It’s not just businesses that are short of staff and experiencing high turnover, it’s also the Town of Cobourg. Looking at the Town’s web site Job Opportunities page, there are four management positions and six temporary or part-time positions. In addition, at Monday’s Council meeting, Planning Coordinator Councillor Nicole Beatty, announced that 3 planning staff are leaving – including Dave Johnson (Planner 1, Heritage). Two of the Management positions stand-out: Dan Taylor was only recently recruited as the Manager of Economic Development but he has left and a replacement is being recruited. The Manager of Planning is described as two possible jobs: either “Development Review” or “Long-Range Planning” – both are needed. The current manager of Planning, Rob Franklin, has the option of choosing which one he wants.
Management jobs
These are the listings as of today. Each job has a “posting” and a “profile”. Links are to the Cobourg news blog server to avoid being lost. The Posting looks like a recruitment notice and the Job Profile is a job description.
- Manager of Economic Development, Posting – Job Profile – wage: $77,259 – $90,363 annually. Closes 28 July.
- Manager of Planning, Posting – Job Profile – wage: $86,249 – $100,900 annually. Closes 29 July.
- Compensation and Benefits Analyst, Posting – Job Profile – wage: $71,398 – $83,538 annually. Closes 9 Sept
- Assistant Manager, Engineering, Posting – Job Profile – wage: $81,754.40 – $95,641.00 annually. No close date provided.
It’s not known if the wages posted include the recent 3% increase. All positions require that the person be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 unless exemption requests are substantiated. Normal work days are Monday to Friday, 8:30 to 4:30 for 35 hours.
Other listed positions
For more detail on these see Town web site Current Opportunities page per Resources below
Temporary Full-time Positions:
- By-Law Enforcement Officer (Temp)
Part-Time Positions:
- Arena Assistant (PT)
- Bar Staff (PT)
- Food and Beverage Worker (PT)
- Recreation and Facility Assistant (PT)
- Crossing Guards (PT – Seasonal)
Independent Contractors:
- Fitness and Activity Instructors
In addition to the above, the three recent planning vacancies have not yet been posted. – Update 21 July: These positions have now been posted.
Resources
- Town’s Current opportunities page
- Cobourg Administration – Org chart and contact info on Cobourg Internet.
Print Article:
Bar staff?
For events at Victoria Hall like weddings,
So why did they really Leave ?
all of a sudden , House cleaning now that Glen is Gone ??
Sandpiper,
Only one of the positions is in the planning dept. So not “house cleaning”
Eastender,
Bar staff: Concert Hall in Victoria Hall….weddings and similar events
F&B workers: Concert hall and CCC snack bar
If you look today there are actually three planning department positions open not just the one.
“All of the services commonly thought to require the State…can be and have been supplied far more efficiently and certainly more morally by private persons.” Rothbard 1973.
Its a shame each resident pays approximately $5000 in property taxes for what?
Cobourg needs LESS government.
Murray Rothbard was a libertarian, and I find such a generalization laughable. Would you say that, e.g., health care in the US has been supplied “more morally” by private entities? Did you forget that in Canada due to COVID more people died in privately run long-term-care homes than in not-for-profit ones? Private corporations run by “private persons” exist for one purpose only: enriching shareholders at the expense of everything else, including health & the environment. What’s moral about that? (Though I agree they’ve destroyed the environment “efficiently.”) No system is perfect, it’s always a compromise, but I vastly prefer one with inefficiencies that also strives for the common good and provides a social safety net.
I appreciate your rebuttal, however there is one important distinction between those who support less government and those who want bigger government; that being personal responsibility – When you are responsible for all facets of your life, your finances, your family, you dont need mother government to take care of you. The reality is that the goverent forces altruism on the responsible to pay for all the endless social services of those who cant get their lives together. Health care? put down the burger, pick up the lettuce. Long term care? Why did the family put them their in the first place? And yes of course private business operate for a profit… why shouldnt they? the market and competition decides who will win the business and also sets the prices. The reason you see monopolies and irresponsibie corporations is because, once again, the government stuck their noses where it dont belong and offered some concession to put them in that situation. History is clear – choose freedom or safety. Both is never possible.
