CITY COUNCL SUPPLEMENTAL - Laserfiche WebLink

SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL 10 A. The Water and Sewer (Non-General Fund) budget includes several new positions to support ongoing operations, ensure regulatory compliance, and deliver capital projects outlined in the Enhanced Water System Management Plan (WSMP) and the forthcoming Sanitary Sewer Management Plan (SSMP). These positions include additional Operators and Engineering staff, who are essential to: • Manage and deliver critical infrastructure projects; • Enhance operational capacity to maintain reliable water and sewer services; • Support regulatory compliance with State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) mandates for drinking water, sewer system management, water conservation, and cross-connection control; • Sustain the delivery of high-quality drinking water and reliable sanitary sewer services to the community. A recent independent audit of the City’s sanitary sewer system identified a number of critical deficiencies that must be addressed in advance of the completed SSMP (targeted for June 2025), the associated Capital Improvement Program (CIP) and Operations & Maintenance (O&M) Plan (Fall 2025), and the next Sewer Rate Study (Spring 2026). Immediate staffing is necessary to implement these corrective actions and maintain regulatory compliance. In-House vs. Contracted Services: Due to the operational complexity of the City’s water and sewer systems— and the high reliance on City-specific tools and systems such as GIS, SCADA, Maintstar, Tyler Munis, SEW, and Accela—contracting out routine Operations and Maintenance (O&M) functions is generally neither cost- effective nor efficient. These activities require deep institutional knowledge and rapid responsiveness, which are best supported by in-house personnel. A few project-specific or specialized services may be appropriately contracted out. These include: • Capital improvement engineering and design services, • Repair & replacement (R&R) project design and construction, • Field inspections (e.g., CCTV inspections, water and sewer pipeline assessments), • Construction management and inspection services for capital projects. Historically, the City has augmented internal capacity with consulting support where appropriate and justifiable. Staff will continue to evaluate alternative delivery models to identify cost-effective solutions. Preliminary cost