REVIEW
A U N I T E D V O I C E F O R M I S S O U R I M U N I C I PA L L E A G U E C O M M U N I T I E S
THE MISSOURI MUNICIPAL
May/June 2022
Solving Multiple Problems With One Project Des Peres, Missouri
Public Works Issue
www.mocities.com CIP Performance | Water Workforce | Public Works Projects Around The State 1
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THE MISSOURI MUNICIPAL
May/June 2022; Volume 87, No. 3
CONTENTS Features 7
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Solving Multiple Problems With One Project - Des Peres, Missouri
by Steve Meyer and Stephen Stumpf
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Measuring And Managing CIP Performance by Scott Meyer
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Survey Paints Clear Picture Of Tomorrow's Infrastructure Needs by Skip Descant
31
18
FAQ: Local Government Employee Retention
22
Invest In Recruitment To Support The Water Workforce by Tonya Bronleewe
25
News From The Bench: Cities And Ballot Propositions: Speaking Your Truth, At Least Mostly by Paul Martin
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Getting To Know You: Anne Lamitola and Jose Leon
31
City Of Clinton Completes All Inclusive Playground by Wendee Seaton
34 Editor’s Note: In the March/April issue of the MML Review Magazine, Lyndee J. Rodamaker, associate attorney with Cunningham, Vogel & Rost, P.C. is an additional author for the News From the Bench column regarding “Filtering Social Media Comments And Blocking Commenters May Violate First Amendment,” along with CVR Founding Principal Paul Rost.
Departments 4
President's Review
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Director's Review
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Local Government Review: Public Works Projects Around The State
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Member News
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MML Calendar Of Events
MISSOURI MUNICIPAL LEAGUE BOARD OF DIRECTORS President: Joe Garritano, Council Member, Wildwood; Vice President: Michele DeShay, Mayor, Moline Acres; Damien Boley, Mayor, Smithville; *Chuck Caverly, Council Member, Maryland Heights; Bryant Delong, Council Member, North Kansas City; Jerry Grimmer, Council Member, Bridgeton; Cemal Unmut Gungor, City Administrator, Grandview; Dwaine Hahs, Mayor, Jackson; Heather Hall, Council Member, Kansas City; *Debra Hickey, Mayor, Battlefield; *Chris Lievsay, Council Member, Blue Springs; Ken McClure, Mayor, Springfield; *Norman McCourt, Mayor, Black Jack; Chris McPhail, Alderman, Clever; Sheryl Morgan, City Clerk, Blue Springs; Heather Navarro, Alderman, St. Louis; Lori Obermoeller, Finance Director, Creve Coeur; Len Pagano, Mayor, St. Peters; *Matt Robinson, Mayor, Hazelwood; Mike Roemerman, Mayor, Ellisville; *Kathy Rose, Mayor, Riverside; *Carson Ross, Mayor, Blue Springs; Erin Seele, Attorney, Cunningham, Vogel and Rost; Matt Turner, Alderman, Harrisonville; Jeana Woods, City Administrator, Osage Beach *Past President AFFILIATE GROUPS Missouri City Management Association; City Clerks and Finance Officers Association; Government Finance Officers Association of Missouri; Missouri Municipal Attorneys Association EDITORIAL Laura Holloway / Editor Lholloway@mocities.com Richard Sheets and Lori Noe Contributing Editors GRAPHIC DESIGN Rhonda Miller The Review May/June 2022; Volume 87, No. 3 The Missouri Municipal Review (ISSN 00266647) is the official publication of the Missouri Municipal League state association of cities, towns and villages, and other municipal corporations of Missouri. Publication office is maintained at 1727 Southridge Drive, Jefferson City, MO 65109. Subscriptions: $30 per year. Single copies: $5 prepaid. Advertising rates on request. Published bi-monthly. Periodicals postage paid at Jefferson City, Missouri. Postmaster: Send form 3579 to 1727 Southridge Drive, Jefferson City, MO 65109. To contact the League Office call 573-635-9134, fax 573-635-9009 or email the League at info@mocities.com. Website: www.mocities.com.
