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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFY 2024 (DPW Department of Public Works) Budget Narrative DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS FY 2024 BUDGET AND OPERATIONS SYNOPSIS Troy Tanigawa County Engineer 1 FY 2021 to FY 2022 BUDGET COMPARSION Funds: GENERAL FUNDS Department: PUBLIC WORKS FY 2023 FY 2024 $ + / - % + / - Salary and Wages 3,712,090 4,110,712 398,622 10.7% Benefits 2,453,798 2,571,308 117,510 4.8% Utilities 1,392,025 1,559,652 167,627 12.0% Vehicle/Equip, Lease 266,045 974,049 708,004 266.1% Operations 1,025,531 1,075,140 49,609 4.8% 8,849,489 10,290,861 1,441,372 16.3% 2 Fund: HIGHWAY FUND Department: PUBLIC WORKS FY 2023 FY 2024 $ + / - % + / - Salary and Wages 5,313,762 5,704,726 390,964 7.4% Benefits 3,581,514 3,676,432 94,918 2.7% Utilities 584,630 589,630 5,000 0.9% Vehicle/Equip, Lease 1,363,435 1,409,560 46,125 3.4% Operations 3,755,978 5,309,221 1,553,243 41.4% 14,599,319 16,689,569 2,090,250 14.3% 3 Fund: G.E. Tax FUND Department: PUBLIC WORKS FY 2023 FY 2024 $ + / - % + / - Salary and Wages 266,910 272,541 5,631 2.1% Benefits 128,478 145,135 16,657 13.0% Utilities 0 0 0 0.0% Vehicle/Equip, Lease 1 1,046,001 1,046,000 ############ Operations 15,681,008 15,615,593 -65,415 -0.4% 16,076,397 17,079,270 1,002,873 6.2% 4 Fund: BEAUTIFICATION FUND Department: PUBLIC WORKS FY 2023 FY 2024 $ + / - % + / - Salary and Wages 0 0 0 0.0% Benefits 0 0 0 0.0% Utilities 0 0 0 0.0% Vehicle/Equip, Lease 0 0 0 0.0% Operations 402,660 402,660 0 0.0% 402,660 402,660 0 0.0% 5 Fund: SOLID WASTE FUND Department: PUBLIC WORKS FY 2023 FY 2024 $ + / - % + / - Salary and Wages 4,671,949 5,159,695 487,746 10.4% Benefits 3,219,887 3,363,555 143,668 4.5% Utilities 101,131 108,731 7,600 7.5% Vehicle/Equip, Lease 3,111,117 5,175,181 2,064,064 66.3% Operations 12,482,685 13,608,935 1,126,250 9.0% 23,586,769 27,416,097 3,829,328 16.2% 6 Fund: SEWER FUND Department: PUBLIC WORKS FY 2023 FY 2024 $ + / - % + / - Salary and Wages 2,866,606 3,143,746 277,140 9.7% Benefits 1,885,278 1,961,554 76,276 4.0% Utilities 1,832,000 1,838,000 6,000 0.3% Vehicle/Equip, Lease 581,213 2,179,212 1,597,999 274.9% Operations 6,028,965 7,987,470 1,958,505 32.5% 13,194,062 17,109,982 3,915,920 29.7% 7 DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS – ADMINISTRATION AND FISCAL 1. MAJOR CHANGES AND/OR VARIANCES IN OPERATIONS BUDGET No major changes to the administration and fiscal’s budget. We continue to develop a plan for our reorganization of DPW’s operations. 2. OPERATIONAL CHALLENGES Attracting qualified candidates for key positions in the Division is very challenging. Compensation remains a significant factor. DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS – BUILDING DIVISION 1. MAJOR CHANGES AND/OR VARIANCES IN OPERATIONS BUDGET • New code adoption requires training for plan review and inspection staff along with design professionals, developers and contractors. Now that COVID-19 restrictions have eased Kaua’i volunteered to host the HACBO (Hawai’i Association of County Building Officials) annual conference on May 17 – 18, 2023. Code officials, design professionals, contractors and developers are welcome to attend this event for a variety of guest speakers and training in the model codes. • Building Code Enforcement Section Program Measures/Evaluation Number of days for permits to be approved by Building Division: FY 2020 FY 2021 FY 2022 Residential 24 12.3 9.3 Commercial 7 17.4 10.3 Code Enforcement Inspections FY 2020 FY 2021 FY 2022 Building Code Inspections 6,306 9,153 8,963 Electrical Code Inspections 4,719 5,511 5,070 Plumbing Code Inspections 5,286 5,512 6,665 Total Code Inspections 18,839 20,176 20,698 Code Permits Issued FY 2020 FY 2021 FY 2022 Building Code Permits 1,429 2,164 1,403 Electrical Code Permits 1,677 2,287 2,194 Plumbing Code Permits 976 997 1,209 Sign Code Permits 317 102 156 Photovoltaic/Solar 928 1,444 1,356 Total Code Permits Issued 5,327 6,994 6,318 Building Permit Valuations $305,916,819 $391,309,902 $296,863,622 8 2. OPERATIONAL CHALLENGES • An Administrative Support Assistant SR-16 position is included in FY2024 budget proposal to fulfill some of the duties of the former Office Manager. • Building Division looks to hiring additional inspectors in FY2024 to address the increasing number of violation complaints. • Continuous recruitment for Building Plans Examiner has not provided Building Division with qualified candidates to fill vacancies. Building Division may be forced to look at mainland third-party building plan review companies to fill the void. 3. TOP OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS FROM FY 2023 • Building Division’s Electronic Permit Review (EPR) recently completed an upgrade to Version 9.2 of ProjectDox/Avolve enabling greater compatibility with newer PDF versions of Acrobat along with other PDF types. DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS – ENGINEERING DIVISION 1. MAJOR CHANGES AND/OR VARIANCES IN OPERATIONS BUDGET The only major change in Engineering Division’s budget is in salaries due primarily to projected cost increases resulting from employee collective bargaining raises at roughly 4% (BU-13) and 5% (BU-3) and the corresponding benefits. 