2024-12-05 WS & CC Packet - Revised

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With this shift in duties and responsibilities, we are recommending that the position move from Grade 8 to Grade 9 on the pay matrix. PUBLIC WORKS STAFFING PLAN For several years we have been preparing for the eventual retirement of our longest standing employee, Paul Palzer, our Public Works Director and Building Official. Succession planning has focused on training others to take over various portions of Paul’s role rather than trying to replace Paul with a like for like hire. Day to Day Operations Public Works Technician Tedd Peterson will step into Paul’s duties running the day to day operations of the Public Works Department. This includes daily work assignmentsfor our crew as well as meeting with vendors, contractors, and other agencies related to routine work. For the increased responsibilities, we recommend creating a Public Works Foreman position and placing it at Grade 7 on the pay Matrix; a grade above Public Works Technician. Long Range Planning and Strategic Thought Part of Paul’s duties involve long range planning, such as formulating capital improvement plans, developing planning documents (wellhead protection plan, etc.) and looking for ways to improve our operational efficiency. These duties closely align with Administrator Statz’s expertise. With the further integration of the Assistant City Administrator Position, Mr. Statz has the ability to shift time to these public works tasks. Building Official Centerville is in the unique position to have two trained and licensed building inspectors on its current staff. This means that Dan Schmitz will be able to immediately step into Paul’s role as the building official. Dan will continue to take an active role in the city’s public works operations as time permits. For the increased responsibilities, we recommend creating a Public Works Technician/Building Official position and placing it at Grade 7 on the pay Matrix; a grade above Public Works Technician. Backfilling Both Mr. Peterson and Mr. Schmitz will continue to perform day to day labor-related tasks but will each have a portion of that time come off of their schedule. To backfill the time lost to their leadership duties, staff is suggesting hiring a Public Works Technician (Pay Grade 6). This would be a one for one Full Time Employee replacement, keeping our FTE count the same. We believe the strategy of shifting a number of roles to assume portions of the Public Works Director’s work, while backfilling with a task-oriented hire makes the department more nimble. The department would beable to put fivepeople in the field during demanding events, such as big snow storms, prepping for the city festival or cleaning up after a summer wind-storm. When workload is lighter, the in-the field staff can shrink to three, while the others focus on their leadership duties. Further, having the city administrator more involved in public works provides better cross-department efficiency, rather than creating organizational silos.