy expired.
Truckee spends about $400,000 annually on the program, which has been in existence for three years.
45 units are currently enrolled. 80 units have “graduated” yet still rent to locals – which, of course, is the idea.
Critics argue Placemate’s administration of the program is too expensive (26%).
Councilmember Amanda Rice said she is not ready to commit to the idea as yet. She wants to see the impact of Parcel occupancy on the local housing market first. Council has Placemate on backburner for now.
From Mono County Library Director Christopher Platt: “The construction crew [at Mammoth Library] is finishing up this week and then we’ll take a day or so to get the building ready and *hope* to soft open on Tuesday (May 7) when we’ll also invite folks in to help us reshelve the books which will take some time. We’ll keep people posted on our website and @monoctylibraries IG/FB accounts. The Sustainability Fair next Saturday (May 11) will partially be a ‘welcome back’ day… I hope you stop by!”
A final note of acknowledgement and thanks to the MLPD.
I was sitting in the Breakfast Club at a Mammoth Lakes Lions Club luncheon this Wednesday when a member of the Club began to choke.
Four members of the MLPD were seated at a nearby table.
Before most of us even knew what was happening, Sgt. Jason Heilman had leapt into action, performed the Heimlich manuever, and saved our member’s life. Which we’re pretty happy about, since we don’t have any members to spare!
Funny thing is, I run into Heilman and Police Chief Dan Casabian as I’m entering Council Chambers for the evening meeting.
“Hey, today’s hero!” I exclaim. Or something to that effect.
Casabian looks quizzical. What?
Turns out Heilman had returned to the station after lunch, had had a meeting with Casabian, and never mentioned that lunch had been, well, eventful.
All in a day’s work.
And then I ran into that same Lions Club member post-meeting while grabbing a bite at Giovanni’s. Her ribs were bruised but all in all, she was just happy to be alive. She said Heilman had sat with her afterwards, just to be extra sure, and she greatly appreciated his level of concern.
So, pretty cool.
