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HomeMy WebLinkAbout7B City Staff ReorganizationA PpO U trl \IMvESO'�/ 4646 Dakota Street SE Prior Lake, MN 55372 CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT MEETING DATE: June 20, 2011 AGENDA #: 7B PREPARED BY: Frank Boyles, City Manager Kelly Meyer, Asst. City Manager PRESENTED BY: Frank Boyles, City Manager Kelly Meyer, Asst. City Manager AGENDA ITEM: CITY STAFF REORGANIZATION DISCUSSION: Introduction The purpose of this report is to appraise the City Council of a reorganization of City staff that I will be implementing. As the Council is aware, there are currently two key management positions vacant- Public Works Director and Community Development/Natural Resources Director. Any time there are vacancies of this type, it provides me the opportunity to review our organization as a whole and determine whether the human resources and talents available in -house or in the market are best assigned to meet the current and future priorities of the City Council and objectives of the 2030 Vision and Strategic Plan. History Organizations must address two antithetical needs. On one hand they much reflect structure, accountability and chain of command. On the other, they also need to be fluid in order to accommodate turnover, survive unforeseen challenges, and facilitate the alignment of talents with tasks to address the changing priorities and needs of the community. This reorganization of City departments is the latest of 13 restructurings which I have undertaken since I became the City Manager in March 1993. Some of the reorganizations were a result of opportunities for collaboration, some were the result of economic growth or decline, and some were a result of a demand for services or change in priorities. In each case I assessed the strengths and areas for improvement of my staff, and the needs of the organization, and tried to align the two to best serve the needs of the community. Current Circumstances I have identified areas within our organization where resources are either under- or over - utilized. I believe that improvements can and should be made which would create efficiencies and dedicate resources to community priorities in a cost - effective manner. Areas for Improvement include 1. Addino capacity and resources to Eco nomic Development. In 2008, the economic downturn necessitated the elimination of the City's Economic Development Director position. The rationale was that development was virtually non - existent and so it was not prudent to Phone 952.447.9800 / Fax 952.447.4245 / www.cityofpriorlake.com continue to dedicate resources to this effort. Today, we see a new initiative by the City Council and EDA to spur economic development and Downtown Redevelopment. We are also seeing fledgling businesses search for City support and platting of properties which has been missing now for almost two years. In the short-term, this effort was managed by the Community Development Natural Resources Director and the City Manager. Given the priority placed upon economic development, and the other workload demands of the City Manager and Community Development Natural Resources Director, it will be necessary to realign responsibilities in order to give economic development sufficient resources to achieve the aggressive goals the EDA has identified for accomplishment. 2. Adding capacity and resources to NaturalMater Resources Natural and Water Resources are consistently mentioned by residents as a source of primary importance and pride. As such, the City Council has made improvement, conservation, and innovation related to water and natural resources a priority. Even though the City has had dedicated staff in these areas, we have not put the resources together in a manner that allows them to collaborate consistently, create synergy through their expertise, or most efficiently plan for maintenance and conservation projects. This is an area that should be improved given the community's investment in the parks, natural areas and water resources. 3. Dedicate resources and staff time to Facilities Management. In 2008, 1 had proposed a full -time facilities management position dedicated to the maintenance and efficient management of the City's seven multi - million dollar facilities, including the City Hall, Police Station, two Fire Stations, Library/Club Prior, Maintenance Facility, and Water Treatment Plan. Due to the economic pressures of that time, I eliminated the position prior to its recruitment. The job responsibilities were added to the Building Inspections division as an "add -on" to their full -time duties. My observation over the years is that this is a significant cost center, one that needs on -going attention to maximize savings while assuring the long- term well -being of the structures. 4. Divide tasks so that appropriate attention can be given to key management responsibilities Over the last three years, the economy has necessitated reduction of staff and having those job responsibilities absorbed, for the most part, by department managers. Many of our management staff have increasingly demanding workloads, consistently operate by putting out the closest fire and never getting to lower priority projects. They also tend to become the landing place for miscellaneous tasks that no one else has time or expertise to complete. In my opinion this has led to four outcomes: (1) staff members are putting in an inordinate amount of time, (2) all projects may not be getting the full amount of time to be completed effectively, (3) mistakes which typically do not happen are beginning to take place; and (4) projects are either not getting done in a timely fashion or not getting done at all. I have attached for your information work lists from three of my departments to illustrate. 