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President's Review
by Joe Garritano, Council Member, Wildwood, and MML President
Your Local Government Success This is an exciting time of year when new officials are beginning their tenure in local government after the April elections. If you are one of these new officials, welcome! You are beginning an amazing journey. First, I want to personally thank you for your service. It has been a great honor for me to serve the community of Wildwood, and to serve member cities through the MML Board of Directors. I hope you find that same joy as you navigate your new role. I commend your commitment and the dedication you show by stepping up to lead. You are probably receiving a great deal of advice, but I hope you will indulge me as I share a few items that have stood out to me as the most important tools for successful local government service. 1) Know the resources that are available to you. I want to make sure and mention right up front that the Missouri Municipal League is an invaluable resource to you as a new official. From the One Stop resource library to year-round trainings and publications, MML has a wealth of services to share. You can call them anytime with your questions, and their experienced staff can assist you with everything from animals to zoning. Use their expertise. 2) Become involved. Whether at the local, state or federal level, make sure you are aware of the issues that affect your municipality. MML can also be very helpful here, with weekly Capitol Reports during the state legislative session, and legislative alerts when you need to take a moment to contact your state or federal officials and share your municipality’s needs. Contact MML when you have questions about pending legislation. 3) Take time to get to know elected officials. When I first began serving as a council member, it was so helpful to get to know other elected officials and be able to share challenges or best practices. Call, email or meet up with neighboring officials. Join them at MML’s Elected Officials Training in June, where you will meet hundreds of other local officials. You will learn from your peers and not have to “reinvent the wheel.” 4) Take time to get to know your citizens. This is so important. You want to have your finger on the pulse of your community and the needs of your municipality. There will always be citizens who are more vocal than others, but your job is to gauge the opinion of a broad group to get a bigger picture. Obtain feedback through conversations, surveys, meetings or other ways. 5) Be respectful of differing opinions. We are all very passionate about certain topics – it may be one of the reasons you were elected. However, it is crucial to be respectful to both your fellow officials and your citizens. Spending time reading the news or on social media may make you feel like civility is a lost art, but your professionalism matters and will help you best serve your city. 6) Remember you are part of a team. Whether that team is your municipality or the board you sit on, you do not work alone. It is up to you and the board and citizens to work together. There might need to be compromises made and conversations about options, but successful councils work through differences for the betterment of the community. 7) Continue to learn. There are many opportunities for you to grow in your knowledge, both formal and informal. Consider the Municipal Governance Institute through MML, where you can train to become a Certified Municipal Official. Also, network with peers and understand their challenges. Seek opportunities to dig deeper and better understand the issues local governments face. Thank you for the opportunity to share some of the lessons I have learned as an elected official and through leadership in the Missouri Municipal League. Be sure to contact me, my fellow MML board members or MML staff if we can assist with any questions.
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theReview May/June 2022
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Director's Review
by Richard Sheets, Executive Director, Missouri Municipal League
Serving Members As an association, your feedback is a vital part of shaping what we do. MML is consistently focused on directing our efforts in the best way possible to make sure you have all the tools you need for success. You have a tough job as an elected official, and our goal is to make it simpler. The right tools, resources and focused training can do just that. We recently conducted a member survey and are appreciative of members who took the time to share their thoughts on the biggest challenges they face, and how MML can best assist them. Here’s what we learned:
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MML is consistently focused on directing our efforts in the best way possible to make sure you have all the tools you need for success.
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The biggest challenge you face right is funding for infrastructure. One way MML is working to assist has been to advocate with the state legislature this year to keep the Missouri gas tax that was passed last year. While there were multiple attempts to repeal that tax, we were successful in preventing that repeal. Up until last year, Missouri had not seen an increase in two decades for the gas tax and citizens have paid a price through deferred maintenance and increased wear and tear of vehicles. Another way we are working to help you with funding is through resources regarding the Local Use Tax. When passed by citizens in each community, the Local Use Tax allows cities to capture approved local sales taxes with online orders. MML has provided a resource toolkit, webinars and presentations that assist you with explaining this critical funding source to citizens. Finally, staff works tirelessly to simplify and keep you apprised of the details regarding federal funding available through the American Rescue Plan Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Through our website, publications, trainings and webinars, we are doing everything possible to make sure each city understands the funding opportunities, details and deadlines.