2. OPERATIONAL CHALLENGES Engineering Division continues to have staffing shortages, affecting Division operations and project management. Fortunately, we were able to hire two junior Civil Engineers between October 2021 and January 2022. This has reduced staffing challenges and there are currently no vacant positions. However, two of the three incumbents in Section Chief (Civil Engineer VI) positions are temporarily assigned to other positions, as follows: • Troy Tanigawa (Project Management Section Head) - temporarily assigned to be the Acting County Engineer. Joel Bautista, a Civil Engineer V in Engineering Division - temporarily assigned to be Project Management Section Head. • Donald Fujimoto (Construction Section Head) - temporarily assigned as Acting Wastewater Division Chief. There are no available staff to be temporarily assigned to be Construction Section Head at this time. The consequences of these temporary assignments are as follows: • Michael Moule (Engineering Division Chief) must take over many of the Construction Section Head duties including managing staff, making even minor construction management decisions, and more. He must also assist Joel Bautista as he learns to be Project Management Section Head. These additional duties make it extremely difficult to keep up with normal duties, resulting in delays to County projects, outgoing letters for reviews of private development projects, and more. 9 • Joel Bautista (Acting Project Management Section Head) must spend time managing the section. This gives him less time to manage his projects, so some of his less urgent projects are on hold. • Brock Tacata (Civil Engineer III in Construction Section) must take on some of the duties of the Construction Section Chief related to private development. This makes him less available to manage County projects. Projects that would have been assigned to Brock remain on hold. • Our Regulatory Section is currently fully staffed, but due to the shortage in project managers, the Regulatory Section Chief and one other Regulatory staff member have been asked to assist with design and project management of County projects. As a result, reviews of private plans are delayed. • When Doug Haigh retired from Building Division, three of his projects related to Ke Ala Hele Makalae were transitioned to Engineering Division. While Engineering Division is the correct place for these projects to be managed, because these projects are all in or approaching the construction phase they require a lot of staff time to manage. Therefore, all project management staff are being pulled away from other, less urgent projects. Engineering Division must be fully staffed to adequately manage all County projects and keep them on schedule. DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS – ROADS DIVISION 1. MAJOR CHANGES AND/OR VARIANCES IN OPERATIONS BUDGET The major changes in Road Division’s Budget are as follows: • Request for a $100,000.00 increase in traffic safety. Road Division crews are exposed to road hazards while working in the roadway and along shoulders, therefore increasing traffic safety will allow crews to work within the County right-of-way safely and efficiently. • Request for a $50,000.00 increase in equipment rentals. Access to rental equipment will allow projects to continue with minimal down time when machines are broken or down for servicing. Equipment can be rented for projects needing special equipment not used in the daily operations of baseyards. • Request for a $52,500.00 reduction in other supplies. • Request for a $114,500.00 increase in small equipment and supplies. Having immediate access to steel plates, plastic barriers and concrete barriers are essential for the safety of motorists and residents using County roads in situations where damaged pavement and eroded shoulders are unforeseen. • Request for a $142,500.00 increase in equipment. Light towers stored at baseyards will quickly mobilize to various project sites, increasing worker safety and response time to emergency callouts at night. An additional riding mower will be designated and shared between the Waimea Levee and the Hanapepe Levee. Message boards will assist with notifying customer for road maintenance and repair work on County roads. • Request for a $1,100,000.00 increase in other services, including on-call tree trimming services, multimodal improvements, road safety services, replacements and repairs to rapid flashing beacons at pedestrian crosswalks, and service to open river mouths around Kauai to prevent flooding of private property. • Request for a $889,500.00 increase in automobiles using GE funds. Replacement of labor 10 trucks and skid steer track loaders for baseyards and crews are essential for daily operations. The purchase of new excavators, loaders and lifts are important for completing projects for all Division and Departments for Kauai County. Equipment is currently on long term rental. 