Anticipating a need to cut public services, Napa City Manager Mike Parness will be hiring a full-time community outreach coordinator for the tough times ahead.

The likely hire is Barry Martin, a former program director at KVON radio who has been doing much of the city’s public relations — including press releases, public presentations and Web site improvements — for the past year and a half.

Martin reported receiving $77,000 last year under multiple contracts with various city departments. The salary range for the new job is $66,747-$80,640, plus benefits.

If Martin is converted from a contract worker to a full-time employee, the city should actually save money, Parness told the City Council.

As community outreach coordinator, Martin would replace a half-time position, assistant to the city manager, that paid $48,000.

The money previously spent for Martin’s services and budgeted for the assistant to the city manager last year exceeds the total compensation package for the new job, which is about $100,000 per year, Parness said.

Parness received council approval Tuesday for the community outreach coordinator’s job, which will expire in two years unless renewed. Parness said he would solicit candidates in addition to Martin before making a choice this spring.

Communicating with the public will be increasingly important as the city considers cutting some services so as to do a better job providing other services during financially difficult times, Parness said in an interview.

“Part of the budget process is getting out and explaining to the public what’s going on,” Parness said. “There is a need to bring the community along so they understand the how and why.”

The new hire would be expected to make the city’s Web site, www.cityofnapa.org, more up-to-date, and potentially organize public forums and focus groups on city issues, Parness said.

Councilman Mark van Gorder, who has spent a career in public relations, said the city’s current piecemeal efforts at giving the public information were deficient.

“More and more these days people are coming to the city and saying, ‘What’s happening here, what’s happening there?’” van Gorder said. The Napa Valley Register does a good job covering the top issues of the day but there are many “mundane things” that the public also cares about, he said.

Councilman Jim Krider praised the work Martin has done to create a new Web site, www.cityofnapanews.com, where residents can for the first time get timely information on what’s happening within the city’s realm.

Good information prevents rumors, Krider said.

Parness said he is accustomed to cities that do a better job of reaching out to the public and fielding inquiries. Walnut Creek, his former city, had both a full-time public information officer and a full-time community relations officer as well as a biweekly TV show, he said.

As a consultant, Martin has been charging the city $60-$65 an hour. The new job pays up to $38.76 per hour, plus benefits.

If hired, Martin said he expected to earn less overall, but would have the security, at least for two years, of a regular job. It is uncertain if he could also continue to do public relations work for the Napa County Flood Control District, he said.

As federal funding has lagged, public relations work for the flood district has diminished, Martin said. He estimated he would do $15,000 worth of work at the flood district this year.

The new position of community outreach coordinator will have its challenges, Martin said. “To be a government spokesperson, you’re coming in with two strikes against you for a lot of people. There’s an assumption ... if you’re speaking on behalf of government you’re not giving the whole story.”

“To a degree that’s a fair assumption,” Martin said. “The city wants people to know certain things about life as they see it. This isn’t necessarily spin, but a point of view.”

Parness also received council authority to have police Cmdr. Steve Potter handle budget and labor relations activities formerly performed by the assistant to the city manager.

Potter has the expertise and organizational experience for these tasks, which could take 10-20 hours a week, Parness said.

The management analyst position in the Public Works Department will be upgraded from half-time to full-time to handle the backlog of capital improvement projects, Parness said.