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Issue Summary / Update TO: Lake Elmo City Council FROM: Marty Powers Public Works Director RE: Two New PW Maintenance Positions in 2025 DATE: 8-27-24 REVIEWED BY: Karissa Goers, Administrative Services Director BACKGROUND: Proposed in the 2025 budget will be the addition of two new Public Works Maintenance Staff. The US Census indicates that the city of Lake Elmo has grown 21.4% since 2020 with a population increase from 11,354 to 13,756 in 2023. As the population grows so does the infrastructure. There have been 30 miles of new streets, 36 miles of water main, 23 miles of storm sewer pipe, hundreds of storm water ponds, 28 miles of sewer lines, 6 lift stations, and 3 parks added since the current PW director started in 2019. This is a substantial increase over this time and yet only 1 full time employee (FTE) has been added over that period. Staff time off requests are being limited and even denied in order to try and keep up with current workloads. The Public Works department wants to uphold the City’s guiding “we believe” values and continue to provide excellence and quality in the delivery of services while also being fiscally responsible. However, at our current staffing levels we risk jeopardizing the positive retention rates we have in the PW department as staff start to feel overwhelmed and burnt out. Also included in the 2025 budget is an organizational study for the Public Works Department to develop a sustainable staffing and operations plan for now and the future. ISSUE BEFORE COUNCIL: Will council support adding two entry level staff in 2025 instead of one? PROPOSAL DETAILS/ANALYSIS: Below is a table, which compares city’s infrastructure and staffing assests. This table and its formulas are used by other cities and consultants as a starting point to determine staffing needs. The formula shows Lake Elmo Public Works is well below a recommended level if we consider all of our park land as being maintained and if we were looking to staff janitorial services. Adding two PW Maintenance Positions in 2025 will help us tackle the routine tasks in the street and park areas. These positions require mid-level skills and less experience, keeping the budget in mind while accomplishing the necessary tasks. As a more entry level position, we hope to lure new applicants in to the PW field with the potential of moving into a PW operator position in the future should one of those positions open up. Currently the LE PW dept. has 9 FTE positions (one unfilled), one assistant director, a director and 3-5 seasonal help when we are able to find them.