Agenda Packets - 2009/12/07 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Item No: 4 Meeting Date: December 7, 2009 Type of Business: Work Session Administrator Review: ____ City of Mounds View Staff Report To: Honorable Mayor and City Council From: Nick DeBar, Public Works Director Item Title/Subject: Review Public Works Supervisor Job Description and Discuss Hiring Schedule Background: The Public Works Department has been operating without a Public Works (PW) Supervisor since December 15, 2006 when Tim Pittman left (3 years ago). This vacancy was not immediately refilled to allow for internal department assessments, and a short-term plan was implemented that temporarily assigned the vacant PW Supervisor duties to the Parks Supervisor (in addition to his regular duties) and the PW Director assisting the Parks Supervisor with the administrative tasks. This arrangement continues today. In September 2007, the City Council authorized the PW Supervisor position to be advertised. Applications were received and a short list of applicants interviewed, but an offer was never made to fill the vacancy due to the unexpected resignation of former PW Director Greg Lee. At that time (April 2008), the City Council decided to give priority to the rehiring of the PW Director, after which rehiring of the PW Supervisor would be pursued. Unfortunately, rehiring the PW Director took a full year - which was longer than expected (the new Director’s first day was March 30, 2009). The City Council revisited the discussion for rehiring the PW Supervisor vacancy at the City Council-Staff retreat on August 31, 2009. City Staff suggested that the Council refill the PW Supervisor position to provide an overall efficiency in the PW Department. Also recommended was to review and revise the position description as necessary to best serve the needs of the PW Department. All Council members at that time voiced support for these recommendations, and directed Staff to present a revised position description and proposed hiring schedule at meeting later in the year. Discussion: Position Description: Attached for Council review and consideration is a revamped position description for the PW Supervisor. A deliberate effort was made to hone in on the duties and responsibilities that will remedy the department need for clarifying department structure, improving communication, and providing the best operating efficiencies of City personnel and equipment. In addition, job duty redundancies were eliminated, including combining the “Work Environment” and “Physical Demands” sections to further eliminate redundancy, and the “Examples of Performance Criteria” section was removed to match other similar Mounds View position descriptions. Although many revisions are proposed, the overall job duties and responsibilities remain similar to before and no increase in Hay points is proposed. The PW Supervisor plays a critical role in the PW Department. This person is responsible for directly supervising eight full-time operation and maintenance (O&M) workers and five seasonal maintenance workers. These O&M workers are responsible for operating, maintaining, and repairing the City’s drinking water and wastewater collection systems,