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<br />PUBLIC WORKS ORGANIZATIONAL ASSESSMENT 19 <br />Figure 8 below shows the proposed organizational structure of the Department and related functions with the <br />addition of a Lead Operator and two new Operators, who are included as part of the Operators / Utility Specialists. <br />(The Administrative Assistant position is discussed in Recommendation 7.) <br /> <br /> <br />Finance Director <br /> (1 FTE) <br />Public Works <br />Director <br /> (1 FTE) <br />Lead Operator A <br /> (1 FTE) <br />Finance <br />Coordinator <br /> (1 FTE) <br />Payroll/Payables <br />Clerk <br /> (1 FTE) <br />Utility Billing Clerk <br /> (1 FTE) <br />Administrative <br />Services Director <br /> (1 FTE) <br />Operators / Utility <br />Specialists <br /> (5 FTE) <br />Lead Operator B <br />(1 FTE) <br />Operators / Utility <br />Specialists <br /> (5 FTE) <br />Administrative <br />Assistant <br />(0.5 FTE) <br />Asst. Public Works <br />Director <br />(1 FTE) <br />City Administrator <br /> (1 FTE) <br /> <br /> <br />Figure 8: Proposed Organizational Structure with Addition of Lead Operator and Operators <br /> <br /> <br />Recommendation 6: Edit the Director’s job description to remove responsibilities for heavy <br />equipment operation and add focus on public outreach and achieving strategic goals <br /> <br />As cities grow, their organizations inevitably exhibit more specialization. In smaller Public Works departments or <br />utilities, staff tend to “wear a lot of hats.” As they grow, however, this becomes less and less possible. This is largely <br />a matter of scale; the more infrastructure in service, the more it needs care and attention, and this is beyond what <br />any one person or group can do. Moreover, as organizations grow and specialize, staff aim to work at their highest <br />levels, where they can provide the highest value for the organization. In response, more specialized job titles begin <br />to appear in the organization: engineer, public information officer, GIS analyst, safety and training manager, etc. <br /> <br />In Lake Elmo, the demands of the Director's time have increased alongside the City's development. The growth <br />within the City has led to ongoing change that requires coordination within other city departments, with developers <br />and residents, who now expect a higher level of service, particularly concerning communications about Department <br />operations. The Director has also identified numerous service-level targets, coordinates efforts to meet those targets, <br />and tracks progress to ensure the targets are achieved. Yet within the Director’s job description, it is a requirement <br />that the Director have “extensive operator skills” related to heavy equipment, and the Director is sometimes behind