1D, Public Works Supervision & Staffing

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MEMORANDUM DATE: October 19, 2009 Item LD TO: Mayor and City Council FROM: Ron Moorse, City Administrator Greg Hoag, Public Works Director SUBJECT: Public Works Supervision and Staffing Public Works Supervisory Structure At their December 15, 2008, meeting, the City Council discussed the vacant public works superintendent position and whether that position should be filled or replaced with a working foreman. In the interim, the Council directed that the first line supervisory position should be an acting working foreman. Since that meeting, the public works maintenance operation has been monitored and options for the supervisory structure have been reviewed. Through this monitoring, it has been observed that the working foreman position can, in large part, provide the daily work planning and coordination necessary for effective maintenance operations, particularly if the Public Works Director maintains a close focus on the public works maintenance operation. Therefore, it is recommended that the Public Works Department supervisory structure be revised to reflect a working foreman position as the first level supervisory position. Public Works Staffing The authorized Public Works maintenance staffing level is eight maintenance staff and a supervisor. The current staffing level is seven maintenance staff and an acting working foreman. With the resolution of the first line supervisor position, it is important to fill the eighth maintenance worker position. While the maintenance staff has been able to accomplish its day- to-day activities, there are a substantial number of activities that cannot be accomplished due to lack of staff. The deferred maintenance will cause greater costs in the future as these activities become larger projects, generate problems with higher cost solutions, and may become emergency situations that pull staff away from planned activities. It is important that the maintenance operation move beyond a reactive mode to a preventative and proactive mode that enables maintenance activities to be accomplished more efficiently and effectively. This requires both effective work planning and adequate staffing.