05-08-2024 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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STAFF REPORT TO: Mayor Fischer and Members of City Council FROM: Bill Dircks, Public Works Director DATE: May 8, 2024 RE: ICWC Contract Renewal ACTION TO BE CONSIDERED: Motion to approve the two-year contract with the State of Minnesota Department of Corrections for the use of an Institution Community Work Crew at an overtime rate of $85/hour. BACKGROUND: The Institution Community Work Crew has been utilized by the City for over fifteen years and has been on an as-needed basis for the past several years. This allows the City to utilize a crew of up to ten offender crew members and a crew supervisor for a full day of work on Fridays. In the past the crew has completed numerous projects for the City including tree trimming, hydrant painting, manhole cover replacement, construction of retaining walls, general right-of-way and park maintenance, and special projects such as sodding the Veteran’s Memorial Park site in 2015, and gutting and renovation of a city-owned house on County Road B2. Last year the crew did mostly tree trimming, which they are able to do with great efficiency and get a lot done in a small amount of time. The crew just cleared dozens of large trees from a ditch along Country Drive over the course of two Fridays. So for a cost of $1700 the crew saved thousands of dollars that a contractor would have charged to remove the trees. The cost for the crew is $85 per hour for overtime, which is the same rate as the previous two-year contract. The City is typically only able to use the crew on Fridays, which is considered overtime, but it is still a good value. The work crew can accomplish large amounts of work during a full day. The crew members work hard and the supervisors do a nice job of directing them. SOURCE OF FUNDS: Funds for the work crew come from the Streets portion of the General Fund. $12,500 has been budgeted in 2024 for the crew. STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: Staff recommends approval of the two-year contract with the State of Minnesota Department of Corrections for the use of an Institution Community Work Crew at an overtime rate of $85/hour.