040901 CC Ws AgP
April 4, 2001
Benefits of Blendin2 Excelsior and Shorewood Public Works
Immediate
. More comprehensive service -- Ability to focus staff & equipment resources to get jobs
done (especially important when scheduling with employees out sick or on vacation)
. Quicker service -- Complete these jobs in shorter time periods, thus leaving public
works/parks infrastructure available to users without disruption by City crews
. Cross~training of staffs (a benefit whether experiment is successful or not)
. Assistance and coordination during disruption of Highway 7 projects in 2001
. Shorewood's in-house vehicle certification
. Shorewood can provide some engineering services and consultant management services
to Excelsior, thus lessening reliance on and having additional monitoring of consultants
Intermediate
. More efficient use of each site for storage of materials and equipment (more things can
be stockpiled at Shorewood; the very-visible Excelsior site would be cleaner)
. Sharing of facilities, e.g.:
· Shorewood's salt storage shed (environmental benefit)
· Shorewood's mechanic's bay (Excelsior can perform more mechanical repairs, safer)
· Excelsior's water testing lab
. Greater variety of work for employees
· job enrichment
· career path opportunities
. Shorewood's water and sewer systems can be run with municipal, rather than contract,
staff
· greater likelihood of job security for current water/sewer employees
. Economies of scale on (re)construction projects, supply/materials purchases
Long-term
. Excelsior & Shorewood existing equipment fleets complement each other very well
. Coordinate capital equipment purchases
. Probable reduction in the number or possible redundancy of vehicles/pieces of
equipment
· Opportunity to acquire needed specialized pieces of equipment
. Improved quality and array of services with existing level of financial commitments
. Possibility of saving $$ or slowing the rate of increase for public works costs
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Benefits of Blending Excelsior and Shorewood Public Works
April 4, 2001
Page 2
Tangible Benefits
. Work completed sooner
· Snow removed from down~own Excelsior
· Preparing or cleaning up The Commons and Freeman Park
· Hydrant flushing
· Sewer cleaning
· Dock installation/removal
. Better use & acquisition of equipment
. Both cities having in-house utilities staff
. Better level and quality of public works services and, possibly, a greater array of public
works services for the same level of expenditure
Intangible Benefits
. Sense that each city's residents and businesses are receiving better services
. Sense for each city's residents and businesses that they are receiving better services
because afthe combination of Excelsior and ~horewood public works resources
. Sense of the value and importance of the greater South Lake community
. Greater leverage in dealing with Hennepin County or State of Minnesota due to larger
population being served
. Greater sense of teamwork among public works staffs
Areas for Measurement or Assessment
. $ saving in combining capital equipment programs (CEPs)
. ability to acquire other needed pieces of equipment with little if any increase in total
for planned capital outlay
. $ saving in joint purchasing of supplies
. Amount of time (# days or hours) to do time-consuming routine tasks, e.g.:
. Prepping/cleaning up The Commons and Freeman Park
. Days needed for crack sealing, preparation for seal coating
· Removing snow from downtown Excelsior
. Frequency of certain tasks (increased frequency shows increased level of service)
. (Presumably) Additional preventive maintenance that can be performed on Shorewood's
water system
. Public feedback