04-26-2023 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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STAFF REPORT TO: Mayor Fischer and Members of the City Council FROM: Chris Heineman, City Administrator Bill Dircks, Public Works Director DATE: April 26, 2023 RE: Public Works Staffing ACTION TO BE CONSIDERED: Approving the hiring of two full-time Public Works Maintenance I Employees as well as a Public Works Apprentice position. BACKGROUND: The Public Works department lost two full-time employees to other employment opportunities in a two week span earlier this month and is in the process of filling those positions. One of the openings was a Public Works Maintenance I position and the other was a Public Works Apprentice position. The Public Works department has traditionally employed 5.5 FTEs and an Apprentice. The loss of these two public works positions and transition of the .5 FTE to predominantly Parks Maintenance has resulted in a significant workforce shortage. In addition to the two vacant positions listed above, the Public Works Utilities Supervisor position has been out on long-term disability since incurring a non-work-related injury in June of 2022. Due to the possible need for surgery and rehabilitation, this position will likely not return to work in 2023. An additional part-time employee was hired in December and has been extremely valuable during the plowing season, however this employee is only available three days a week and recently embarked on an extended vacation until late-May at the earliest. The loss of two full-time public works employees has created a unique opportunity to address current and long-term staffing needs. City staff posted a Public Works Maintenance I position at the end of March, and we received a total of 13 applicants. Several of the applicants were very strong with a good mix of experienced workers and young up-and-coming workers. After initial review staff decided to interview 6 applicants. Following the interviews and a thorough background check, staff has offered full-time Public Works Maintenance I positions to two candidates and would like to recommend filling the Apprentice position with one of the up-and- coming candidates to take advantage of a strong skill set that would benefit from additional training and coaching. The staffing plan that was developed in concert with David Drown and Associates had the former Public Works Apprentice transitioning to a Public Works Maintenance I position to strengthen our staff. This transition meant that the Apprentice position was going to be left vacant for the remainder of 2023 and re-evaluated in 2024. By hiring two Public Works