By Dennis Volkert
Sturgis City Commission on Monday approved a request to add an additional staff member to the public safety fire division, and an upgrade plan for the city’s website.
Ryan Banaszak, public safety director, told the board the division has been assessing current and upcoming staffing challenges.
Since October 2023, the fire division has been down by one staff member, due to an injury that resulted in the employee being off-work, receiving worker compensation.
There is no estimated date for that employee to return to full-duty status, Banaszak said.
In addition, deputy director Andrew Strudwick is in the final year of his career, with an anticipated retirement date of Nov. 20, 2025.
“We expect to be able to fill this position with an internal candidate, leaving an open position in the department at that time,” Banaszak said.
The fire division also has been working with Rockford Ambulance and the state of Michigan to host a satellite paramedic program in Sturgis, beginning in January 2025.
The program would be the first of its kind in St. Joseph County and is “vital to staffing and operational model,” according to the city.
Currently, six full-time members are expected to attend the class, for the duration of close to a year, with classroom and clinical time included.
There is a likelihood participation in the program will be funded by state grants, Banaszak said, with no additional cost from the budget to pay for tuition.
The city is being reimbursed for 80% of wages for the workers-comp. That, coupled with the lower starting wage of an EMT, results in minimal impact on the budget.
“We’re trying to be proactive, trying to make sure the derives we provide to the community is top-notch,” Banaszak told commissioners.
Upon retirement of Strudwick, the staffing level will return to the previously budgeted number of 14 positions, Banaszak said.
Regarding the website plan, the city’s current system is built on an platform that is considered out-of-date, and in need of refreshment, city manager Andrew Kuk said.
An upgrade has been on the radar for several years.
The proposal was developed using municipal website service from CivicPlus. It involves several new features and enhancement of current elements.
A notable aspect is to make the website more adaptable for use on mobile devices, Kuk told commissioners.
The system will allow staff members more direct access to complete updates and to manage the system, without having to rely on a web developer. An additional benefit is a higher level of website security.
Development process for the transition will require five to eight months, officials said.
The city will use the CivicPlus “premium” level of design, the firm’s mid-tier option.
Staff chose to work with CivicPlus after reviewing several options, and the city already uses products provided within the system. Those include a mass notification system, approved in 2023, social media archiving services, FOIA software and recreation management.
CivicPlus is the parent company of MuniCode, the system the city uses to contain its code of ordinances.
