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Home My WebLink AboutWORKSHOP re 2025 Public Works Workplan Department of Public Works O Regular Agenda Page 1 of 1 Jefferson County Board of Commissioners Agenda Request To: Board of Commissioners Mark McCauley, County Administrator From: Monte Reinders, P.E., Public Works Director/County Engineer Agenda Date: February 24, 2024 Subject: Public Works Department 2025 Workplan Statement of Issue: Each Department of Jefferson County has been asked to brief the Board of County Commissioners on their respective 2025 Work Plan. Analysis/Strategic Goals/Pro's Et Con's: The Public Works Department consists of seven divisions with an annual budget in excess of $40,000,000.00 and approximately 78 full- time employees. Public Works looks forward to the opportunity to discuss and receive feedback from the Board of County Commissioners and County Administrator on Public Works' 2025 Work Plan. Fiscal Impact/Cost Benefit Analysis: None. Recommendation: Participation in discussion, feedback, and staff direction as needed Department Contact: Monte Reinders, Public Works Director, x242. Reviewe By: 2,1 Mark McCaule County Administrator Date Public Works Department Briefing February 2025 Jefferson County Public Works Division Budget FTE Solid Waste $5,103,000 12.93 Port Hadlock Sewer $15,563,000 5.39 Parks and Recreation $1,275,000 (w/o JUMP!)7.67 County Roads $14,528,000 46.27 Fleet (new!)$3,969,000 6.00 Financial Division (included above)(included above) Total:$40,438,000 78.26 If you want to do stuff, it requires people…Do we agree? “As of 2023, Jefferson County, Washington had the second- highest median age in the United States among metropolitan and micropolitan areas”. Median home price: $650,000 (5th highest in WA state) Not exactly an Employer’s market. Solid Waste Program Jefferson County Public Works Solid Waste Program •Garbage collection and haul –private sector Contractor (not County) •Transfer Station Operations –County •Long-haul to landfill –private sector Contractor (not County) •Landfill –private sector (not County) •Recycling collection/haul –private sector (not County) •Recycling processing and sale –private sector Contractor (not County) •Moderate Risk Waste program –private sector Contractor w/ County assistance •Closed landfill monitoring and closure •Amount of Tax Support for Solid Waste: Zero $, $0.00, Nada, Zilch •The Transfer Station is a non-profit business. (Many jurisdictions are run by for-profit businesses) Jefferson County Public Works Solid Waste Program •Transfer Station components past useful life and failing •Roof •Scales & Scale House •Ongoing issues with Grizzly •Drainage system •Tarping rack system •Pavement •Recycling (Skookum) Building Work Plan •Adjust Tipping Fee to include Capital surcharge for repairs •Adjust Tipping Fee to keep pace with inflation and long haul/landfill costs •RFP for Recycling Services •Consider removing recycling subsidy from Tipping Fee (make recycling pay for itself) •Continue discussion about eventual relocation/expansion of Transfer Station •Maintain staffing levels –has been a challenge •Get over glass recycling (it’s 2% of the waste stream at the Transfer Station) •One (1) person to work on all of that Port Hadlock Sewer Jefferson County Public Works Port Hadlock Sewer (aka –the largest most complicated project the County has ever done) 2025 Work •Wastewater Treatment Plant –Complete July 2025 •Collection System –Phase I Complete April 2025 •Stage I Connections –Complete July 2025 •Startup –July 2025 •Continue design/construction of more connection stages (ECY, EPA money if Elon doesn’t take it back) •Transition to PUD#1 operations This is a ton of work for a team of 4 people Jefferson County Public Works Port Hadlock Sewer Parks and Recreation Jefferson County Public Works Parks and Recreation •22 Parks (several inside the City of PT) •3 Campgrounds •1,107 acres •14.7 miles of trails •Buildings, shelters, septic systems, playgrounds •Athletic fields, sport courts •Garbage and bathrooms •Irrigation •Field striping •Approximately 4 FTE to maintain •Park usage has doubled since 2009 •18 recreation programs with 1,600 participants each year •Drop in Recreation Center (located within