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Greensboro’s government won’t work better without changes, City Manager Rashad Young said Wednesday after announcing the creation of a new administrative position.

The assistant city manager for public safety will supervise the police and fire departments and the city’s personnel and human resources offices.

Michael Speedling, the city’s security director, was appointed to the new job on an “acting” basis, and Young said he hopes and “fully expects” Speedling to apply for the permanent post.

The timing, though, is not so good. The city faces a potential $11 million budget shortfall, yet Young, less than four months into his tenure, risks being viewed as padding his office with another highly paid assistant. Taking this step now indicates he’s grappling with some serious challenges.

In an interview Wednesday, he pointed to “warning flags” that were raised well before he arrived last year from Dayton, Ohio — the dozens of discrimination complaints filed by black police officers. Those and issues in other departments created a sense that the city wasn’t dealing with personnel matters “as fairly and equitably as we should be.”

The creation of the new position is “part of a structural leadership management response to some of these issues,” Young said. It’s meant to deal with personnel matters uniformly across the city, setting out clear processes and, while not affecting complaints and lawsuits already filed, perhaps heading off costly legal actions in the future.

With this move, all department heads will report to an assistant city manager. While Young said, “I’m involved in all major decisions,” it allows him to use his time more effectively. Until now, some employee grievances were going straight to his desk, which “shouldn’t happen.”

“I think we’re on the right track,” Mayor Bill Knight said. “I can see some real benefit to doing this.”

Knight was elected in November on a promise to cut excessive spending. He thinks this move could help accomplish that.

He said Speedling “seems like a fellow who knows how to get more done and control costs, and I’m speaking as an accountant.”

Another City Council conservative, Trudy Wade, expressed “full confidence in the manager.”

Young noted that this move will be part of an overall strategy to improve city operations. New initiatives likely will be balanced against stopping or reducing other efforts that aren’t paying off. “We’ve got to make judicious decisions,” he said.

The city also has to deliver services effectively. Turmoil in the police department, marked by so many grievances, has raised warning flags. A strong response is warranted. If the problems require better systems for addressing personnel problems, Young should deploy the resources necessary to get the job done. He deserves the City Council’s support, but with the understanding that results count.