Fort Walton Beach Council agenda — 11-26-2007 special agenda — reading text

in July 5, 2005 2005. The primary reasons for the separation, as documented a I memorandum, were as follows: Numerous local governments in Florida and other states have separate E public works and utility departments; The utility operation is organized financially as an enterprise fund and separation would provide clearer responsibility and accountability; Alternative Services Delivery Study for Fort Walton Beach, Florida Page 12- 10  Public Works The Assistant Public Works Director has the technical expertise and ill experience in utilities to assume the role of department director; Management of a recently initiated $ 12 million water/wastewater project would be enhanced; L: More effective concentration would be provided for numerous current t and planned utility programs; Public Works could more adequately provide their traditional services; I and, I............ Communications with the City Manager' s Office would be simplified and streamlined. I:. c..;~ 0.,::: 1 After nearly two ( 2) years, some concerns have been raised regarding separation I of the departments. Some have suggested that they should be recombined. The most frequently expressed concern is that the departments still share many functions/ operations and coordination is difficult. Cited examples are: L The Utilities Department is responsible for planning and designing the stormwater management program and specific stormwater projects but E Public Works is responsible for implementing the plans/projects and maintaining the infrastructure. One ( 1) five- person crew in Public Works' I Street and Drainage Division is assigned responsibility for stormwater I drainage maintenance and small projects. This crew is also responsible for any asphalt work performed by City forces as well as a number of I other activities. Priorities regarding allocation of these scarce resources may differ between the two departments. I IJ j~i Alternative Services Delivery Study for Fort Walton Beach, Florida Page 12- 11  Public Works The Public Works Department has overall responsibility for the City' s GIS L.. program. A major part of that program, however, is the water and sewer infrastructure, which is the responsibility of the Utilities Department. A C very significant effort will be required to develop and enter the utilities data into the G IS database. Cooperation and coordination between the departments is crucial. E: The City Engineer in Public Works and the Utilities Division Operations t Manager are both licensed Professional Engineers and both are actively involved in important City engineering activities. While the Utilities I Division Operations Manager has no specified responsibilities for designing anything other than utilities- related projects, he is often I requested to perform design work for other departments and does so Ii competently and willingly. While no specific problems were described during interviews, conflicts between the two ( 2) engineering functions could potentially occur. I: Both Public Works and Utilities have significant CAD activities. Each supports the design activities for their respective departments. Potential t issues include differences in design standards or practices and/ or difficulty arranging for the sharing of work when an overload occurs in I either department. I The only licensed surveyor in City government is the Street Operations Manager in Public Works. The only survey crew is in the Utilities I Department. Normally, there are only occasional needs for approval of the survey work by the licensed surveyor and in the past this has not I I Alternative Services Delivery Study for Fort Walton Beach, Florida Page 12- 12  Public Works presented problems. The potential for conflicts is there, however, due to t possible priority/ scheduling issues and/ or professional judgment t differences. Recommendation # 55: Do Not Recombine the Public Works and Utilities I Departments. While the concerns being raised are valid, the key to successfully E overcoming these potential problems is cooperation and communication. This is particularly true for smaller organizations where flexibility is critical and functional IJ specialization is a luxury. Both operations must cooperate with each other and be responsive to their needs or neither one will be able to successfully carry out its I mission. While a change in organization structure could provide more unified leadership and a convenient means for resolving conflicts, this is outweighed by the benefits derived from a two- department structure. Any cost savings associated with a E consolidation would be minimal. Contracting Out of Public Works Services Finding: Private companies could supply the services currently provided by each L of the seven ( 7) divisions within the department. Private companies routinely perform this type of work. Many examples can be found where cities around the country have contracted out these operations and, in fact, some sizeable cities now I contract out all of their functions ( except police and fire). It may be noted, however, that most of these cities are newer and did not have an existing work force and service I history. I Recommendation # 56: Continue to provide current Public Works Department services with City personnel. While it is possible to contract out some or all of the work, it may not be feasible for one or more of the following reasons: Alternative Services Delivery Study for Fort Walton Beach, Florida Page 12- 13 E: Public Works Each of the division' s operations are relatively small and vendors may E conclude there is limited potential for any significant profit; t There may be a lack of qualified potential vendors within a reasonable distance of the city. The Fleet Maintenance Division Superintendent I stated that he currently has difficulty finding vendors for the specialized The size of most department I work they presently contract out. operations would probably not make it feasible for vendors to establish a I presence just to obtain the City' s business. Consolidation of Mowing Activities I Finding: Numerous City government units perform mowing and related turf I,,: maintenance activities. Within the Public Works Department, the divisions and the areas maintained include: I city Right- of-Way Maintenance-Medians and rights- of-way on most E thoroughfares as well as water wells, holding ponds, and certain other areas; I: Cemetery- Two ( 2) City cemeteries. They are assisted during the growing season by ROW maintenance as well as Street Maintenance. Service Maintenance-Areas adjacent to City Hall I Additional mowing activities are performed by units within Golf Course, Parks and I Recreation, and Utilities. It has been suggested that some or all mowing and related turf maintenance I activities be consolidated under one ( 1) unit to potentially achieve increase efficiency I and cost savings. I; Alternative Services Delivery Study for Fort Walton Beach, Florida Page 12- 14 I.. f...., i~ L: Public Works Recommendation # 57: Continue to provide mowing and related services with current units. Much of the work is somewhat specialized including ROW L Maintenance' s work on thoroughfares that must not only meet State standards for the work performed under contract but also must be closely coordinated with horticultural work and interested civic organizations. Golf course mowing and maintenance is highly specialized with different l. equipment and techniques used for greens, fringes, fairways, tees, clubhouse landscaping, etc. Parks and Recreation also has specific requirements for many of their playfields. I: In addition, most mowing is performed by unit personnel in conjunction with other I: assigned duties. Continuing to have each unit performing the mowing and maintenance work r: within their respective areas of responsibility enhances the flexibility and L