Bayfield's current public works employees are spread thin with the many demands on their time, Public Works Director Ron Saba told town trustees on Oct. 4.
He was scheduled to give an update about the department's operations, maybe including a computer presentation.
"I don't have a lot of time to put a Power Point together," Saba told trustees. Asked what he needs for the department, he said he could use three or four more people. "I could use more staff with Class A certification" to operate the water and sewer treatment plants. "It's getting too big, guys. I can't cover all of it."
Public works operates those plants and maintains the collection and distribution lines, including from Gem Village for sewer. The department also does maintenance of town facilities, some road maintenance that's not contracted out, and plows snow in winter.
"We'll probably do a street project for the school (district) if they pass their bond" to build a new school for grades 3-5 just south of the mid school, Saba said. It will be contracted out, but he asked who will oversee that for the town. "I don't have the staff. We get spread so thin. ... It gets pretty frustrating sometimes."
He continued, "What happens if another development comes in?" He cited lack of oversight or looser standards in the past on some subdivision developments that left the town to make things right later. "I think we're a lot more prepared now, but there has to be oversight" of development, he said.
Saba reported one of his staff just got his Class B certification in water, but the plant needs an operator with Class A. The sewer plant needs a Class B operator now, but, "It'll be A if the nutrient (discharge of treated sewage) standards catch up with us. Two A plants, it's a handful sometimes." He's the only one in the department who has both certifications.
Mayor Matt Salka said, "It all comes down to money" for more staff. Anyone with Class A certification would need higher pay than regular maintenance staff.
Town Manager Chris La May commented, "They are hard to come by."
Salka asked whether water and sewer rates need to be raised to help cover these needs. "This is something we need to look over. I ask Chris, 'Are we ready for growth?'"
Saba advised, "If I just had to deal with general operations, it probably wouldn't be so hard with the employees I have. But it's water rights, GIS (data systems). We've done so much. A new water plant... We need to start planning (for future needs). The town is going to do nothing but grow. What would really help, you should have a waste water superintendent and a water superintendent to do the plant and the system."
La May said, "We're really fortunate to have Ron on staff. There aren't a lot of people with double As. As we grow, we need to be cognizant that that's a risk if Ron is gone. We're trying to get current staff licensed up so we have redundancy. But we're a small community, so we ask the whole department to plow snow. There's a tipping point where we can no longer sustain what we're doing with current staff."
That will depend on town revenue, he said, adding, "We aren't proposing any rate increases for next year, but we haven't raised rates for three years. Are we getting too far behind?"
There was discussion of whether small more frequent utility rate increases are better than big increases after several years of no increases. The base water rate is $26.25 per month for up to 6,000 gallons. The base monthly sewer rate is $49.74 per equivalent residential tap.
Salka said, "If we need to raise rates, let's start earlier than later with small increases instead of slamming everybody."
La May listed infrastructure improvements over the past few years, including the just-completed water plant expansion paid for by the La Plata-Archuleta Water District, projects to reduce sewer line water infiltration, water line projects, and street maintenance.
"We've done a lot of work on our infrastructure, trying to make sure we're prepared for the future," he said.
Saba said, "The last four or five years, it's starting to wear some of us down. It's been a lot. I just don't have the time to be in the field, doing the paperwork, time to maybe learn something (professional development). None of the guys knew any of this when they started here. Sometimes it worries me when I'm not here, if something major happens."
He continued, "The water and sewer plants take precedence over everything in this town. When stuff is running good, I'll say seven of us can handle it, but if lightning wipes out a bunch of stuff at the sewer plant... there's stuff that falls through the cracks."
Things also fall through the cracks when the department is dealing with multiple big projects, he said. "As we grow, staff is going to have to grow. Joe (Marshal McIntyre) will tell you the same thing. The same with Parks & Rec."
Also that night, trustees got a first look at the proposed 2017 budget. As of that day, it showed $5.8 million in revenue and $7.7 million in total spending, La May said, including $4.8 million to replace the two old green bridges on Bayfield Parkway. "I'm still optimistic that we could have (the bridge project) out for bid in the next month," he said.
