11/13/2007 Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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division has their own specialty such as the Engineering and Building Departments have their own permits; the Waste Water Treatment Plant has the sanitary sewer back ups that have different specifications that have to be followed by the EPA. The Treatment Plant does forty-seven (47) standard purchase orders a month. These purchase orders are used every month to purchase equipment because the Treatment Plant is antiquated therefore there is a need to buy parts, office supplies or just any equipment for safety purposes that maybe needed. At that time there were forty-seven (47) to forty-nine (49) appropriation accounts. When the new system, Munis, was utilized, the Treatment Plant had three hundred eighty-six appropriations that were funded but actually had 500 appropriations. Keeping track of the budget at that time was broken up into groups by certain employees. Ms. Agresta did the payroll for the Waste Water Treatment Plant and the entire time keeping. There were lay-offs in 2002 and the public works secretary was laid off. That is when the Service payroll, time keeping and snow plow overtime list came down to the Treatment Plant. Ms. Agresta provided the Commission with a list of her duties that was prepared from the previous Superintendent Robert Nichols, Assistant Superintendent Barry Boehnlein, and some duties from another previous Superintendent Harry Crider. A copy of the report from ATS Engineering regarding the staffing at the Waste Water Treatment Plant indicating Ms. Agresta's duties dispersed to other employees within the Treatment Plant. Ms. Agresta indicated that there is work to do and when the employees are attending to her work then their work is not being accomplished. From January 1, 2007 to August 28, 2007 there were 554 requisitions prepared by Ms. Agresta and the Finance Department requires three (3) quotes on anything they purchase if it is over $300 which generated a lot of faxes and phone calls. There were no sanitary sewer calls in voice mail; they were attended by Ms. Agresta. Most employees are not by the phones; the operators are usually out working in the plant; the collection department or the sanitary crews are usually out on the road. The Operations Foreman is most likely to be by his work station and is also out in the plant; the Assistant Superintendent who did both of those jobs prior to hiring the Operations Foreman; the Superintendent is mostly working on the EPA reports, keeping up with the budget and staying in compliance with the EPA. Also in the staffing report, when the Assistant Superintendent retires and the Operations Foremen is promoted to the Assistant Superintendent, the Operations Foreman's position will be eliminated. Another position that will be eliminated is the General Foreman who will be retiring next year and the Operations Forman will become the Assistant Superintendent and will have to take care of the safety end of the plant which OSHA requires. The Superintendent will be doing her duties and is quite capable of performing secretarial work because she use to be the secretary but at the same time should she do secretarial work or Superintendent work. Ms. Schlemmer will also be doing some of her pre-treatment duties since the Administration eliminated that department. A secretary at the plant is a little more professional and the callers are familiar with and employees are capable of doing their own work. The secretary is the lowest paid at the plant and only 75% of the secretary's salary was paid by the Waste Water Treatment Plant and 25% of her salary was paid by the general fund to complete the Service payroll and overtime lists because the plant is a separate entity. The secretary coordinates the day to day business; compose letters with the direction of the Supervisors; completes any other duties that are pertinent to the plant. Some treatment plants have part-time secretaries and others are more automotive than North Olmsted's plant. Nothing has really changed from when the Secretary II was at the plant; the work is still there but is dispersed amongst the other employees at a higher rate of pay. Included with documents from Ms. Agresta are the duties from the previous Superintendent and the two (2) lay-off letters. Ms. Agresta use to pull up compliance reports that come out quarterly from the EPA and the city's plant has been compared to Lakewood and Rocky River and are both not currently in compliance and this information is included in the report Ms. Agresta submitted. The Rocky River Treatment Plant services Bay Village, Westlake, Rocky River and part of Fairview. They do not have a collection system; those cities have their own collection system. Most of these plants have secretaries or service secretaries that handle the sewer back up calls