the City) •1.8 FTE Jefferson County Public Works Parks and Recreation 2025/26 Projects •JUMP! Phase 2 (underway) •2026 Memorial Field (fence, scoreboard, goal posts) •Quilcene Skate Park Gibbs Lake Caretaker House and Facilities •Surprise! New project •Save it? Remove it? •Establish new caretaker area All projects managed by one (1)Parks and Rec Manager (rather than a facilities project manager). Not sustainable. County Roads Program Jefferson County Public Works County Roads Department Jefferson County Public Works County Roads Jefferson County Public Works County Roads -1 Jefferson County Public Works County Roads And you may ask yourself… Jefferson County Public Works County Roads $900,000 federal fund shift from Roads to GF in 2010-2013 But wait! There’s more! $900,000 federal fund shift from Roads to GF in 2010-2013 + $500,000 increase in Road Levy DIVERSION DIVERSION increased from $250,000 to $720,000/year Indirect Cost Allocation (only paid by Public Works to support General Fund) Jefferson County Public Works County Roads Jefferson County Public Works County Roads Restroom facility for 22 county employees Jefferson County Public Works County Roads 2025 Workplan •Transportation Benefit District (done) •Re -house Port Hadlock Road Crew (now comes with restrooms!) •Road Crew Leadership transition •Fleet improvements •Chip seal program, pavement patching, storm response, signs/pavement markings, vegetation management, drainage, snow/ice, trail maintenance (getting 3.2 miles more this year), etc. Other little things… •3.2 miles of Olympic Discovery Trail to Anderson Lake (construction): $4,000,000 this spring/summer •Linger Longer Bridge and Lower Big Quilcene River (surprise!): $37,000,000 (Jamestown & HCSEG) •Upper Hoh Road and South Shore Quinault emergency repairs: $1,200,000 (including mitigation) •Lords Lake Road landslide repair: $500,000 •Little Quilcene River Bridge (Center Road): design/right of way ($5M total project) •Yarr Bridge design (Center Road): $600,000 •Gardiner Beach Road and Boat Ramp ( w/ Port of Port Townsend) •Quilcene Ped/Bike: with what staff? •Rhody Drive North and South Ped/Bike: design phase, possible construction of north phase •ODT PS2P RAISE project: “Jefferson County Public Works won’t have to do anything”. •Trout Unlimited Fish Passage Projects: various stages of design. Construction schedule? •FLAP projects on West End: who can say? Jefferson County Public Works County Roads Also: •Shine Road Repair Project •Existing FEMA & FHWA ER project management •Jacob Miller / S. Discovery intersection 4-way stop conversion •Joint County City SR20/Mill Road Roundabout Project (SS4A grant & legislative effort) •Permits: Road Approach, Utility, Development Review, Special Event, Setback Variances, & General Permit •Open ROW Permits, Road Vacations, Quiet Title Actions, Road Vacations, & constant citizen driven ROW research •Accident Reporting, Road Log Management, Annual CRAB reporting •WSDOT Project Coordination (e.g. roundabouts & fish passage projects) •$126 mil Hwy. 101 Duckabush Restoration-Road Realignment Project •Perpetual capital project grant application preparation and management •Comprehensive Plan Transportation Element •ADA Transition Plan, Title VI reporting, DBE and apprenticeship requirements and reporting •Mason Street Habitat for Humanity Project Jefferson County Public Works County Roads Massive department to work on list above Average age of engineering staff: 64 -1 County Fleet Program Jefferson County Public Works Fleet Program Fleet moved to Public Works in 2025 Fleet Manager resigned in 2025 Jefferson County Public Works Fleet Program Fleet Management?