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<br />PUBLIC WORKS ORGANIZATIONAL ASSESSMENT 3 <br />Introduction <br />Background and Methodology <br />The City of Lake Elmo engaged Raftelis to assist with a comprehensive operational, organizational, and management <br />analysis of the Department of Public Works. This assessment aims to analyze operations, service levels, infrastructure <br />management, organizational structure, and staffing levels and to provide recommendations for improving efficiency <br />and effectiveness. <br /> <br />After the project kickoff, Raftelis spent two days on-site interviewing key staff and discussing the Department's <br />practices. The consulting team held small group interviews with representatives at all levels to gather insights into <br />daily operations and staff perceptions regarding staffing levels, workloads, intergroup relationships, and potential <br />efficiency improvements. Remote interviews were conducted with the Engineering team to accommodate staff <br />schedules and ensure the project timeline was managed effectively. <br /> <br />Information gained from the interviews was then supplemented and verified by a review of documents and data <br />provided by the Department. Sources include: <br /> <br /> Annual budgets <br /> Annual financial reports <br /> Capital Improvement Plans (CIPs) <br /> Historical staffing levels <br /> Growth projections <br /> Water and sewer flow rates <br /> Operating and capital statistics <br /> Public Works metrics <br /> Job descriptions <br />Raftelis then combined information from document reviews with themes identified in the interviews to evaluate the <br />desired level of service compared with staffing levels. This information, where appropriate, was also compared to <br />best practices guidelines from industry organizations such as the American Water Works Association (AWWA). <br />This comparative analysis allowed the project team to clearly define recommendations to increase staff capacity in <br />several key areas and provide a framework for future staffing and service level decisions. <br /> <br />About The City of Lake Elmo <br />The City of Lake Elmo spans 24.2 square miles in Washington County, Minnesota. It is located along U.S. Interstate <br />694, U.S. Route 36, and U.S. Interstate 94, approximately 18 miles northeast of St. Paul, the state capital. The City <br />sits on Lake Elmo, a 256.8acre lake that contains several fish species, making it a destination for boating, shopping, <br />dining, fishing, and other recreational activities. <br /> <br />According to the latest American Community Survey data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the City’s permanent <br />resident population is 13,756.4 The permanent population has grown by nearly 21.5% over the last 10 years. Most <br />Lake Elmo community members reside in owner-occupied housing. <br /> <br /> <br />4 U.S. Census: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Lake Elmo city, Minnesota