ORDINANCE NO. 179883

*Authorize the Bureau of Water Works to create 15 new positions to reduce Bureau reliance on outside contractors for the Bureau Capital Improvement Program (Ordinance)

The City of Portland ordains:

Section 1. The Council finds:

1.  The Bureau of Water Works requires staff resources including supervisors, engineers, project managers, technicians, inspectors, surveyors, and records managers to perform planning, design, and construction of the increased Capital Improvement Program (CIP) and reduce the reliance on outside hired professional services.

2.  The Bureau of Water Works CIP has traditionally been supported by a combination of both in-house and contracted engineering expertise and resources. The Bureau received feedback from community interests and the City Council that it was relying too heavily on outside contractors for the execution of its responsibilities. The Bureau of Water Works requests to convert resources previously dedicated to external consultants into in-house staffing.

3.  By increasing in-house engineering capabilities, the Bureau of Water Works will develop expertise and resources that will allow it to respond in a timely manner to both changing work demands and the operation and maintenance needs of the system.

4.  The Bureau of Water Works plans to add 40 new engineering positions between now and FY 2007-08. The Bureau proposes to achieve this by adding 15 positions for the remainder of this fiscal year, 15 positions in FY 2006-2007, and 10 more positions in FY 2007-2008. When complete, the Bureau of Water Works estimates that this total of 40 new positions will require converting about $4 Million/year in Professional Technical Expert (PTE) contracts to in-house work. The Bureau of Water Works requests the conversion over three years to ensure that the Bureau can methodically bring new staff in phases and ensure that the Capital Improvement Program will continue to support this level of staffing.

5.  The Bureau of Water Works will still need to contract out for some engineering services (PTE) to cover both peak workloads and for highly specialized work. The Bureau of Water Works does not believe it is wise to develop in-house expertise for projects which occur either too sporadically or are one-time events.

NOW, THEREFORE, The Council directs:

a.  The Bureau of Water Works and the Bureau of Human Resources are authorized to create following positions in accordance with the salary ranges established in the City’s current compensation plan:

b.  The Commissioner-in-Charge, the Bureau of Water Works, and the Bureau of Human Resources are authorized to begin the process of hiring the positions in accordance with the timelines described above.

Section 2. The Council declares that an emergency exists because the prompt implementation of this ordinance is a key element in the Bureau’s infrastructure improvement goals. Therefore, this ordinance shall be in full force and effect from and after its passage by the Council.

T Kovatch

January 12, 2005

BACKING SHEET INFORMATION

AGENDA NO. 70-2006

ORDINANCE/RESOLUTION/COUNCIL DOCUMENT NO. 179883