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2017-09-13 BOCC PW Individual Update MinutesLewis County Board of County Commissioners Public Works Update September 13, 2017 Present: Commissioner Bobby Jackson, Commissioner Gary Stamper, Commissioner Edna Fund, Erik Martin, Archie Smith, Lara Seiler, recorder Start 10:33 am ADMINISTRATION Public Works Organization- Archie noted that he met with Erik and Lara to discuss reclassification on five positions. Engineering Tech IV-Appraiser- Kelly Albert is now a Washington State Licensed Real Estate Appraiser. Erik is asking for a one grade increase as this will save the department thousands of dollars on appraisals. There are now 2 licensed appraisers in the Public Works Department. The board approved to increase the Engineering Tech IV-Appraiser position from a Grade 21 to a Grade 22. Mechanic Journey II- This position was sent to Matt Weatherly for grading due to a CDL requirement being added. The position came back as the same grade (19) as before. Archie will research this further with Matt as the job is now very similar of the Heavy Equipment Mechanic which is graded at a 20. The only one in Motorpool with a CDL is Pat Gray. Having a CDL is an important part of the mechanic position. Recycling Program Coordinator- Melanie Case who is currently a Grade 19 has many similar job duties as the Health Education Coordinator which a Grade 21. Archie noted he is in support of increasing this position to a Grade 21. The board approved to increase the Recycling Program Coordinator position to a Grade 21. Hazardous Waste Program Coordinator- John Hanson is currently a Grade 19 and has similar duties to the Recycling Program Coordinator position. The board approved to increase the Hazardous Waste Program Coordinator position to a Grade 21. A brief discussion was held regarding a CVO Deputy. Erik noted that he will set up a meeting with the Sheriff in the future for further discussion. Water Utility Operator- This is a market type position and scored at a Grade 20 a few years ago. The plant moved from a level 2 to a level 3 plant and John Strom has received his Water Treatment Plant Operator (WTPO) license. The score from Matt Weatherly came back as a Grade 20 but in order to keep the market push Archie suggested a one grade increase to keep position marketable. The board approved to increase the Water Utility Operator to a Grade 21. Commissioner Jackson left meeting at 10:51 am County Engineer placement- The County Engineer is a market position and could be placed on the grid from a Grade 32-35. Erik is currently a Grade 35. The board recommended this position be placed at a Grade 33 and Tim Fife would be place at a 33I. Commissioner Fund and Commissioner Stamper approved the placement. Erik Martin’s contract- Erik noted he is working on a job description for the director position. Archie doesn’t think we need to change contract as no pay or benefits are being revised. Fleet Manager- Discussion was held regarding the Fleet Manager being a market position. Tim Murphy who was the selected candidate is asking to start higher up the scale than a step C. Commissioner Fund and Commissioner Stamper gave their approval to start Tim at a 25I. Traffic Engineer- Jack Niehauser who is the candidate for the Traffic Engineer is asking to be placed at a 29L on the salary grid. He is also accruing 22 hours of vacation a month at his current job and is asking for 13.5 hours if he is hired by Lewis County. Archie would prefer that he was offered personal time instead of vacation time as personal time cannot roll over from year to year. Discussion was held regarding personal time vs admin time. Not limited to number of days. Commissioner Fund and Commissioner Stamper approved the placement to a 29L and will let Archie and Erik work out the details of the personal time which will be detailed in his hire letter. Archie left the meeting at 11:12 a.m. Budget- Erik noted that the paint striper is schedule to be replaced in 2018 and is on the equipment purchasing list. Erik informed that board that the striper would have to be ordered now to have it ready by 2018 as it takes 6 months to receive. Erik will speak with Suzette to make sure it is ok to order ahead of time. 2018 Annual Construction Program and equipment purchase- Erik presented the Annual Construction Program documents to the board per the requirements of WAC 136-16. The documents also included the vehicle and equipment purchase list for 2018. Recruitments- Previously discussed. Right of Way Occupation- Discussion was held regarding homeless citizens taking up residence underneath the Galvin Bridge. The board would like Erik to discuss further with Danette York and Michele Sorlie. Personnel discipline- Erik noted there have been personnel issues with one of the engineering technicians. The problem has been getting worse and there has been progressive discipline to include suspension without pay. This employee may be assigned to another supervisor soon to see if any of the issues get better. TRAFFIC ENGINEERING & OPERATIONS Area 5 Shop Addition- This is a FEMA project in which bays were added to the shop. There have been issues with the concrete pour but those have since been settled. WATV- Erik met with Eric Eisenberg and discussed WATV’s. Eric will be drafting an ordinance. Pleasant Valley Culvert Project- No discussion. Lakeside Drive- No discussion. Boistfort Rd- This project will start soon and will take 15 days. REAL ESTATE County Owned Property- Frank Dickson would like to acquire Lewis County property at the intersection of Koontz Rd and Woodard Rd to support a duplex. Larry Unzelman explained to Mr. Dickson that Public Works uses this site to state large oil tankers for road surfacing projects. The board supports the decision to retain the property. Lincoln Creek Property- Larry Unzelman would like to hire a realtor to sell this property. Currently the property is not listed on MLS. The board was in favor of the property being listed. ENGINEERING/CONSTRUCTION Project Updates Hwy 603- Project is moving forward, no discussion. CTB and Chip Seal- Project is moving forward, no discussion. Hwy Safety Grant Project- Project is moving forward, no discussion. SOLID WASTE Host Fee Agreement- Erik brought up the host fee agreement issue at a recent SWAC meeting and the council did not bring any recommendations forward. Currently Solid Waste is paying a host fee of $250k to the City of Centralia. Larry Unzelman had previously done an appraisal of the property and it was valued at $55k. The board would like to discuss this issue further with Glenn and Public Works will set up the meeting. VADER WATER Reservoir Project- Erik noted that the reservoir project is moving forward. Rates- Discussion was held regarding rate increases for Vader Water which would build up a reserve for capital facilities. Certain fees such as service turn ons and shut offs would also need to be increased. Recently the computer controller went down and it will be a few thousand dollars to fix it. Erik and Commissioner Stamper plan to have a meeting with Vader citizens in the near future. GOOD OF THE ORDER Discussion was held regarding the Sheriff using the Randle shop as a satellite office. The Randle shop was built with only the road crew in mind. Further discussion was held regarding using capital facilities money to potentially add space onto the existing building. Ended 11:49 am