City Council Committee Agendas

Public Works/Library Committee Meeting July 14, 2021, 6:00 pm Attendees Present: Mayor Boudreau Council Members: Beaton, Brocksmith, Carías, Hudson, Hulst, Morales, Molenaar Staff Members: Public Works – Bullock, Chesterfield; Library Director – Huffman; City Attorney – Rogerson; Project Development Manager – Donovan 1. Approval of Public Works Committee Minutes: Councilmember Hudson moved to approve the minutes from June 9, 2021; Seconded by Councilmember Beaton; Carried by all. 2. Program Coordination Division – Blaine Chesterfield a) Brief on Council Items: Washington Conservation Corp Contract: An agreement with Washington Conservation Corp (WCC) will be presented for renewal at City Council tonight. The Agreement is for WCC crews will help with drainage facility maintenance for up to 8 weeks at a maximum cost of $37,760. WCC crews come with all the standard equipment and hand tools necessary. The current agreement will expire on September 30, 2021; this new agreement will be for October 1, 2021, through September 30, 2022. 3. Project Updates – Bill Bullock b) Brief on Council Items: Freeway Drive Bid Award: Staff was pleased with bid results for the Freeway Drive project which opened on June 29, 2021. SRV Construction out of Anacortes submitted the low bid of $2,005,584; Public Works will recommend Council award the bid at tonight’s council meeting. The city’s Wastewater Treatment Plant recently lost a seal that is integral to the assembly of the DAFT (Dissolved Air Floatation Thickener) system. The replacement part is available only through one supplier, WesTech Engineering; Sole Source Procurement for the WWTP DAFT Backflow Control Assembly and driveshaft will be requested at the council meeting tonight. 4. Miscellaneous / For the Good of the Order a) Classification and Compensation Study – Erin Keator Human Resources Director Keator presented the need for a classification and compensation study for employees. It has been found that such a study has not been July 14, 2021, Public Works/Library Committee Minutes Page 1 of 3  completed for more than 20 years. Goals of this study are to 1) properly classify positions and create or revise job descriptions, 2) determine Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) status for each position, 3) establish competitive compensation and benefits for non- represented and teamster represented positions, and 4) adopt a system to effectively manage the classification and compensation program into the future. There are approximately 90 non represented employees with 84 classifications and 47 teamster represented employees with 17 classifications. We have 3 different salary schedules for non-represented employees all with numerous grades and steps that are not consistent. There is a Teamster salary schedule which also has inconsistent steps among the classifications. Many job descriptions are out of date or non-existent and new employees oftentimes start above the first step of their paygrade. Additionally, past discussions have included proposing a salary scale for the mayor position rather than a flat salary with COLA’s; a consultant would provide an impartial proposal after reviewing comparable jurisdictions. As a result, Human Resources requested proposals for a study in June resulting in six proposals ranging from $19,995 to $138,080. A review of proposals included responsiveness to the RFP, cost, the ability and history of successfully completing contracts of this type, meeting deadlines, and having experience in similar work. The recommended proposal was submitted by Public Sector Personnel Consultants based in Washington State. This consultant’s proposal showed as outstanding in comparison to other submittals having completed studies both in and outside of Washington State as well as including sample correspondence to staff and a process for ensuring City’s self- sufficiency following the study. Staff will bring a $75,000 contract for these services to Council for action on July 28, 2021. b) American Rescue Plan Act Discussion – Mayor Boudreau Mayor Boudreau continued discussion of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding from a couple weeks ago. As there is uncertainty in the amount or timeframe for additional funding, the focus of this discussion was on allocation of the $4 million in ARPA funding already received by the city. The following items were discussed; staff salaries during the pandemic, revenue replacement, and informational services and technology (IS). The IS Department has been frugal for a long time and many upgrades are needed such as servers and equipment over a decade old, a comprehensive look at the Access data base in place since 1996, cyber security, website redesign, and TV10 will need upgrades as well. The HVAC system at City Hall is 25 years old and the Police HVAC will need replacing in 2022. In addition, a temporary position can be used to help with the court backlog and discussion was held regarding Parks Department and the staffing shortage to complete basic maintenance items. Jennifer Berner, Parks Department Director, is currently in the process of reevaluating needs and working on a long-term plan for the department. July 14, 2021, Public Works/Library Committee Minutes Page 2 of 3  c) Fireworks Debrief – Chief Cammock and Chief Brice Fire Chief Brice gave a recap of the 2021 4th of July calls. Of the 41 overall calls, 12 were fire related (7 of which had a clear direct cause of fireworks). Chief Brice reported on the historical number of calls which were down 2016-2020, however, now seem more in line with calls from 2015 and previous years. Discussion was held regarding the ability for an emergency ban on fireworks established in 2015. Chief Brice explained how weather predictions and other conditions had the city in the green category this year; however, more discussions could be had to establish definitive criteria for future use of this tool. Police Chief Cammock summarized police activity related to the 4 th of July. There were 121 total calls, 61 were firework related and 60 unrelated to fireworks. Chief Cammock related that it was a busy transitional year with fines being substantially raised beginning next year. Operational challenges included simultaneously managing the Riverfest, regular calls, and firework related calls. Overall, public information and events leading up to the 4th of July reflected a positive change in activity this year. The meeting adjourned at 7:02 p.m. Submitted by: Sherri Pritchard Sherri Pritchard, Public Works Department July 14, 2021, Public Works/Library Committee Minutes Page 3 of 3