Staff has been evaluating positions within the Utility District as part of the recommendations made by U.S. Water in their 2016 Consent Order Assessment. Some of the recommendations include reassessing all staffing and work functions within the organization to determine if staffing levels are adequate to meet the demands of daily maintenance and operations of the Utility District.
As a part of addressing the operational deficiencies within the organization, staff is requesting that City Council consider staff’s request to add the positions of Lead Electrician and Equipment Operator, Senior to the current fiscal budget.
Currently the Utility District has three (3) Electrical/Instrumentation Technicians positions budgeted. Two (2) of the three (3) positions are currently filled leaving only one (1) vacancy. We are requesting that Council authorize the re-classification of the one (1) vacant Electrical/Instrumentation Technician and create the new position of Lead Electrician. Based on a review of the essential jobs functions and regulatory requirements conducted by the Risk Manager, Safety Officer and Assistant to the City Manager, it has been determined that a journey level electrician’s license is required to perform highly skilled journey level technical work within the Utility District. Staff is recommending the position of Lead Electrician to oversee the repair, maintenance and installation of equipment while functioning in a lead capacity. As part of the process, the District will assist the current Electrical/Instrumentation Technicians in moving toward obtaining additional training in the electrical field. The additional cost to re-classify the position is $6217.
Staff is also requesting the addition of one (1) Equipment Operator Senior. Currently, the District does not have assigned staff to operate heavy equipment such as the backhoe or other specialized equipment. This position is vital to maintaining the save-alls where the lime waste accumulates and performing other functions such as the repair and maintenance of the infrastructure during water and sewer ruptures.
Based on information received from the Human Resources Department and veteran staff members, this position was cut from the budget a couple of years ago. The cost to fund this position is 56,246.
As noted, the positions are vital to addressing the repair and maintenance needs of the Utility District as we strive to address the needs of the aging infrastructure.
In addition, due to the restructuring of the Utility District, it was discovered that the Electrician at the Public Works Department were mistakenly graded due to the educational and skills requirements. Therefore, staff recommends the position be a regrade.