Fort Dodge City Council members will wait a bit longer before deciding if a new employee to be paid about $41,000 a year should be hired to manage the new aquatic center and splash pad.

At the urging of City Manager David Fierke, the council postponed until next month any action on creating the job.

Fierke wants the elected officials to discuss the position in the context of the entire recreation budget proposed for 2010-2011.

The city manager said the proposed budget for the aquatic center, including the $40,676 position, is $327,000.

He added the that the parks and recreation budget will be reduced by $24,000 thanks to an ''overall staff reorganization.

The new position would have the title aquatics and program coordinator. The individual would manage the new aquatic center under construction near 32nd Street and 10th Avenue North and the splash pad at Oleson Park at the south end of 17th Street.

That individual would have other duties while the aquatic facilities are closed. Fierke said the employee would handle wellness programming, activities at Citizens Central and''things we're not doing but think we ought to be.''

There was no public discussion of creating such a position before voters approved the $8.95 million bond issue that will pay for the new aquatic center.

However, Lori Branderhorst, the director of parks, recreation and forestry, told the council Monday that before the referendum vote she informed officials and citizens behind the aquatic center effort that such a position was needed.

''At that time I had unanimous support from the council,'' she said.

Branderhorst said it would be ''very, very difficult'' to manage the new aquatic center with the existing staff.

Councilman Dave Flattery said members of the Parks, Recreation and Forestry Commission told him that they had ''very little input on this.''

''The commission wants to be part of this process,'' he said.

Contact Bill Shea at (515) 573-2141 or bshea@messengernews.net