11/05/2007 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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• CITY OF LINO LAKES, MINNESOTA 2008 -2012 Financial Plan Public Services Personnel Requests • • 2009 - 1/2 Streets, 1/2 Mechanic The Public Services Department has identified the need to hire an additional maintenance employee. It is suggested that this full time position be shared between the Streets Department and Fleet Management. Only 1.5 FTE streets positions have been hired since 1997. Additional staff is needed to maintain the current infrastructure (snowplowing, crack filling and patching, street sweeping, boulevard /ditch mowing, signage, etc). Future infrastructure (ie. Legacy Project) will require additional resources. Our mechanic currently maintains and repairs 51 vehicles, and 23 pieces of heavy equipment (street sweeper, loader, tractors). Currently, the mechanic's work load is such that the turn - around time for vehicles in need of repair is affecting the operation of various departments. For example, the police department has experienced situations which have resulted in police cars not being operable for an extended period of time. The Parks Department has been faced with instances when only one mower was operable. With our fleet and equipment getting older, the time needed for preventative maintenance and repairs will continue to increase. Having 1.5 FTE mechanics on staff will result in repairs being completed within a reasonable time, provide necessary preventative maintenance on all vehicles and equipment, and provide coverage when the current mechanic is on vacation or sick. In addition, some items that are currently contracted out could be done internally which would result in a cost savings. 2009 -1/2 Water, 1/2 Sewer The recent expansion of the water and sewer systems have resulted in the need for additional personnel to ensure that our systems remain operating efficiently and safely. Only 1 FTE has been added since 1995. The daily workload (ie. operating 5 wells and 13 lift stations, 475 hydrants, 750 gate valves, water /sewer inspections, up to 9,000 Gopher State One -Call locates annually, managing 4,000 metered accounts, etc) of current staff has reached a point where additional personnel is warranted. Future well houses, lift stations, etc. will further increase the need to add an additional employee. Wages, etc. will come from the Enterprise Funds. 2012 -1 Parks Since 1998, only 1/2 FTE has been created in the Parks Department. The recent expansion of the parks system (Highland Meadows, Behm's, Clearwater Creek), additional amenities throughout the entire parks system (ie. playground equipment, park shelters, basketball courts, etc), and 16 miles of paved trails has resulted in the need for an additional maintenance worker. Maintaining the athletic fields at Centennial Middle School, Rice Lake Elementary, and Blue Heron Elementary have also required a lot of personnel time. High expectation levels of maintenance within the Legacy Project (ie, community green, water feature, hanging baskets) will also place additional pressure on the Parks Department.