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<br />PUBLIC WORKS ORGANIZATIONAL ASSESSMENT 15
<br />Table 4: Annual Hours Worked by Public Works
<br /> 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
<br />Streets 13,968 12,154 11,129 12,033 13,316 12,741
<br />Parks 2,593 3,186 2,640 2,982 1,992 3,816
<br />Water 3,550 5,163 6,111 5,594 6,220 4,993
<br />Sewer 1,344 1,520 1,586 2,095 2,298 2,296
<br />Storm 679 633 637 1,031 757 782
<br />Total 22,135 22,657 22,102 23,736 24,583 24,627
<br />
<br />Table 5 takes the hours worked in the previous table and represents the hours worked as FTEs, using the standard
<br />assumption that 2,080 annual hours worked is equivalent to 1.0 FTE.
<br />
<br />Table 5: Calculated Public Works FTEs
<br /> 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
<br />Streets 6.72 5.84 5.35 5.78 6.40 6.13
<br />Parks 1.25 1.53 1.27 1.43 0.96 1.83
<br />Water 1.71 2.48 2.94 2.69 2.99 2.40
<br />Sewer 0.65 0.73 0.76 1.01 1.10 1.10
<br />Storm 0.33 0.30 0.31 0.50 0.36 0.38
<br />Total 10.64 10.89 10.63 11.41 11.82 11.84
<br />
<br />These two tables indicate that there has been some growth in total hours worked within the department, but it should
<br />be noted that the only substantive increase in hours (i.e., the only new full-time position) within this timeframe has
<br />been the addition of an Assistant Director position, which is primarily a desk job, in 2022. Thus, whatever growth
<br />in maintenance needs from additional infrastructure has not been met with a substantive increase in available field
<br />labor. Table 6 makes this comparison explicit, by showing the growth of a range of infrastructure types between 2019
<br />and 2023 alongside the calculated number of FTEs from Table 5. The relatively low rate of growth in available labor
<br />stands in stark contrast to the high rates of growth in infrastructure.
<br />
<br />Table 6: Calculated Public Works FTEs and Workload Indicators
<br /> 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 %
<br />Change
<br />Streets (mi.) - 92 94.8 97 97 5.4%
<br />Storm Sewer (mi.) 33 48 50 52.5 56.8 72.1%
<br />Water Pipe (mi.) 58 73 75 81.6 89.6 54.5%
<br />Fire Hydrants 559 707 735 812 902 61.4%
<br />Water Accounts 2,423 2,522 2,863 3,196 3,466 43.0%
<br />Sewer Pipe (mi.) 29 32 33 36.1 40.1 38.8%
<br />Lift Stations 5 7 6 8 8 60.0%
<br />Sewer Accounts 1,436 1,612 1,937 2,206 2,504 74.4%
<br />Park Acres 427 427 517 517 526 23.2%
<br />Total FTEs 10.64 10.89 10.63 11.41 11.82 11.1%
<br />
<br />
<br />COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS TO PEER COMMUNITIES
<br />Data points from several peer communities have been collected for comparison purposes. Peer communities were
<br />selected based on size and type of services provided. Data was collected from the statistical section of each city’s
<br />2023 ACFR, the most recent year that was available. The 2023 ACFRs were identified as the most recent and
<br />consistent data source to draw from. Not all cities report the same data, so certain data points are unavailable. Lake
<br />Elmo’s FTE data, however, are taken from its 2023 timecard data. The first column in Table 7 (labeled “Lake Elmo
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