HomeMy WebLinkAbout1 - Retreat Abstract 2021 - Public Works2021 Departmental Abstract
Public Works
# FTEs: 64.02 TTL Revenues: $14,652,253 TTL Expenditures: $15,618,093
Key Work Program Items/Initiatives in 2021:
1. See individual Division writeups that follow.
2. Munis accounting system transition. This is no small undertaking.
3. Coordinate improvements with County's new Human Resources Manager
4. Wrap up Teamsters contract.
Major Departmental Adjustments to COVID; also, Lasting Changes After COVID:
1. See individual Division writeups that follow
2. Transition back to 100% in -person staffing. No permanent telecommuting.
Other Important Trends/Drivers of Services in 2021:
1. See individual Division writeups that follow
Key Opportunities for Department in 2021:
1. See individual Division writeups that follow
2. Great managers and staff. Knowledgeable, motivated, hardworking, dedicated. Good
teams.
Key Challenges Facing the Department in 2021:
1. Recruitment/retention of qualified workers. Adequate pay to be able to afford to live in
Jefferson County is a challenge given remote location.
2. High level of service expectation from new residents may not match reality of living in a
small rural county without a large economic base to support it.
Any Topics You'd Like to Workshop with The Board in 2021?
1. See individual Division writeups that follow
Other Comments:
(not required)
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2021 Departmental Abstract
Public Works - Roads
# FTEs: 45.63 TTL Revenues: $9,072,830 TTL Expenditures: $9,633,159
Key Work Program Items/Initiatives in 2021:
1. Refer to 6 Year Transportation Improvement Program and Annual Construction
Program. https://www.co.jefferson.wa.us/444/6-Yr-TIP
2. Complete Right of Way Acquisition and begin Engineering - Olympic Discovery Trail (4
Corners to Anderson Lake). Funding likely through RCO. Match source needed.
3. Cedar Avenue (Port Hadlock) Sidewalks/Bike Lanes — Construction
4. FHWA begins $17 million project on Upper Hoh Rd.
5. Large chip seal program to make up for lost work in 2020 due to Covid.
6. Ongoing work on State funded fish barrier projects at several locations.
7. Repair damage from January 2021 storms.
8. Lots of other projects.
Major Departmental Adjustments to COVID; also, Lasting Changes After COVID:
1. Office — Some work from home (with county suppled equipment); now required to work
in office at least 2 days per week on staggered schedule. Most working full time in
office.
2. Road Crew — Initially some staggered schedules, but full time since May. Not sharing
equipment or riding together if it can be avoided. Otherwise double masking/windows
open.
3. Acquired 24 x 56-foot temporary building to have more office space and employee
space. Significant cost — billed to Covid. Previously employees were crammed into
hallways and small locker rooms in Shop along with mechanics from Central Services.
Will need ongoing funding for this. Not anticipating going back to the old way.
4. Lost $250,000/year in Motor Vehicle Fuel Tax due to Covid. Some long-term trends
have been established with more telecommuting/shopping.
Other Important Trends/Drivers of Services in 2021:
1. 400 miles of county road spread across a lot of territory. Lowest staffing and revenue
per mile of just about all of the western Washington counties.
2. Some of the most expensive roads to maintain have the fewest residents living on them.
Key Opportunities for Department in 2021:
1. Partner with City to investigate routes for ODT south of Anderson Lake.
2. Fish barrier removal program (State) has opened up opportunities to pursue projects
that were previously out of reach.
3. Great managers and staff. Knowledgeable, motivated, hardworking, dedicated. Good
teams.
Key Challenges Facing the Department in 2021:
1. Eating into fund balance to maintain an already reduced level of service.
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2021 Departmental Abstract
Public Works - Roads
2. Construction program is over 90% grant funded. Can only dedicate about $250,000 per
year of county money to capital program (which still eats into fund balance)
3. Most county roads are local access roads and not eligible for grants.
4. A large percentage of the capital program is for non -motorized because this is where
the grants are.
5. Federal funding for combined County/City/Transit = $430,000 per year. Not a lot.
6. Hundreds of deteriorating culverts, each of which can cost millions to replace
7. Lost $1.3 million per year of "Secure Rural Schools" (federal timber subsidy) in 2012.
8. Cost of construction/materials/labor inflating much faster than 1% + new construction.
9. Road Diversion remains high at $720,000 per year to support General Fund for traffic
enforcement function.
10. Budget only adequate to perform pavement preservation treatments (such as chip
seals) on about 5% of the paved system per year. That's once every 20 years on
average. Pavements deteriorate faster than that.
11. Beavers
Any Topics You'd Like to Workshop with The Board in 2021?
1. Monitoring Transportation Benefit District (TBD) revenue potential, especially with City
of Port Townsend now starting to consider this.
2. Possibly discuss many technological advancements that have been introduced in last 3
years in the Road maintenance/operations program. You will be impressed.
3. 6-Year Transportation Improvement Program (TIP)
Other Comments:
(not required)
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2021 Departmental Abstract
Public Works — Solid Waste
# FTEs: 9.76 TTL Revenues: $3,670,759 TTL Expenditures: $4,158,436
Key Work Program Items/Initiatives in 2021:
1. Recycling Services Request for Proposals (RFP)
2. Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) RFP for grounds maintenance
3. Long-range capital facility planning for growth/expansion
4. Update SW Management Plan
5. Prepare for scale/transaction software upgrade. A moderately large and complicated
project.
Major Departmental Adjustments to COVID; also, Lasting Changes After COVID:
1. Sneeze guards and social distancing.
2. SW processed record 100,000 transactions in 2020 without interruption. Others closed
transfer stations for a month or more initially during Covid. Jefferson County did not.