Concened Coboig Resident
Like may that are confused with and oversimplify the role of government, you confuse the provision of public services that a community has decided are necrssary, with the competition that takes place in our free enterprise capitalist market place which determines who will sell the most widgets and reap the benefits of doing so.
In the case of housing the elderly, the Ford Government failed to address 1,000s of complaints it knew about, confirmed by inspectors, and 100s died during early stages of Covid, many in their own excrement. The Canadian Army was called in and issued a scathing report, naming names. Directors of many for-profit retirement/long-term care providers earned bonuses. The problems continued into succeeding variants. The MInister responsible was transferred to another portfolio.
Whether public or private, where health and safety is involved, we expect governments to set standards. Is this what you referr to as “government sticking it’s nose where it doesn’t belong?”
Where would we be without Building Codes, standards for labeling food, rules of the road, standards for children’s affordable daycare, seatbelts in automobiles, income tax rates set according to net income.?
An unregulated free-market which you seem to believe in would result in chaos accompanied by an extreme division of wealth that would undermine our democratic form of government.
I am not an HR guy, but I assume that our management position staff turnover individuals are given exit interviews. But then who would review and act on their comments?? Some employees don’t stay long enough to warm up their chairs??
Planning is highly sought after in municipal government and they continually jump ship for higher paying jobs as for ECD and engineering I would bet we pay quite a bit less compared to many municipalities around us.
I think the Town may have their hands tied. Anyone hired will likely move on to better paying positions in larger municipalties that pay alot more. Perhaps the Town needs to look at all the pay grades and adjust them to be more competitive? Does anyone happen to know what a planning postion in Durham pays in comparison to Cobourg?
Yes their hands are tied, but in one sense they have tied their own hands.
The town wants a new hire to have all the experience and degrees, but the salary is less than municipalities close by and house prices and taxes in Cobourg are similar to those neighbouring municipalities. Cobourg needs to look at local candidates with less credentials and be willing to accept growing pains and train these candidates.
Cobourg would have a better chance of keeping local candidates if they did this.
I personally would rather have municipal employees who live in my community.
Agreed, Leweez! Do any of Cobourg’s senior staff actually live in Cobourg?
I personally dont think its anyones business where employees live. Town Staff may live in Durham area because their spouse commutes into the city. This would make it even more difficult to fill positions.
you are right, it is no one’s business where someone lives but, I feel a municipal employee who lives in the Town he/she works for, will sense a moral obligation to go the extra mile in his or her duties for their neighbours, family and community.
Town staff can’t win.
If they ilve in, or are from Cobourg, then they got the job because they knew someone.
If they live out of town, they are considered short term employees until something better comes along.
I don’t care where they came from, where they live, or how long they plan to stay so long as they are qualified to do the job.
If this blog is a sampling of the community at large, the patience for new, less capable employees to grow would be very short lived. This group, myself included, can be rather intolerant of the trial and errors of Municipal staff and elected representatives. The blog is still roasting past Mayors, Directors and Managers…in some cases a decade or more after they have left.
IMO – you hire the best available and pay them accordingly – these days the best may only be “ok.”
You can’t just hire anyone into specialized positions if they apply and don’t have the education or certification required how can you hire them? I’m sure if they had the education but not the experience the town would be all over it but when you don’t have either they can’t even consider you it’s a legal requirement.
That is correct that is why I said the town wants to hire someone with experience and degrees.
you can hire someone with less experience and pro rate their wage accordingly
Not wants to hire someone with the education (and I said education not degree) but they have to! Big difference! For example if you aren’t a certified planner you can’t sign off on plans. Or if you aren’t an engineer you can’t sign off on engineering work!
I dont believe the wages are in line with the market demand now. Offering less and watering down qualifications would be a disaster. The labour market is upside down and the pendulum has swung towards the employee and what the employer can offer to attract and keep good employees.
Manager of Planning in Ajax made 129k in 2021. Whitby the heritage planner makes 136k. So we are way behind neighbouring municipalities. Orillia 110k. For a closer comparison in Port Hope the Manager of planning makes 107k and they are a smaller municipality. As noted above in Cobourg this position tops out at 100k. This is just planning I’m sure most manager positions are in the same boat.