2. OPERATIONAL CHALLENGES • Roads Division continues to face the ever-growing challenges of maintaining road safety by keeping vegetation in check while using minimal herbicides. Over the years, the reduction of spraying directly increased the need for mechanical and manual labor to keep up with the quick growing vegetation like Guinea grass. Maintaining sufficient staffing levels is a constant challenge for Road Divisions laborers and operators. • The resignation and retirement of employees in the Roads Division Administration hindered the equipment, material, and service contracts important in keeping Roads Division operating efficiently. Roads Division is currently managed by Executive Assistant to the Mayor with the assistance of Public Works Administration and in the process of hiring an Administrative Assistant and Project Manager. Roads Division Administration shall be fully staffed to adequately manage all baseyards, crews and projects, while providing excellent customer service to residents of Kauai. DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS – SOLID WASTE DIVISION 1. MAJOR CHANGES AND/OR VARIANCES IN OPERATIONS BUDGET The major changes in Solid Waste Division’s Budget are as follows: • Requesting three new automated refuse collection trucks to replace two of the aging fleet and increase fleet redundancy and reduce breakdowns. The cumulative cost to maintain aged trucks and downtime, including costs such as overtime compensation to complete collection routes, per CBA provisions, causes trash service costs to surpass the cost for a new collection truck. • Also requesting replacement equipment for Refuse Transfer Stations (RTS) (Loader, and two Leakproof Trailers) as well as a new Backhoe for Hanalei RTS. Functional equipment is vital to maintaining safe operations at our RTS’s which operate seven days per week. • Requested a new CAT D6 Bulldozer to serve as a backup to the dozer at Kekaha Landfill. This will assure a dozer is available when one goes down or is in service. Again, this equipment is necessary to maintain safe operations at Kekaha Landfill which operates seven days per week. • Requesting a new Solid Waste Worker I position to serve as an attendant at the Līhu‘e RTS. This is a health and safety issue to assure minimum staffing to protect our workers and the public. • Other new requests include $110,000 a disaster debris management plan updated and development of RFP for disaster debris management standby contract. Also requested $160,000 for construction of fencing and camera system upgrade for security at Līhu‘e RTS which has been subject to vandalism and theft. • There is a new request of $500,000 for Construction and Demolition Debris (C&D) diversion. C&D waste makes up about 24% of the waste going into the landfill, at about 20,000 tons per year. The funding will be used to issue a Request for Proposals for reuse, composting and/or alternate processing of C&D waste to minimize the waste going to landfill. The amount that 11 can be diverted will depend on the processing options available to manage this waste. Coupled with future disposal bans, our goal is to and divert at least half of the C&D waste that goes to landfill, for a 10,000 ton per year reduction or more. • There is an increased budget for refuse collection carts. Budget of $222,000 per year will allow for the purchase of about 1,600 carts along with storage containers to shelter carts as they are distributed. We plan to issue a solicitation for a multi-term contract to purchase at least this many carts per year for a three year period in order to replace the carts that have reached their end of life. Carts will be replaced upon verification of damages so that the carts have maximum usage. • The Financial Assurance budget has decreased. The calculation is based on closure cost developed in 2021 and adjusted for inflation for 2030, an updated total of funding set aside through June of 2023, and the amount of funding we will need to save before the landfill is closed. The amount needed to be saved is divided by the