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<br />~ <br /> <br /> <br />MEMORANDUM <br /> <br />DATE: <br /> <br />December 15, 2008 <br /> <br />TO: <br /> <br />Mayor and City Council <br /> <br />FROM: <br /> <br />Ron Moorse, City Administrator <br /> <br />SUBJECT: <br /> <br />Public Works Supervisory Structure <br /> <br />Background <br /> <br />In July of 2008, the then-current Public Works Superintendent retired. When a request was <br />made to fill the position, there were questions and concerns from the Council regarding whether <br />two supervisory levels were needed, and whether a Superintendent position was needed vs. a <br />working foreman position. Council requested that a survey of similar cities be conducted <br />regarding their supervisory structure. The survey has been completed, and is attached. The <br />results of the survey show that the vast majority of cities have at least two levels of true <br />supervision over their Public Works and Parks maintenance operations. <br /> <br />A dual question/concern raised by the Council was the question about whether there is enough <br />"supervisory" work to keep a superintendent busy, vs. helping out with maintenance tasks; and <br />the concern that, if we have a superintendent vs. a working foreman, we lose the flexibility to <br />have a supervisor who also has the ability to do maintenance work when needed. <br /> <br />In addressing this concern, it is important to review whether the overall effectiveness of the <br />Arden Hills maintenance operation is more dependent on the ability to plan and organize work, <br />manage multiple crews, and schedule and coordinate daily and weekly projects; than on the <br />ability to have a quasi-supervisory person who has the ability to perform maintenance tasks. <br /> <br />In an operation that includes a broad range of maintenance functions (streets, parks, water, <br />sewer, storm water, and equipment and building maintenance) and that has multiple crews <br />working on multiple projects on a daily basis; my experience is that a supervisor can have a <br />greater impact on enabling a smooth running, productive, maintenance operation through <br />planning and organizing work than by performing maintenance tasks. <br /> <br />In addition, while the Arden Hills maintenance operation has an excellent maintenance staff at its <br />foundation, it does not have in-place a number of elements that support and enable staff efforts <br />