(1000’s) Jefferson County Public Works Fleet Program •270 pieces of equipment/vehicles, much of it very complex, all of it now computerized •JCSO, DCD, Health, Solid Waste, Parks, Roads, etc. •Currently 3 mechanics and Foreman Issues: •Runaway Inflation –customers not paying enough for replacements •Spending on projects that were not funded through equipment rents (building improvements, etc.) •Overhead not fully captured for costs to: •Operate a fully staffed shop •Utilities •Management, finance •3 fuel stations (2 with underground storage tanks) •Insurance •Training •Etc. •No auction since 2021. Stuff is growing moss on the back 40. Rising Equipment Costs -Example •2011 Street Sweeper •Jefferson Co. owns exactly one (1) sweeper •Out of commission last 7 months •Can no longer get parts •Has been sent out for repairs multiple times –no luck •WORN OUT!!! •Rented a unit for $11,000/mo. for chip seal •2011 cost to purchase: $201,000 •2024 cost to purchase: $460,000 •Equals 6.6% rate annual inflation Jefferson County Public Works Fleet Program •Fleet is entirely funded by Customer rental rates. •Rental Rates must cover all costs: •Depreciation •Replacement (inflation) •Maintenance (labor, parts) •Fuel •Everything else: •Shop Maintenance/Improvements •Staff overhead •Utilities •Operation/Management of 3 Fueling sites •Pit and inventory management •Insurance •Financial record keeping, AP, Payroll •Cost allocation (it shouldn’t) •When you are part of the Fleet ER&R Program, you are paying for all of the above. Not just the cost of the vehicle. It is very important that we retain all of our County department customers! Any savings one customer can achieve by bailing out just means the GF will need to offset by subsidizing remaining Fleet customers. Jefferson County Public Works Fleet Program What about Electric Vehicles (EVs)? Public Works and Facilities directed to “make it happen” with no additional staff to “make it happen”. •Four (4) EV’s now in the Fleet •Central Services Director inherited a grant for chargers, but no staff •Who pays for the electricity? •How is it distributed to the correct departments? •How is it charged to the vehicle in the Fleet software system? •How do people charge off-site, which is frequently necessary for EVs? •Is Fleet supposed to set up accounts with multiple charging vendors for off-site charging or is it up to each Department? •What controls are necessary to satisfy an Auditor? •Where do responders like the Fire Marshal charge when the power goes out? It’s all solvable, but it takes time and staff to do this. Jefferson County Public Works Fleet Program 2025 Workplan •Stabilize the Fund •Distribute 100% Overhead to Customers •Set aside and protect replacement funds –for each department •Figure out how to replace vehicles/equipment without adequate funding to do so •Figure out EV charging plans with Facilities •Foreman transition plan •Fleet Manager vacancy •Train new Mechanic •Auction off four years of surplus vehicles/equipment! County Financial Team Jefferson County Public Works Financial Team •Accounts Payable/Receivable (600 invoices per month requiring coding, scanning, data entry, batching) •Payroll 78 PW employees (daily timecards for Road Crew, Fleet Repair order –all locked out last few days of month, terrible) •Solid Waste revenue receipting •Grant billings •Audits •Budgets •Spending Plans •CAMS/Munis interface. Munis is labor intensive and “picky” •Fleet interface. Repair orders. •Inventory •Project reporting Big stuff: •Will lose 35 year Financial Manager in 2 years who “does it all”. No backup due to requirement to run a “LEAN” Department •Future of CAMS, Munis, Fleet Software? Conclusions There is no backup for critical and complex jobs… Where do you “scale back”? Jefferson County Public Works Conclusions •Infrastructure is aging, and… •Maintenance has been deferred to keep taxes/rates low, but… •County still adding new infrastructure, while at the same time… •Underfunding the department(s) responsible for maintenance, resulting in… •Lack of adequate staffing to do the work •Significant retirements in next 2 to 3 years. •All while taking on the largest, most expensive, most complex project in County history. Jefferson County Public Works Conclusions Remember: •Every position you add in the General Fund is a position that we have to eliminate in Public Works. •You could have reduced the Diversion by $100,000 or increased the PILT distribution to Public Works instead. •Every Action has a Reaction. Pop Quiz: What is the only County Department that is smaller today than it was 15 years ago?Answer:Public Works (County Roads) Jefferson County Public Works Conclusions You can dream about this But if this is what fits your budget, treat it accordingly. If you try to drive it like the Ferrari, the wheels are going to fall off. END