Longboat looks to wage increases to fill open town roles

The town of Longboat Key is not unique in its challenges with hiring and retaining employees. 

Town Manager Howard Tipton, who previously served as St. Lucie County’s county administrator, said finding people interested in public service and serving within a government-based role has its challenges no matter where the entity is located. 

“I think in general trying to attract people into public service is not easy,” he said. “It’s not something that I think local governments or government agencies in general do a good job at…There’s not as many folks going into public service, which makes attraction a little more of a challenge than it might in other industries.”

The town announced three new openings last week after resignations and retirement paperwork were filed for a code enforcement officer position, planning manager and assistant fire chief roles. 

Tipton said that planners and emergency services personnel can be hard to find, particularly with the town’s proximity to other municipalities like the city of Sarasota and Manatee County, who are likely also looking to hire people in those same roles. 

“We find ourselves competing with one another quite a bit over the same talent pool,” he said. 

The main disadvantage the town faces when looking to hire new talent and keep them on board for an extended time is the commute to and from work as the vast majority of town employees do not work on the island. 

“We’ve had success in bringing people in, and we do have a degree of longevity here that actually was a little bit surprising to me only because of the fact that so many of our employees don’t live on the island,” he said. 

Because traffic is largely a seasonal issue, Tipton said the town has and intends to continue allowing adjustments to hours and occasional remote work to alleviate some of the daily strain through the season. 

Pay is an integral part of the town’s hiring and retention abilities since employees have to feel that their commute is worth their time and gas money. 

The town completed a salary survey of general employees last year and has plans this year to negotiate higher police and fire wages. 

“We’re looking to make sure that we remain competitive in the marketplace and maybe even a little more than competitive,” he said. “I think the town has a great history of having great, quality people (working here).” 

He said increasing wages will not only attract people to jobs on the island, but for those same people, it can make a difference in keeping them and helping the town provide a high level of service to its residents and visitors. 

Another way Tipton is hoping to help further increase longevity in employee time spent at the town is by working to ensure they feel appreciated for the work being done. 

“Sometimes people aren’t aware of how much they are appreciated,” he said. “Sometimes we don’t stop and say enough just how much we think of you and celebrate some of the great accomplishments. I want to make sure in my communications that I am letting these folks know ‘it’s an honor and privilege to work alongside you.’”

Even with a handful of openings posted on the town’s website, Tipton said Public Works Director Isaac Brownman recently told him the department has returned to being fully staffed for the first time in nine months. 

“I feel confident that we will get those positions filled,” he said. “Hopefully (wage increases) will take (openings) down to about three or four at any one time, which is pretty good for a town that is asking the majority of its people to make the long drive in.”