remaining airspace for a total set aside of $17.85 per ton. • We will be negotiating a new contract for the Kaua‘i Recycles Residential Drop Bin Program in FY24 and anticipate a price increase of 20%. Conversely, the price to manage green waste has been reduced since we solicited competitive bids for processing by the ton instead of regionally exempt procurements for volume-based processing. • The Recycling Grant in Aid request has been replaced with a request to fund Recycling Enhancements. This request supports new diversion programs outlined in our Integrated Solid Waste Management plan. In FY23 we provided competitive grants for non-profit organizations and in FY24 we will fund recycling enhancements initiated by the for-profit sector. • Residential Earth Machine Home Composters (868 units- One 40-foot container) that are provided to residents free of charge have been restocked and do not need to be purchased in FY24. 2. OPERATIONAL CHALLENGES • Equipment breakdowns continue to be a challenge for all operational arms of the division including Kekaha Landfill, Transfer Stations, and Refuse Collection. The new equipment purchases and sufficient funding for equipment repairs are essential for maintaining operational efficiencies and employee morale as well as decrease the need for overtime to catch up or cover for services affected by equipment failures. • Overtime costs are one of our biggest challenges in the Division. Most significant reasons for overtime are staffing shortages. Minimum staffing is required for the following: we operate five facilities 7 days per week; we conduct refuse collections from residents 5 days per week including all holidays; if operations crew is out sick, on vacation, or on leave, daily manpower requirements must be met. Equipment failure, storm prep and repair, and union agreement stipulations for overtime all contribute to the Division’s overtime cost. Our efforts to reduce overtime continue and we are optimistic that the addition of a new Solid Waste Worker position will serve to help with the reduction. • Solid Waste has attempted to hire the vacant Civil Engineer position at various levels successfully since 2018. We have converted the position to a Senior Project Manager to 12 support ongoing administrative needs. It is anticipated that this position would be much easier to fill. Engineering tasks will be managed through existing professional contracts. 3. TOP OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS FROM FY 2023 • In November 2022, the Environmental Services Manager (Division Chief) position was filled with an internal hire. The position had been vacant since 2017, with the exception of two short-term hires and Temporary Assignments. Due to this internal movement, the Solid Waste Program Coordinator position was filled by the Recycling Coordinator (RC), now opening the RC position for hire. • The Solid Waste Division continues to operate transfer and disposal facilities on an 8-hour, 7- day a week operation at a high level of service for residents and businesses of Kaua‘i and also weekly island-wide refuse collection operations, in spite of extensive equipment downtime explained in our budget requests. DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS – WASTEWATER DIVISION 1. MAJOR CHANGES AND/OR VARIANCES IN OPERATIONS BUDGET • Under consultant services, our significant budget items include SCADA Maintenance Services and Upgrades ($215,000), and a new SCADA Design Plan review consultant ($50,000) to assist us with design review for our design projects. Alternatively, we have requested to decrease funding for the Waimea R-2 Reuse Services from $373,728 to $100,000, as we anticipate completion of the Waimea R-1 Water Tank project during the first quarter of FY24. • The Division is requesting $1,500,000 to support Underground Injection Control (UIC) well cleaning projects at Lihu’e and ‘Ele’ele WWTPs. Per our annual UIC well inspection reports, our UIC wells have been consistently losing capacity over the past several years. The UICs are necessary effluent disposal methods for the Lihu’e WWTP in the event we do not meet effluent quality standards, or there is no capacity at the Kauai Lagoons irrigation ponds. The UICs are the only means of effluent disposal for the ‘Ele’ele WWTP. There have been no recent budgeted attempts to clean the ‘Ele’ele WWTP UICs. The Division was budgeted $200,000 in FY23 to support well cleaning at the Lihu’e UICs. Formal competitive bidding efforts yielded bids in excess of $600,00 to clean one well, and over $800,000 to clean two wells. Due to the lack of available funding, the Division was unable to award the project. • The Division is requesting an increase of $173,000 in our Other Supplies (61-02) budget to