09-02-25 City Council Meeting Packet

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16 CITY OF LAKE ELMO, MN – Timecard”) contains the FTE calculations from Table 5, based on actual timecard data and best represents the available labor supply of Public Works. Note that other cities often categorize staffing differently, so a direct comparison of a specific category of FTEs (e.g., streets, parks, etc.) may not be a good comparison. A better staffing comparison is the total staffing labeled “Total PW FTEs”, which contains all of the functions performed by Lake Elmo’s Public Works Department. Table 7: Relevant 2023 ACFR Data from Peer Communities Lake Elmo - Timecard North Saint Paul Hugo Stillwater New Brighton Oakdale Forest Lake Mounds View 2023 Population 13,514 12,465 17,044 19,425 23,405 28,303 20,862 13,100 Population Growth, 2019 – 2023 (%) 21.7% 2.5% 10.8% (5.7%) 1.2% 0.0% 0.3% 0.0% Street Miles (mi.) 97 45 83 98 71 100 N/A 43 Park Area (ac.) 526 140 470 614 183 6638 282 123 Water Pipe (mi.) 89 64 68 106 97 134 76 47 Sewer Pipe (mi.) 40 47 62 93 77 111 108 45 Streets FTEs 6.40 4.00 7.68 7.10 18.00 22.00 7.00 4.00 Parks FTEs 0.96 4.00 4.52 6.25 10.91 - 4.00 3.00 Water FTEs 2.99 4.00 2.68 5.70 - 4.50 3.00 2.5 Sewer (Sanitary & Storm) FTEs 1.47 - 2.68 8.90 - 4.50 3.00 3.75 Total PW FTEs 11.82 12.00 17.56 27.95 28.91 31.00 18.00 13.25 LAKE ELMO’S SERVICE NEEDS DIFFER FROM ITS PEERS A significant difference between Lake Elmo and its peers is Lake Elmo’s rate of growth. Growth places its own burdens on a Public Works department, both from the perspective of administrative and planning burdens to work demands in the field. Between 2019 and 2023, Lake Elmo’s population grew by 21.7%, while the next fastest growing city (Hugo) grew at half the rate of Lake Elmo. None of the other peers grew by even 3% during that time span, as shown in Figure 8.