The workers in Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson's office are stretched too thin — keeping up with their current workload but not able to focus on developing new ideas for the city.

To fight the problem, Anderson wants to hire a new community liaison. His only problem is the City Council won't let him.

Anderson asked the council Tuesday for $50,000 annually to hire a new employee to: develop the city's new volunteer program; create a refugee program; work as a liaison with Salt Lake County; make sure events, reports and speeches are televised on the city's Channel 17; and "work closely with the communications director to assist with writing critical press releases, letters and speeches for the mayor's office."

Anderson also requested $10,000 in one-time money so the new employee could start immediately instead of waiting until the beginning of the next fiscal year July 1.

The mayor maintains the new employee is desperately needed to make up for two employees he gave up last year when the city faced lean budget times. The cuts have caused the mayor's office to provide less service than it would like.

"We've given up (staffers) and we need to be accommodated for what we lost," Anderson said.

But the plea didn't tug the council members' heartstrings and they rejected Anderson's request in a unanimous vote.

The mayor should call on other city departments to help if need be, City Council chairman Dale Lambert said.

"The mayor has available to him more resources than anyone else in the city," he said.

A mayoral report to the council noted how the new employee could put more speeches, meetings and other city news on the city's cable access television channel. The mayor, city employees and even council members could give regular updates on the city's economy, neighborhoods and policing efforts on the channel.

"This would open a new method of communication for Salt Lake City residents on television," the report noted.

Anderson's chief of staff, Sam Guevara, said employees in the mayor's office need to be freed up to develop new ideas. The new employee could help work on those new ideas and also help community groups develop some new programs.

"Our staff is working hard. They are working to the top of their limits," he said.

The office needs "someone to develop the new ideas and changes to the city," he added. "We have a lot of new ideas, we just don't have the staff to help develop them."

Anderson's staff totals 16 — down from the 20 the mayor had in 2002-03. Last year, Anderson lost two employees after citywide cuts were needed to balance the meager budget.

Guevara said the new employee could head off many problems before they arise.

"We're just so busy taking care of situations," he said. "We're not out developing ideas that could solve our problems before they start."

Some council members wondered if the mayor's office could find a person who could handle all the tasks. Others were concerned about adding the employee in February instead of when the council was looking at the overall budget in June and could determine what other departments might need new employees.

"It seems like the wrong way to proceed policy-wise," Lambert said.

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