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Trends Affectina the Department. <br />Environmental Stewardship <br />Responsibilities of the Public Works Department in the area of environmental jstewardship have <br />been expanding for the last ten years and continue to expand. Public interest in quality of life as <br />defined by open space, the urban forest, clean water, and clean air, as well as federal and state <br />environmental regulations contribute to the department's focus on environmental stewardship. The <br />department is devoted to developing cooperative relationships with other agencies to enhance its <br />ability to meet its environmental stewardship objectives, enlisting volunteers to offset operational <br />costs. <br />Preservation and enhancement of the community's natural resources must be balanced with <br />growth and economic viability. As our community changes, the Public Works Department will <br />continue to respond to all its infrastructure needs, both built and natural. <br />Employee Development/Workforce Planning <br />During the past couple of years, the Public Works Department has had a constant stream of <br />employees retire. This trend will likely continue because each year 4 to 5% of the Department <br />employees are eligible to retire and there is much uncertainty regarding the Public Employee <br />Retirement System. In addition, the labor and benefit costs per employee are rapidly increasing <br />and the public demand for quality services is increasing as well. <br />The combined effects of the increased service demand, the number of employees retiring, and the <br />rising employee costs are forcing the department to reduce its labor force through attrition. <br />Hopefully, this will allow the department to avoid future workforce reductions. <br />The department's smaller workforce in the future will need to have increasingly flexible work <br />practices, increased mobility and constant updating of skills. Therefore, the department must <br />develop strategies to continually and improve the skills of the employees and adjust its services to <br />meet the demands. <br />Financial Management <br />The infrastructure is in need of corrective and preventive maintenance, and in many cases, <br />reconstruction. Because maintenance was deferred over the past several years the result has <br />been in an unfunded liability for the community. The Public Works Department is facing funding <br />deficits within the next three to five years within many of its funds. For example, the Road Fund is <br />likely to have a $1 to $2 million deficit by FY 06 if the operating costs stay constant. The City is <br />developing methods to provide dedicated funding sources to maintain the public infrastructure. <br />The public is demanding financial accountability or improved understanding on how the monies are <br />utilized. The divisions are seeking cost accounting strategies and methods to (track and analyze the <br />cost of services to find effective ways to reduce operating costs. <br />The Department is implementing strategies to improve its cost accounting methods to track costs <br />and analyze funds used to provide services. The department is also seeking more effective <br />methods to engage the public in the decision making processes to address the fiscal constraints in <br />providing and delivering services effectively, while managing the issues related to the increased <br />service demand, expectations and unfunded liabilities. <br />