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<br />14 CITY OF LAKE ELMO, MN <br />YEARLY PLANNING AND PRIORITIZATION <br /> <br />Recommendation 1: Create an annual work plan to determine when significant work <br />initiatives are scheduled or expected <br /> <br />Work scheduling for the Department consists of balancing and prioritizing different kinds of work. There are day-to- <br />day activities (e.g., daily utility rounds), one-off projects (e.g., waterline leak repair), and seasonal projects and <br />activities (e.g., snow removal). The seasonal projects and activities represent a majority of preventative maintenance- <br />related Level of Service targets and can be high-visibility projects for residents. (Residents will be aware if streets are <br />plowed in a timely manner or if potholes are neglected.) Examples of such activities include: <br /> <br /> Sewer line jetting <br /> Valve turning <br /> Hydrant flushing <br /> Street paving/pothole repair <br /> Snow plowing <br /> Ice rink maintenance/trail grooming <br /> <br />Despite the regularity of these activities, the Department lacks a documented annual work plan. While these activities <br />and projects are still being completed, the lack of a work plan leads to deficiencies in resource planning, reactive <br />work taking priority over planned work, and intradepartmental communications. The Department should create an <br />annual work plan that identifies the date windows in which projects are likely to occur and estimates the labor <br />requirements within that time window. For example, pothole repair might be anticipated in June and July. Estimates <br />of the total number of days within that timeframe that crews will be engaged in the activity and the crew size should <br />be made. Weather events, high-priority or emergency projects, and other conditions will inevitably cause some days <br />within this time window to be devoted to non-pothole activities Nevertheless, the annual work plan is intended to be <br />an informed estimate that can be used to coordinate various seasonal project activities in a way that is most efficient <br />for staff. For instance, while pothole repair can be accomplished whenever conditions allow it, valve turning is <br />conducted for three weeks each summer using rental equipment. An annual work plan can prioritize the time- <br />sensitive nature of valve turning and allow the Department to plan around the activity. <br /> <br />This plan can also assist the Department in assessing and communicating its labor needs. The activities included in <br />the list above and other relevant activities represent some of the Department's baseline labor requirements. An <br />accounting of these needs can help express the amount of labor required to conduct its basic seasonal project activities <br />and allow for accurate “comparables” with the time available. <br /> <br />Finally, in Raftelis’ interviews with Department staff, a consistent observation was the lack of communication of the <br />“big picture” of projects, their timing, and assignments. Implementing an annual work plan that outlines significant <br />scheduled projects can enhance communication between management and staff, ultimately leading to increased <br />transparency and efficiency. It can also assist with morale by communicating the expected baseline work needs. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />