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R2007-031 2007-02-26 RESOLUTION R2007.31 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PEARLAND, TEXAS, AUTHORIZING CERTAIN ALTERATIONS TO THE GENERAL FUND (PUBLIC WORKS AND ENGINEERING PERSONNEL FOR MUNICIPAL PURPOSES) AND AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER OR HIS DESIGNEE TO TAKE ALL ACTIONS NECESSARY TO FACILITATE THE CHANGES IDENTIFIED HEREIN WITHOUT FURTHER APPROVAL OF CITY COUNCIL. WHEREAS, the City Council is authorized by law to make changes in the City budget for municipal purposes and for emergency appropriations to meet a pressing need for public expenditure to protect the public health, safety, and welfare as a result of unusual and unforeseen conditions; and WHEREAS, the aforementioned action is necessary to authorize additional personnel; now therefore, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PEARLAND, TEXAS: Section 1. That the City Manager or his designee is authorized to make certain alterations to the General Fund as set out in the Executive Summaries, attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference for all purposes, as authorized by law for municipal purposes. Section 2. That the City Manager or his designee is authorized to take all actions necessary to facilitate the changes identified herein without further approval of City Council. PASSED and APPROVED on First and Only Reading this the 26th day of February, A.D., 2007. , JPh12 ~ TOM REID MAYOR RESOLUTION NO. R2007.31 ATTEST: APPROVED AS TO FORM: (l.-kaL- DARRIN M. COKER CITY ATTORNEY 2 MEMO: TO: Bill Eisen, City Manager Mike Hodge, Assistant City Manager FROM: Danny Cameron, Director of Public Works SUBJECT: WATER PRODUCTION/WASTEWATER TREATMENT SUPERINTENDENT DATE: 2/20/2007 The Water Production and Wastewater Treatment Superintendent is responsible for oversight of all the City's water wells, water stations, wastewater treatment plants, wastewater lift stations, storm water lift stations, water system bacterial samples, SCADA implementation and maintenance, grease trap inspections, and Clean Rivers Program samples. In addition, he must be familiar with all regulatory requirements of the TCEQ and Homeland Security for water and wastewater systems. Bobby Whisenant has held this position within Public Works for approximately 10 years. In 1996, the City had 2 wastewater treatment plants, 51 lift stations, 7 water wells, and 1 re- pumping station. About 40 routine bacterial samples were taken every month, with few construction samples required. The department consisted of the superintendent plus 10 additional employees. In 1999, the City began participation in the Clean Rivers program, which requires 21 samples to be taken per month. In 2000, the City was required to begin monitoring all users-at that time 10,556 connections. And in 2004, the department began quarterly inspections of all registered grease traps in the City. At the end of 2006, the City had 5 wastewater treatment plants (an increase of 150%), 82 lift stations (61 %), 10 water wells (43%),2 re-pumping stations, and 3 storm water lift stations. Water sampling consists of 136 routine bacterial samples per month (increase of 240%), plus 50-100 construction samples and 21 samples for the Clean Rivers program. There are currently 23,318 connections in the City that must be monitored and maintained. In addition, 338 grease traps are inspected four times per year. The department currently consists of the superintendent plus 21 operators (including 2 vacant positions), one utility inspector, and one SCADA technician. Obviously, the department has grown enormously in the last 10 years, and with it, the responsibilities of the superintendent. Aside from the obvious increases in personnel and facilities, there have also been significant increases in the number of water and wastewater regulations pertaining to security, the environment, and health. These include stringent Homeland Security regulations imposed after the 9/11 disaster. In order to maintain adequate oversight over all the facets of this position, we recommend that the superintendent's responsibilities be split, forming an additional superintendent position. One position would maintain authority over all Water Production aspects, including water wells, water plants, and sampling, as well as the SCADA program. The other would assume responsibility for Wastewater Treatment aspects, including wastewater treatment plants, wastewater lift stations, storm water lift stations, and grease trap inspection. Both superintendents would be required to be aware of and ensure compliance with all state and federal regulations that pertain to their areas. While I expect that Bobby would remain as Water Production and Wastewater Treatment Superintendent until retirement, it would be a mistake not to take advantage of his extensive experience to train his replacements. Therefore, we propose that a Wastewater Treatment superintendent position be created, and a Water Production superintendent be hired, to share Bobby's duties for the remainder of this year. This would allow the new super- intendents to become familiar with the extensive requirements of the position without losing focus on operations. It would also allow for a smooth transition once Bobby does retire. In order to fund the new position, staff has investigated the current salary account for department 42 (Wastewater Treatment). Because of open positions, through the first three months of this fiscal year almost $31,000 in wages was budgeted but not paid. This (already allocated) amount is more than adequate to fund the additional superintendent for the remainder of FY2007. Alternately, a large savings will be realized because of the new surface water purchase contract with the City of Houston. That savings was estimated at $150,000 for this year. Since this money has already been budgeted for FY2007, no additional allocation will be required. In any case, the new superintendent position will need to be funded separately in the FY2008 budget. The transition to two departments should be relatively painless, and we are convinced it will be in the best interest of the City. With the expected retirement of Bobby Whisenant in May 2007, now is the time to begin training his replacement. Weare prepared to proceed with this change as soon as we receive your approval.