Other Important Trends/Drivers of Services in 2021:
1. Transactions climbing 3% or more every year.
2. Facility is old (1993) and reaching capacity. Significant investment will be needed.
3. Solid Waste is an enterprise fund. It is operated as a business. No taxes are used to
support Solid Waste.
4. Solid Waste operation is over 50% privatized. It is operated as an effective blend of the
public and private sector to deliver essential services.
Key Opportunities for Department in 2021:
1. May adjust recycling program through work on the Dept. of Ecology mandated
Contamination Reduction and Outreach Plan (CROP) combined with need to request
proposals for recycling services (existing contract is expired).
2. Continue to examine the SW program and perform analysis regarding service delivery
vs. cost with a new Solid Waste Manager.
3. Great manager and staff. Knowledgeable, hardworking, dedicated.
Key Challenges Facing the Department in 2021:
1. Increased pressure on facility and staff. Long delays during peak hours.
2. Balance community desire for high levels of service for many things with the cost to
actually deliver a reasonable service to the most people equitably.
3. Long-range capital facility planning is a significant undertaking with long-lasting impacts.
It will require significant resources to do it properly.
4. Costs continue to climb for all phases of the business.
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2021 Departmental Abstract
Public Works — Solid Waste
Any Topics You'd Like to Workshop with The Board in 2021?
1. Recycling Program
2. Solid Waste Management Plan update
3. Cape George SW property accommodation of non -motorized trail use
Other Comments:
Education
I►11ii2
2020 Solid Waste Tipping Fee, $157.27*
21,819 Tons
*Does not include 3.6% MSW Tax ($5.66/Ton)
Replace, $7.37 , 5%
■ Haul and Dispose (Republic) ■ Equipment/Capital Replace ■ Recycling (Skookum)
■ MRW ■ Education/Abatement ■ Operations (T.S. & Quil.)
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2021 Departmental Abstract
Public Works — Parks
# FTEs: 6.27 TTL Revenues: $661,002 TTL Expenditures: $695,679
Key Work Program Items/Initiatives in 2021:
1. Continue to maintain/operate park, campgrounds, athletic fields
2. Construction of JUMP! Playground
3. Restart recreation programming
4. Refurbish Courthouse tennis courts and convert to pickleball
5. Review park and recreation fees
6. Manage anticipated heavy use of athletic fields and campgrounds
Major Departmental Adjustments to COVID; also, Lasting Changes After COVID:
1. Initially lots of stuff shut down. Gradually reopened according to State guidelines
2. Laid off all clerk hire part time help
3. Recreation Center in PT remains closed to youth drop in
4. Gym/Rec Center allowing some reservations when allowed by State's reopening plan
5. No athletic field use in 2020
6. Lost almost all fee revenue from programs and rentals in 2020 (down $100,000)
7. Two employees remain partially furloughed (working at 80%). No clerk hires
Other Important Trends/Drivers of Services in 2021:
1. Park/campground use has increased over 50% in recent years. Staffing remains below
2006 levels
2. 20 County Parks including 3 campgrounds. Very high for a small rural county with 2 full
time and one part time staff.
Key Opportunities for Department in 2021:
1. Partnership with JUMP!
2. City may be more appropriate to manage North Beach. Parking and sewer outfall
project are City issues. Discuss with City.
3. Dedicated, knowledgeable, hardworking parks/rec staff
Key Challenges Facing the Department in 2021:
1. Eating into fund balance to maintain service.
2. Fee revenue (lost to Covid) needed to sustain Recreation program.
3. Some facilities aging and falling apart — picnic shelters, PT gym roof, etc.
4. Demand for service remains higher than ever with no dedicated revenue source.
5. Competing with other priorities in the General Fund for adequate funding.
6. High parks/campground use — no dedicated Park Ranger. Relying heavily on JCSO, staff,
and volunteer hosts for compliance.
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2021 Departmental Abstract
Public Works — Port Hadlock Sewer
# FTEs: 0.43 TTL Revenues: $1,445,692 TTL Expenditures: $1,358,999
Key Work Program Items/Initiatives in 2021:
1. Complete Phase I Sewer Design
2. Receive Dept. Ecology approval for design
3. Succeed with Two Legislative initiatives
a. $5.5 Million Capital Budget request
b. 20-year extension on Rural Infrastructure tax
4. Begin applying for construction grants
5. Update project permitting
6. Perform detailed Operations/Maintenance (O&M) cost analysis.
7. Determine if a Local Improvement District is needed to fund the project and potentially
form a LID
8. More property owner outreach
9. Create sewer ordinance
Major Departmental Adjustments to COVID; also, Lasting Changes After COVID:
1. N/A
Other Important Trends/Drivers of Services in 2021:
1. Large amounts of Federal funding for sewers is a thing of the past; no federal earmarks
2. Project needs a lot of grant support to make it affordable. Even if the capital costs are
offset with grants, the operations/maintenance costs may require a County subsidy for a
number of years until there are enough users to cover the costs.
Key Opportunities for Department in 2021:
1. Find a federal "champion" for this project.
2. Well positioned for possible federal stimulus or federal infrastructure package.
Key Challenges Facing the Department in 2021:
1. Only municipality in the state attempting to create a new sewer where none has ever
existed. No small undertaking.
2. Will require multiple grants to bring costs down, yet no grant agency wants to be "first"
3. 0.43 FTE is an increase over 2019 but additional project management staff will be
needed to get all of this work done quickly. Lack of ongoing funding to support more
project management staffing.
Any Topics You'd Like to Workshop with The Board in 2021?
1. Many. Funding, LID, O&M, Sewer Ordinance
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