2 5. Gain efficiency by aligning similar tasks /resources. Instead of thinking in terms of how our various divisions are different, I believe we should be thinking in terms of how we are similar and what type of efficiencies can be gained. If there are opportunities to align resources, or reporting responsibilities differently in order to gain staff efficiencies and /or customer benefits, I would like to do so. 6. Recognize Impact on Current and Future Budget Every staffing decision considers not only service demands, but also the long -term implications to the budget, and tries to balance the cost of providing the service with the value to the community. 7. Employee Development It is important to identify those persons within the organization who seek out additional responsibility and give them opportunities to be successful. This is an objective in our day -to -day operations as well as in any reorganization. It is particularly important at this time because over the next 5-7 years we will see a large number of baby boomers and their expertise retire from the employment market. To respond to the seven conditions enumerated above, I am implementing the following organizational changes. To assist the Council, public and staff to visualize the reorganization, I have included Exhibit 1 (our existing organizational format) and Exhibit 2 (the format after the reorganization). Organizational Chances: Below is an outline of the reorganization: • Realign the Public Works, Building and Transportation Services, and Community Development and Natural Resources departments as follows: Engineering and Public Works & Natural Development Services Inspection Services Resources Director of Inspections /City Public Works & Natural Economic Development Engineer (Larry Popple► Resource Director (Katy and Planning Director Gehler ) ( vacant Building Inspectors (Bob Maintenance Planner (Jeff Matzke) Hutchins, Paul Superintendent (Joe Wiita) Baumgartner Engineering Tech 4 (Kevin All other current Planner (new position) Kleist ) maintenance positions Engineering Tech 3 (Nate Facilities & Natural Development Services Briese) Resources Manager (Al Asst. (Joe Sortland) Fried es Code Enforcement Officer Water Resources Engineer Jesse Corrow Ross Bintne Civil EIT (Aaron Carranza) Admin. Specialist (Becky Lun Development Services Asst. Maint. Secretary (vacant) (1.5) (Lynda Allen, Judy Pint GIS consultant 3 Current Building and Transportation Services Director Jane Kansier will be reassigned as a second Assistant City Manager responsible for transit, grants, SCALE Transportation initiative, data practices, risk management, and management of LEAN initiatives. She will also take on an important role in completing research projects, policy /ordinance updates and special projects as assigned (such as update of the annexation agreement, update of fire dept. bylaws, fee studies, management of Comp Plan update). Current Parks Supervisor Al Friedges will be reassigned as Facilities and Natural Resources Manager and relocate his office to City Hall. Al will be primarily responsible for managing City facilities and fleet. He will also continue his leadership in the area of natural resources and forestry, and expand his collaboration and coordination with water resources. Al will also continue to be responsible for long -term planning for parks and development of the various parks and facilities replacement matrixes. • Current Streets and Utilities Maintenance Supervisor Joe Wiita will be promoted to Maintenance Superintendent and will manage the resources and operations for park maintenance, streets and utilities. I expect that the cooperation between parks, streets and utilities crews will fully develop with a new generation of supervisors. We will hire an Economic Development and Planning Director who can provide staff support for the Economic Development Authority and its new initiatives. In order to manage the planning responsibilities related to development, we will supplement the department by adding an entry level planner position to accomplish the work that, all too often, divided her time and attention. A current maintenance secretary vacancy will be slightly modified to include responsibility for facilitating the Cartegraph database system. This system will provide us with the metrics that both my managers and the City Council seek. Benefits of Reorganization ✓ Distributes work responsibilities more effectively, particularly at the Department Head level. ✓ Aligns resources with Council priorities in economic development and natural /water resources. ✓ Allows work to be accomplished and programs initiated which are otherwise "parked" today. ✓ Leverages staff expertise and talents where they can provide most value to the organization. ✓ Provides opportunity for staff development for new and long -term employees. ✓ Consolidates field inspection function into one department and allows for cross - training and opportunity for greater efficiencies and communications among field inspections personnel. ✓ Promotes continued and improved collaboration and efficiencies between engineering, inspections, planning, and natural resources personnel by locating all staff at City Hall. 4 ✓ Puts economic development resources in place utilizing the $55,500 designated from the Economic Development budget, but without the need for additional funding in 2012 for personnel. Conclusion Change, especially change affecting people we know is uncomfortable and often difficult. As City Manager it is my responsibility to take decisive and proactive action to assure that the Prior Lake organization is in the best position to accomplish current and future goals and objectives. I am proud of the professionalism, courage and willingness my staff has shown and continues to show to embrace the changes that I believe put our organization and our staff in the best position to be successful. ISSUES: Kelly (who has done an incredible amount of work to make this reorganization possible) and I have sought out the opinions of our senior staff before proceeding with implementation. We have also talked to each of the persons whose positions are impacted or changed. Only when we thought we fully understood all perspectives and addressed the primary concerns