HomeMy WebLinkAbout05.11.15 Work Session Packet City of Farmington Mission Statement
430 Third Street Through teamwork and cooperation,
Farmington,MN 55024 the City of Farmington provides
quality services that preserve our
proud past and foster a promising
future.
AGENDA
CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP
May 11, 2015
6:30 PM
Farmington City Hall
1. CALL TO ORDER
2. APPROVE AGENDA
3. DISCUSSION ITEMS
(a) 2016 Trunk Highway 3 Project Discussion
(b) Parks and Recreation/Municipal Services Maintenance Review
4. CITY ADMINISTRATOR UPDATE
5. ADJOURN
��� A� f,66 City of Farmington
430 Third Street
Farmington, Minnesota
651.280.6800 -Fax 651.280.6899
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TO: Mayor, Councilmembers and City Administrator
FROM: Kevin Schorzman
SUBJECT: 2016 Trunk Highway 3 Project Discussion
DATE: May 11, 2015
INTRODUCTION
The Minnesota Department of Transportation will be doing a maintenance project on TH-3 in 2016.
DISCUSSION
Staff will provide a verbal update to the city council regarding discussions we have had with MnDOT
related to the access configurations discussed at the April 13, 2015, workshop.
BUDGET IMPACT
None.
ACTION REQUESTED
Consensus based on items provided in the update at the meeting.
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TO: Mayor, Councilmembers and City Administrator
FROM: David J. McKnight, City Administrator
SUBJECT: Parks and Recreation/Municipal Services Maintenance Review
DATE: May 11, 2015
INTRODUCTION
The city council included in the 2014 and 2015 strategic plans a request to study the structure of our
organization in the area of maintenance staff in both the Municipal Services and Parks and Recreation
Departments. There are a number of reasons to look into this project including work proficiency and
budget amongst others. The city council asked me to prioritize this at the strategic planning session held
in March 2015.
DISCUSSION
As a part of this review I asked Human Resources Director Brenda Wendlandt to research this issue and
present options to consider. Ms. Wendlandt completed this research and shared the following three
options with me.
1. Do Nothing
2. Develop and Implement Workflow Maintenance under Current Structure
3. Reorganization Placing Parks Maintenance Under Municipal Services
While it was not included in the study, Ms. Wendlandt recommends going with option three. Some of
the benefits noted in the study included cross training of employees allowing a greater depth of coverage
for completing work and consistency in work rules and supervision. These issues would go a long way
towards eliminating any current or future "us versus them" culture that may exist.
As a part of the study I also surveyed three department heads who work or have experience in this area as
well as the three supervisors that work in this area. There were a number of common themes in their
responses. The main message was that things are working pretty well but there are some things that they
can do better. I should be clear that there were some comments that we should not consider combining
all or portions of the two departments due both to the technical knowledge required to do the work in
each area and the concern that some of the work would become a second priority.
Some of the common themes or messages in the survey responses included:
1. Cross training can improve
2. Wages will be an issue
3. Any change should be implemented in stages
4. Having one "operation" would provide for better coordinated responses
5. We need to move away from having employees specialized in specific equipment
6. Expectations of employees need to be consistent in many areas
7. All employees should be expected to take care of equipment
8. The barriers between staff have been removed the past 3-4 years
9. Fear that one area will become less important if we combine departments
The city council discussed this issue again in March 2015 and asked that for a recommendation on this
issue. In April 2015 I met with Todd Reiten and Randy Distad and asked them to review all of the
information on this topic and provide me with a recommendation. After considering this issue along with
two supervisors in the departments they recommended an increase in cross training of employees but
leave the current organizational structure as is. The increased efficiencies would occur through the
following methods.
1. Cross Training on Equipment Operations-Have an equipment training day once a month that all
staff would attend and become trained on how to operate the equipment. This has been done in a
limited basis in the past but we would propose to increase the frequency of the training so that we
have a pool of trained people who could be called upon to operate a piece of equipment.
2. Pool Employees for Large Projects-Identify large projects where staff could be pooled to complete
the project in a more timely manner. This has been successfully completed in the past on such
projects as the Vermillion River bank restoration project,rain garden installation near the arena,
painting the interior hallways of the Rambling River Center, removal and installation of the roof on
the former Rambling River Center building and snow removal on streets.
3. Pool Employees During Snow Removal-The primary focus would be clearing city streets first
before plowing any trails adjacent to the streets so trails are not getting covered back up. Having
more park maintenance employees trained as snow plow operators will provide additional support
when needed.
City Administrator Recommendation
I appreciate all of the work that city staff members put into this research and am the first to admit that
they know more about their positions and the work they perform on a daily basis. At the same time I
have been in my position with the city almost four years so I do have first and second hand knowledge
about the operations of our departments.
There are other factors that the city must consider when looking at this issue as well. We currently have
a vacant position in the Municipal Services Department. This position has been vacant since mid-winter
and was purposely not filled since this study was going on. The vacancy and the cost savings associated
with it could play a role in the 2016 budget. As the city council is aware, the demands for additional
funding for next year will far outweigh the availability of dollars.
With everything above taken into consideration I recommend the following structure changes to the
Municipal Services and Parks and Recreation Departments over the next year.
1. Move three to four of the current Parks staff under Municipal Services along with the work for
park maintenance.
2. Keep three of the current Parks staff in the department with the responsibility of facilities and other
areas.
3. It is very likely we will need to create a "lead worker" position both in Municipal Services and
Parks and Recreation.
4. Do not replace the position that is currently vacant. (Reserve the right to change this decision
based on work demands/results)
5. Implement the three recommendations made by supervisory staff listed above.
6. Allow the Municipal Services Director and Parks and Recreation Director a few weeks to
determine a phased implementation schedule so other city staff members can have some input into
this process.
7. Monitor the progress of these proposed changes and consider how our solid waste employees may
potentially be worked into this study as phase two at a future date.
The reasoning behind my recommendation, which should be performed in phases, includes:
1. Increased efficiency due to cross training and coordinated responses to all issues. This will allow
employees to become more proficient in the use of different equipment rather than specializing.
2. Consistent operation and care of equipment. This would assist with consistent expectations related
to the care of equipment.
3. Long term increase in employee morale. Over time the elimination of silos will be more conducive
to a team atmosphere. Varying job duties should also help morale by providing different
challenges rather than having employees have repetitive responsibilities.
Moving maintenance functions under one department will also allow the Parks and Recreation
Department to concentrate on facilities needs. I can safely say we do not have enough employee hours
and/or dollars invested in the daily upkeep of our facilities. The city has $30,000,000 invested in our
main facilities and I want to ensure that the money spent to build these structures is maintained so their
replacement is put off as long as possible. The Parks and Recreation Department will continue to offer
and operate a wide variety of recreation programs as we have for many years.
BUDGET IMPACT
To be determined based on any structure changes we may consider.
ACTION REQUESTED
Discuss this issue as a group, request additional information, ask any questions you may have and make a
recommendation to city staff.
ATTACHMENTS:
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