Discuss Maintenance of the New Public Works Facility 

The purpose of this discussion is to review options for cleaning and maintaining the new Public Works Facility. 

As the Council may recall, budget discussions for 2021 included a request to hire a part-time building maintenance worker in anticipation for the new building and other current tasks needing attention. Staff was asked to put a hold on hiring a part-time Building Maintenance Worker.  Staff stated that research would be done to determine the best course of action, whether it be to outsource the work, fill the hours with current staff or to conduct a recruitment for the needed hours.   

Staff found the cost to outsource the work was a greater cost and is not conducive to having good control over the processes, quality of work,  and would not fulfill the requirement to inspect the new boilers, as required by the State of Minnesota. 

The estimate for outsourcing the work is $32,500 (in 2022) for only 3 days per week of coverage.  Whereas the cost to add 15 hours per week to our current part-time Building Maintenance Worker is $33,229 for 5 days per week of coverage, plus much better control over the work product, less supervisory oversight of a contracted firm, and retention of a current employee.  Staff's preferred remedy to this situation is as follows:  #1 Increase the current part-time employee to full-time, followed by #2 recruiting for an additional part-time employee, followed by (not recommended) #3 outsourcing the work.  

As Council is aware, this item is currently included in the 2022 preliminary budget.  Staff is requesting to bring the current 25 hour per week employee to 40 hours per week, effective immediately.  Staff recommends this continue beyond 2021 as is listed in the 2022 preliminary budget.  As discussed as part of the 2022 budget, staff is recommending the current 25 hour per week employee, Mr. Erick Benson, for 40 hours per week.  

The City Council may be interested to know that our current building maintenance staff includes one full-time Building Maintenance Supervisor, one full-time Building Maintenance Worker and two part-time Building Maintenance Workers.  Building maintenance staff are responsible for the following duties:
A. Perform janitorial services and maintenance at all City facilities including City Hall, parks facilities, fire departments, public works, the parking ramp and both cemeteries
B. Monitor and perform light maintenance on utility systems
C. Run errands
D. Set-up and clean-up for meetings
E. Perform basic building and equipment repairs
F. Assist City Clerk with management of elections equipment, including but not limited to setting up and taking down all polling locations for all elections 
G. Perform Fleet Management
H. Perform Landscape Maintenance
I.  Perform snow removal, and 
J. Perform a wide range of tasks 
 

The 2021 funding required to increase Mr. Erick Benson from 25 hours per week to 40 hours per week from mid-October to December 31, 2021 is $6960.00.  This amount would come from the savings incurred as a result of unanticipated unpaid time off within the department. 

Based on discussion.