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Public Works by the City Council. A bench handout, attached hereto and made <br /> apart hereof, was also provided further detailing those directives. <br /> Mr. Schwartz reviewed changes made and those items in process or completed <br /> from the previous plan over the last 3-5 years; and started by providing an <br /> overview of the department's organizational plan, both current and projected. <br /> Mr. Schwartz advised that, of significant note related to full-time equivalencies <br /> (FTE) for personnel was a number of upcoming retirements of existing <br /> employees, with a reorganization necessary to address those and facilitate current <br /> crew levels that are spread very thin, with a current management staff level of five <br /> (5). Mr. Schwartz advised that the reorganization intended to spread management <br /> duties across a larger pool, specific to additional water resource and <br /> environmental oversight needs and documentation of utility locations, under a <br /> rights-of-way specialist to consolidate those efforts, including oversight and <br /> monitoring of utility installations by other parties during excavation. <br /> Discussion included qualifications and training for such a position; and future <br /> reorganization from a fleet/facilities supervisor to a maintenance supervisor rather <br /> than the current outsourcing for small engine repairs/maintenance to serve both <br /> the Public Works and Parks & Recreation Departments. <br /> Mr. Schwartz reviewed each of the six (6) goals of the department, listed on page <br /> 5 of the staff report and detailed thereafter. <br /> Goal 1 <br /> Members Felice and Gjerdingen expressed concern with the use of the term <br /> "customer" versus "citizen," opining that"customer" sounded so commercial and <br /> their preference for using "citizen." <br /> Staff duly noted this feedback. <br /> Member DeBenedet noted that, in the past, the term "customer" was only used in <br /> the private sector rather than the public sector, based on the theory that customers <br /> could determine their satisfaction levels with service; with current theory <br /> supporting that critique of the public sector as well. Member DeBenedet <br /> suggested that"customer" may not be appropriate, since citizens were actually <br /> owners of the public sector service entity. <br /> Goal 2 <br /> Mr. Schwartz reiterated the concerns in recruiting and retaining specialists in the <br /> Public Works arena, recognizing the institutional knowledge, whether <br /> documented or held by those future retirees; and potential costs and risks to the <br /> organization in lowing that institutional knowledge. <br /> Goal 3 <br /> Page 8 of 13 <br />