Citing persistent organizational instability stemming from recent leadership changes, city leaders in Lemon Grove proposed a staffing overhaul they hope will bring more structure to the city’s operations.
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The Lemon Grove City Council voted 4-1 Tuesday to hire a full-time code enforcement officer, fill a senior management analyst position and scrap plans to hire a community development director. Mayor Alysson Snow voted against the motion, because she wanted to allocate leftover funds on a study to best determine staffing needs from the perspective of city employees.
“These vacancies cause havoc,” Snow said. “Whenever we have uncertainty in the workplace, it hurts morale, it hurts our retention goals and it also creates conflict.”
Their decision came as the city is without a permanent city manager or finance director. Lydia Romero, the city’s former city manager of 10 years, departed the position in December 2026 after her contract was not renewed by the council. Joseph Ware, the city’s former finance director, left the position at the beginning of the year.
The city is actively searching for replacements for both positions, but officials said the vacancies have only underscored the need for structural stability.
Romero’s resignation made it clear that Lemon Grove lacked a second-in-command, Snow said, while advocating for the creation of an assistant city manager position.
“When she (Lydia Romero) left, there was no clear path to who was going to be in charge or the next person in line,” Snow said. “It created uncertainty.”
There was an overall lack of consensus on the need for an assistant city manager by the City Council, but most agreed the creation of a senior management analyst position would improve operational efficiency while creating a clear path for career advancement within the city.
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“This enhanced organizational model would provide appropriate management support, improve succession planning, and promote the long-term stability and effectiveness of the Finance Department,” a staff report said.
City leaders were equally concerned about code enforcement, permitting and streamlining jurisdictional services for residents.
As it stands, the city has one code enforcement officer who is also responsible for inspecting water quality.
“We have a lot of codes that don’t get enforced,” Councilmember Yadira Altamirano said. “People use our streets as storage, the residents are getting upset.”
Staff recommendations included allocating an additional $204,000 in remaining funds toward homeless outreach services, but the council opted to wait to spend that money until after the results of a classification and compensation study become available in the fall.
The senior management analyst position will be reclassified from an existing accounting analyst position, with an estimated cost of $29,500. A full-time code enforcement salary is slated to cost between $72,580 to $118,203 a year, including benefits.
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