03-24-2021 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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STAFF REPORT TO: Mayor Keis and Members of City Council FROM: Chris Heineman, City Administrator Bill Dircks, Public Works Director Bryce Shearen, Parks & Recreation/Community Services Manager DATE: March 24, 2021 RE: Recommended Changes to Public Works Organizational Structure ACTION TO BE CONSIDERED: Review and approve recommended changes to Public Works Organizational Structure. BACKGROUND: Due to the departure of a full-time public works employee last December, staff has taken a closer look at the current organizational structure of the Public Works department. The current structure has been in place since 2015. At that time, the Parks Supervisor was moved into the Public Works department after being under the Parks and Recreation Director for approximately 15 years. The impetus for the change in 2015 was twofold: 1) The new maintenance building was completed and Parks equipment and staff moved in with the Public Works staff; and 2) The Parks and Recreation Director was on the verge of retirement and it was thought that it would be a good time to transition the Parks Supervisor back under Public Works before a new Director/Manager was hired. The parks department started when the City started maintaining Spooner Park and then built Pioneer Park in the early-1990s. In the early days of the new parks, members of the Public Works Department mowed the grass, dragged the ballfields, and took care of other simple maintenance tasks. As Pioneer Park came online, it was decided that another full-time employee would be hired to primarily focus on maintaining the parks. Additional parks were also being planned and developed at that time including Thunder Bay / Westwind Park, Nadeau Park, Rondeau Park, and the skate park at the Old Fire Hall. The initial parks employee worked out of the Old Fire Hall since there was no one using the upper portion of the building. The building was much closer to the two large parks than the former public works shop located on Country Drive. In the mid-1990’s, the City started hiring additional seasonal employees in the summer months to help maintain the parks and other City grounds. Each of these employees continued to work under the direction of the Public Works Director. Following some turnover in the Public Works Director position and after the establishment of the Parks and Recreation Director position, a full-time Parks Supervisor position was established. This position originally reported to the Public Works Director. At some point, it was determined that not enough time and attention was being committed to parks maintenance, so the Parks Supervisor position was transferred and reported to the P&R Director. This organizational structure continued until 2015. When the Parks & Recreation Director retired, the City Council reclassified the position and created a Parks & Recreation/Community Services Manager position. The Parks Supervisor position was once again transferred and began reporting to the Public Works Director at that time. This organizational structure has continued to the present, however there are always opportunities for improvement.