Minutes - Council Work Session - 08/22/2023

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Councilmember Woestehoff agreed that there is other work that needs to get done beyond patching potholes. Councilmember Specht stated that he believes that streets should be a priority over parks. He stated that he will be in support of the three streets workers. Acting Mayor Riley suggested talking about the requested parks worker before deciding how to move forward. City Administrator Hagen reviewed the request for the parks maintenance worker. Parks and Assistant Public Works Director Riverblood explained the tasks and duties of the full- time parks maintenance workers. He noted that this request is to address the unmet maintenance that is already due and is coming due. He shared that they have been understaffed in this area for a long time, beginning in 2012. He added that taking care of parks is not just cutting the grass and maintaining playgrounds and there is a lot that they take care of, including buildings, signage, trails, and the sewer and water system. He discussed trees with the ash bore that need to be taken care of. Street Supervisor Turner reminded the Council that some of the work that also needs to be kept in mind is the stormwater management and stormwater ponds. He noted that they just inherited a stormwater pond south of Highway 10. He stated that they should also consider the snowplowing events of the past year. Councilmember Musgrove appreciated the discussion of the job sharing between departments. She shared that she asked that Administrative Services Director Lasher put together some numbers concerning other cities in the metro area of a similar size to see how Ramsey compared. She reiterated that there are more parks workers than street workers in the City. She shared that this is why she supports the two street workers and the mechanic. She stated that if they need another body she would also be in support of another street worker who could also help with parks. She stated that she is definitely in favor of the mechanic and also two of the requested street workers. She added that she would also be in favor of a third street worker over the parks worker. She asked if the parks workers ever work on the utilities. Parks and Assistant Public Works Director Riverblood said yes and explained that the job sharing occurs between all divisions depending on needs. Councilmember Woestehoff stated that Ramsey is the worst as compared to other cities when it comes to the number of workers and lane miles, with 38 lane miles per employee. He noted that they are at 53 acres per employee for parks. He mentioned that there are drastic differences between Ramsey’s numbers compared to other cities. Acting Mayor Riley stated that he would support the new street and park workers and put the mechanic on as a request for next year. City Council Work Session / August 22, 2023 Page 8 of 12