did we proceed with this plan. However, no reorganization is perfect. We have identified the following challenges: • Non - traditional department structure The department structure resulting from this reorganization is not typical of municipalities. This can be a challenge for recruitment when we experience turnover at the management level. However, we have shown for over a decade that a non - traditional Park and Recreation Department, for example, can work with the proper management and personnel. I am confident the same will be true for this structure and I believe that the affected staff members will thrive. • Addition of one direct report for the City Manager One of the objectives I sought to achieve in this reorganization was to reduce the number of people reporting to me so that I can give them, and my responsibilities to the City Council, the time they both deserve. This is a work in progress. I will continue to evaluate this area in hopes that I can offer a solution in the not too distant future. • Separates Engineering and Maintenance divisions Ideally, public works maintenance and engineering should operate under one director. But, I believe the day has passed that this is a realistic expectation given the workload of the departments. We are, quite simply, undertaking too many and too diverse initiatives for one director to effectively coordinate. I believe that the supervisory combination I am contemplating will minimize this concern, and provide even more diverse work capacity than we have had before. I am concerned about each of these challenges. But, I believe that they can be overcome, and the benefits of the reorganization far outweigh the challenges. FINANCIAL On an annual basis, this reorganization is estimated to impact the following IMPACT: Funds as noted below including pay and benefits but not including office furniture and the like which I expect to utilize existing resources to secure: General Fund $ 48,927 Water Fund ($55,482) 5 Sewer Fund $ 9,605 Water Quality $33,630 Total Increase $36,680 The calculation is an estimate because there are some assumptions built in for positions that have yet to be recruited (planner, Community and Economic Development Director). The estimate also includes utilizing the $55,500 allocation from Economic Development We will look to fill the Community and Economic Development Director position with a candidate that can bring strong economic development background, supervisory experience, as well as a strong municipal planning base. It is my intention to share this memo and information about the reorganization with the EDA at their next meeting. Overall from a staffing perspective, we add one director level position, one entry level planner, and one additional day per week for the maintenance support staff. No budget adjustment is necessary. There is capacity in the existing 2011 budgets. CONCLUSION: Under the Council /Manager form of government, the City Manager has exclusive control of the staff. As such, the reorganization does not require City Council approval. On the other hand, I value the City Council's understanding of what I am trying to achieve and their observations as well. I hope that the City Council will give this reorganization their support. By the same token if in the future you have concerns, please let me know. n City of Prior Lake Organizational Chart January 2011 Citizens of Prior Lake Councilor Councilor Mayor Councilor Councilor Warren Erickson Ken Hedberg Mike Myser Richard Keeney Vanessa Soukup Community Safety Advisory Lakes Advisory Economic Development Authority Parks Advisory Planning Commission Communications /Technology Adv. Economic Development Advisory Committee City Manager Frank Boyles Ass't City Manager K. Meyer City Attorney S. Pace Rec. Coordinator Comm. Coord. A. Barstad M. Peterson Adm. Assistant Sr Programmer C. Green J — D. Carlberg Receptionist Rec. Programmer J. Fuehrer L. Drabant L. Folie Rec. Secretary N. McGill Finance Pub Wrks /City Engr Bldg, Code Enf, Trnst, Rsrch Comm De /Nat Res Police Chief Jerilyn Erickson vacant Jane Kansier vacant Bill O'Rourke Acct Supv Streets Utilities Park Fleet Admin Specialist Ass't City Engineer Lieutenant Building Official J. Gilb J. Witta A. Friedges B. Lund" L. Poppler R. Hutchins R. Hofstad Acct Specialist Pub Wrks Foreman Parks Maint Frman Water Res Eng Planner Sergeants Detectives Code Enforce Off J. Ringberg J. Theisen G. Skluzacek Secre ta ry R. Bintner J. Corrow J. Matzke T. Kahlert C. Olson J. Stanger D. White vacant` Dev. Services Asst. G. Zollner Adv Utility Bill Maintenance Maintenance Eng Tech IV J. Sortland M. Olson B. Brandt C. Wiita K. Kleist Building Inspector Records Supv. B. Friedges C. Maatta P. Baumgartner Patrol Officers C. Kline Utility Billing vacant S. Johnson Eng Tech II R. Richards Gina Wilson ` vacant T. Hein N. Briese J. McHaney P. Hilgers M. Buesgens Dev. Services Asst. M. O'Hehir L. Dorn J. Coy L. Allen R. Freiberg T. Buckley L. Karow Dev. Services Asst T. Demming Records Clerks B. Meuleners J. J Pint C. Johnson C. Ostlie A. Breeggemann D. Goldhammer J. Ellanson B. Cragoe M. Moore E. Whitmer Mechanic vacant D. Schuetz K. Olson" D. Pauly C. Zweber C. Johnson C. Shimota J. Rozga R. Denmark Water Systems A. Boser Operator D. Olson CSO A. Stephes S. Johnson C. Adelmann` M. Tabone J. Skluzacek` C. Schaefer Wastewater Operator J. Larson SMSC Liaison M.Tabone ISD 719 Liaison M. O'Hehir Traffic Safety Advisory Fire Chief Doug Hartman 1 st Asst Chief J. Larson 2nd Asst Chief M. Friedrich Firefighters K. Kleist C. Blade S. Burfeind T. Barta J. Bradford J. Carlson D. Chard M. Klimers R. Kathan J. Kline B. Krause J. Kruse M. Kilanowski J. Machal D. Nelson M. Nelson R. Prekker J. Riegert J. Ruzicka R. Saatoff D. Seery E. Steinhaus K. Schommer L. Schommer N. Solie N. Truso A. Wolfram C. Weber E. Winter G. Wiegel P. Yttreness R. Yurko E. Zimmerman G. Zuspann J. Zieska T. Zettler City of Prior Lake Organizational Chart May 2011 Reorganization Dev. Services Asst. L. Allen J. Pint' Mechanic C. Zweber C. Shirnota