support the increased costs of various chemicals to support the wastewater treatment processes. During FY23, our formal competitive bidding efforts resulted in a low bid of $127,000 for our annual Sodium Hypochlorite (Liquid Chlorine) requirements. Sodium Hypochlorite is used primarily at the Wailua WWTP to support disinfection efforts to meet water quality standards necessary to provide treated effluent for the Wailua Golf Course. Similarly, our negotiated efforts for Liquid Polymer yielded an estimated cost of $145,000 to support our annual requirements for all four WWTPs. Liquid Polymer is used to support dewatering efforts to properly dry our sludge. This reduces the sludge volume that gets sent to the Kekaha Landfill. 13 • Funding for replacement process and support equipment is being requested for each WWTP. These are significant equipment that have been prioritized as necessary replacements. These items include a new 400kW portable generator ($280,000) to provide backup power to the WWTPs, a replacement Screw Pump ($165,000) for the Wailua WWTP headworks, replacement reuse pumps ($70,000) at the Waimea WWTP to allow the operators to use R-1 recycled water in lieu of using potable water, froth sprays ($83,000) for the ‘Ele’ele WWTP to help attack significant foaming issues within the plant, and a replacement centrifuge ($600,000) for the Lihue WWTP to replace the existing one. Additionally, we are requesting funding for a replacement hook-lift truck ($300,000), to haul sludge to the landfill, and a replacement truck ($100,000) for the ‘Ele’ele WWTP operators. 2. OPERATIONAL CHALLENGES Wastewater Division major challenges are to keep up with complex process wastewater facilities and equipment over 40 years old: • Implement Much Needed Deferred Maintenance Projects to Avoid Consent Decrees • Prepare for Future Growth and Wastewater Needs • Strive for Financial Sustainability • Provide Reliable Service Wastewater Division challenges continue to justify and reinstate strategic staff positions to reduce outsourcing: • The Division is looking to re-instate a WWP Maintenance Mechanic (BC-12) position. There is significant backlog for the mechanics. Adding a fourth mechanic will help the Division catch up on backlog of required repair and scheduled routine maintenance. This position will be reallocated/redescribed from an existing position number. • Operations require the reinstatement of two positions to increase productivity, efficiency, reduce operational costs and support our objective to eliminate potential environmental pollution. Adding two strategic positions will catch up on backlog of required repair and scheduled routine maintenance, allow more coverage during off hours and provide a buddy system where mutual partners share in heavy work and safety when working in the hazardous conditions that these wastewater employees are constantly exposed to. 3. TOP 3 OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS FROM FY 2023 • Wastewater Division is funded through an enterprise fund where the expenses are budgeted and paid by the consumers of the service area. In FY 2023 a Rate Increase was recommended by the Wastewater Division. Wastewater Rate Increase Bill 2874 was approved and passed on July 7, 2022 increasing the Wastewater Rates effective July 1, 2023 over the following 5 years. This increase is needed to address Wastewater current priorities: a. Repair and replace broken equipment. b. Catch up on deferred maintenance. c. Projects that will save the utility money. 14 d. Projects that benefit the local environment e. Projects that will allow the reliable and effective collection, conveyance, and treatment of EXISTING wastewater service. • Wastewater Division formalized a comprehensive Safety Program with the primary intent of providing a comprehensive document reference for our Associates. Wastewater Division consists of a wide spectrum of Associates – engineers, accountants, chemists, wastewater plant operators, electricians, mechanics, linecrew, etc. primarily servicing four wastewater treatment service areas, each consisting of the wastewater treatment plant, several pump stations, and miles of sewer lines. Due to the nature of our work, the Safety Program is essential in maintaining a proactive safety culture. The Wastewater Safety Program has been submitted to the HGEA and UPW for confirmation. For 2022 Wastewater did not have any reported days off due to accidents. • Wastewater Division is working with IT and the Department of Water to interface meter reading data into the AS 400 system which will streamline consumption base non-residential billing. This will revolutionize the billing process, reducing manual input, eliminating redundancy, and preventing transposition errors.