01-29-2020 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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STAFF REPORT TO:Mayor Keis and Members of the City Council FROM:Bill Dircks, Public Works Director DATE:January 24, 2020 RE:Public Works Apprentice Worker Hire ACTION TO BE CONSIDERED: Motion to approve the hiring of Timothy Hoag as the Public Works Apprentice. BACKGROUND: The City advertised for the Public Works Apprentice position in early December and received seven applications for the position. Staff narrowed the candidate list down to three and contacted them for interviews. One candidate did not respond so two interviews were conducted and it was unanimously decided that Timothy Hoag be hired for the position. One of the strategic directions of our 5-year strategic plan is Creating Operational Efficiency. Part of this direction was to conduct a comprehensive assessment on staff capacity and identify areas of need and concern. The Public Works Department implemented an apprentice program in 2017, and it was determined that this program was very successful and should be continued. The Public Works Apprentice will be utilized in all areas of public works, including storm sewer maintenance and management of the City’s parks and recreation amenities. This includes trail maintenance and development, which was also identified in the strategic plan. A comprehensive training program will be developed that will cover all aspects of the Public Works Department. Mr. Hoag has extensive experience in golf course maintenance and turf management. He was a member of the grounds crew at the TPC golf course in Blaine as it prepared to host a PGA tour event in 2019. He has also worked for the City of Roseville at Cedarholm Golf Course as well as at the John Rose Oval. He received high praise from his supervisors at Roseville and displayed an excellent attitude and willingness to learn and be a part of the team during his interview. Mr. Hoag will start at the initial level on the Apprentice scale of $15.00 per hour. He will be eligible for the six month step of $15.50 at six months subject to a positive six month review and will proceed to step one of the scale, $16.00, on January 1, 2021. Mr. Hoag has already acquired his Class B Commercial Driver’s License permit and will be eligible for a $0.25 raise when he acquires his Class B license. He is also eligible for an additional $0.50 raise when he is deemed by the Supervisor and Director to be part of the on-call employee rotation. STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: Staff recommends the Council approve offering the Public Works Apprentice position to Timothy Hoag with a start date of February 3 and a starting wage of $15.00.