2023-07-24-minutes-public-works-study-session

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KITTITAS COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS PUBLIC WORKS — BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS 2023 STUDY SESSION STAFF REPORT STUDY SESSION DATE: July 24, 2023 TOPIC: Department Consolidation ACTION REQUESTED: Direct Staff LEAD STAFF: Mark R. Cook RECOMMENDATION: • Direct staff prepare enabling legislation recognizing the consolidation of the Community Development Services Department (CDS) into the Public Works (PW) Department. BRIEFING SUMMARY: • The consolidation of CDS into PW creates an opportunity to improve operational efficiencies in both departments. • Currently, CDS has only one study session per month while PW maintains two. • Current issues are blended, and we are experiences CDS issue at every PW study session. • Kittitas County Code Section 2.04.010 was changed last year reducing CDS to a single study session per month, so each additional study session requires noticing as a "Special Meeting". • Staff proposes amending code one time creating the "Public Services" department and eliminating PW and CDS from code in a single move as an out of cycle code amendment. BACKGROUND: Recently, the Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) acted consolidating the PW and CDS departments. The consolidation creates opportunities for efficiencies of service delivery between the two departments. DISCUSSION: It is burdensome on staff managing two separate study sessions that are currently mandated in county code. Renaming the two departments to a single department allows a one-time code amendment. Providing care is taken renaming the department — additional future consolidations are possible driven by business necessity or to take advantage of director retirement. Using the name "Public Services" provides a sufficiently broad umbrella allowing future consolidation of services into the department. Pagel of 3 Public Works "Work Session Staff Report", 2023