Ark Valley News - Park City hires man to repair Channel 7

Park City hires man to repair Channel 7
By Taylor Messick
Last Updated: October 12, 2017

On Oct. 10, the Park City council voted 6-2 to hire Jesse Wallender as its new Channel 7 and digital PR coordinator.

Park City recently lost both its video and social media coordinators. Staff said Wallender has been vital in helping to get the complicated new technologies at the new Administrative Center up and running.

“His skills have been evident," said human resources director Dana Walden. “We have been utilizing Jesse during this period of time and we do not have someone else to fill that space. We suggested Jesse because we have an immediate need that is being taken care of by someone we have done some research on and we've seen what he's been able to do for us. We have confidence and we have a 30-day out. I'd like to thank Jesse because he has pulled us out of a very difficult space."

City Administrator Jack Whitson also said the technologies at the new Administrative Center would not be this far along without Wallender's help. He explained his thinking behind hiring Wallender.

“The system we've got is totally new," said Whitson. “It's a state-of-the-art system. I felt that if we brought somebody new in, it would be a big world to them because it's brand-new stuff. (Wallender) was here from the very beginning to help build it, put it together and make it functional. Other than getting someone from a TV station, it's going to be difficult to lure somebody in for this, and they make a lot more."

At this week's council meeting, staff recommended hiring Wallender to perform social media, Channel 7, which is essentially the city's cable TV station, and general IT work for the city at a salary of $26,000 per year. The previous channel 7 operator made between $18,000 and $20,000 annually and did not provide the other services Wallender will be responsible for. The city currently pays between $65 and $80 an hour for outside IT work.

Council member George Capps felt that agreeing to this contract was “putting the cart before the horse." Capps was unhappy with the staff's decision to offer a contract without sending a request for proposal to gather bids. He is also dissatisfied with Channel 7's progress.

“I haven't seen a resume; $26,000 is a lot of money for a year," Capps said. “I know Channel 7 hasn't been working up until now and tonight I had someone check it. I'd like to see if he can make it work before we give him $26,000. My job is to look out for the taxpayers' money. Usually we get information about our contractors and I've seen none."

Wallender explained some of the technical difficulties he's been having with Channel 7 and said he hopes to have everything running this month. After working through technical issues, he says he is now working on tweaking the software. He also briefly gave details on his technical background.

Other council members — such as Jim Schroeder — believe Wallender's work speaks for itself. He felt this was an obvious move for the city.

“The guy that's solving the problems is right in front of us," said Schroeder. “He's the one that's been here for two months doing the job and improvements are quite notable. It seems like this is maybe the process of formalizing what he's already been doing for us."

Council member Tom Jones is one member of the council who was torn by both sides of the argument. He said he had the same concerns as Capps, but thought hiring Wallender was a smart move at this point.

“I understand where the city's coming from and I understand exactly what Mr. Capps is saying," said Jones. “We have two scenarios that have happened recently. One is the person who was taking care of the website is no longer here and the person who was running Channel 7 is no longer here; and we have an interim. We have an opportunity to hire this person tonight. Short of that, we can just shut everything off. I like bids, too, but I understand where staff is coming from on this one since we've already got somebody in place."

In other business, the council:

•Heard staff reports from public works, finance and police.

•Confirmed the mayor's appointment of Samantha Miller to Park City treasurer with a unanimous vote.

•Changed the funding sources for police phone recorders and police officer hiring bonuses with 7-1 and 6-2 votes, respectively.

•Approved a bid for the striping of Air Capital Drive and Beaumont Street with a unanimous vote.

•Authorized the sale of land by the city to Murdock Properties with a unanimous vote.

•Transferred property located west of Hillside from 61st Street to 69th Street to the land bank with a unanimous vote.

All members of the council were present. There was no executive session taken.