The Common Council on Tuesday night voted to split the duties of retiring Engineering Administrator and Community Development Director Joseph Bernier between Jeff House and Jim Hawver.

Each city employee will receive a $5,000 stipend.

House, the city’s former contracted downtown developer, is now a housing-rehabilitation specialist. Hawver is an engineering technician.

The unanimous votes to give stipends to House and Hawver were taken after an executive session at the end of the regular portion of the Common Council meeting.

Bernier, 59, is retiring at the end of the month after nearly 35 years of working for the city.

The city is looking at restructuring the community development and engineering offices headed by Bernier, who announced his retirement in a letter two weeks ago.

No decisions have been made, Eighth Ward Alderman Kevin Hodne said Wednesday.

Hodne, who is chairman of the Personnel Committee, said one option is to hire two people to replace Bernier, including a licensed city engineer.

Oneonta gave a city engineer civil-service examination Dec. 5, which was taken by four people.

That examination had a requirement that test takers be eligible for licensing as a professional engineer in New York state.

The results are not expected for several weeks.

The city has not had a full-time, licensed engineer since Richard Olton retired in 1986.

The city outsources much of its engineering duties to a private firm, Delaware Engineering.

The city engineer would be responsible for administering the departments of engineering, wastewater, streets and parks, code enforcement and water, according to the exam announcement.

However, the licensed engineer position was not in the 2010 budget adopted earlier this month.

Hodne said funding for that position would need to be found.

“I am personally very interested in doing it,” Hodne said.

The motion approving Hawver’s stipend indicates it may be discontinued if a new city engineer is hired.

The motion approving House’s stipend states it may be discontinued if a new director of community development is hired or further action of the council is taken.

Another option would be to continue with Hawver and House splitting Bernier’s duties, Hodne said.

“They will take on the duties until we make a decision. We do not have a time line,” Hodne said.

House was hired June 3, 2008, at $38,500 a year as a housing-rehabilitation specialist.

Two days earlier, his $42,000 independent contract with the city for downtown development services expired. House had filled that role since it was created in 1998.

Records from the Empire Center for Public Policy show Hawver has been paid $42,351 since the beginning of the year.

Bernier has a $65,712 salary as community development director and receives a $1,500 stipend for engineering-administration duties.

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