We are so pleased that when we asked how we could improve services, one-half of respondents said we should not change a thing. Twelve percent of respondents are seeking additional support with advocacy, and we will continually strive to keep your aware of issues at the local, state and federal level. If you are not receiving the MML Capitol Report each week, be sure to contact us so we can help. We also learned (and really, already knew) that you are busy! The top reason for not attending an MML conference or regional meeting is due to your hectic schedule. I encourage you to consider, though, how time spent with critical training may save you time in the long run as you are better prepared to face challenges. However, if meeting in person is not an option, take advantage of the many MML opportunities to train right from home, on demand. Many of you reported that you regularly use our resources, publications, and website, but we know we can always improve. Reach out to us any time we can assist you. Our mission is to strengthen cities and serve as a united voice for Missouri local governments. We appreciate you allowing us to serve you and continuing this mission.
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FEATURE Review
by Steve Meyer and Stephen Stumpf
Solving Multiple Problems With One Project Des Peres, Missouri
The Fairoyal Drive project was completed under budget and ahead of schedule.
In the summer of 2021, the city of Des Peres undertook its largest street replacement project in decades. Fairoyal Drive is a mile-long residential neighborhood street serving more than 300 homes. Previous residential street projects replaced small segments to minimize impact on residents. However, small projects delayed needed replacements, disturbed the neighborhood repeatedly and increased costs. The public works department resolved to start replacing longer
segments of street. In 2018, the City replaced a 1,000-foot-long section of Fairoyal Drive and proved that larger projects could be completed more economically and with minimized impact on residents. Following the successful project, the City budgeted to replace the remaining 2,100-foot-long section of the street in 2020. Besides replacing the pavement, this project would address two more problems: speeding and persistent wet sidewalks and gutters.
Pavement In order to build a road that would last, the depth of the pavement was increased from 5 inches on clay to 8 inches on a 4 inch crushed stone base. Steel dowels and tie bars were used at joints to transfer load and hold slabs together. This multigenerational asset is more environmentally friendly and sustainable simply because it will last so long. Mix designs included Type C Flyash, that reduced the amount of cement www.mocities.com
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One of three neckdowns used to discourage speeding. This neckdown also provides a safe crosswalk.
needed while using a byproduct that otherwise would have gone to a landfill.
Speeding Speeding and pedestrian safety has been a concern of residents along Fairoyal Drive. The street is long, wide, and on a steep slope at times, 38 feet wide curb-to-curb, whereas most residential streets in Des Peres are only 26 feet wide. This extra width, along with straightaways, clear sightlines, and steep slopes encourages speeding. Traffic data collected by the City identified Fairoyal as having the worst speeding among all residential streets (20 mph). After studying various types of traffic calming, the director of public works determined that neckdowns would be the most appropriate method.
A neckdown reduces the street width, causing drivers to slow. The previously constructed island was replaced with a neckdown, which also created a shorter crosswalk distance for pedestrians. This crossing had been on a significant slope, but to meet ADA recommendations, the crosswalk was flattened at the stop sign. The grade change adds additional encouragement to drivers to come to a stop. The other two neckdowns were installed at the ends of the project and included colored concrete behind the rolled curbs. The colored concrete within the neckdowns preserves on-street parking, a concern of the residents, while providing a strong visual cue.
provided only partial relief. Therefore, this street improvement project needed to include a better solution. The City hired HR Green, Inc., a local civil engineering firm, to design a solution. During 2019, HR Green engineers met with residents, held public meetings, and evaluated alternatives to eliminate surface groundwater from sidewalks and gutters while also minimizing City work on private property.
Drainage Many homes on the north side of Fairoyal Drive are set in a terrace cut into a steep hillside that intersects the natural groundwater table. The near surface groundwater causes persistent wet yards and wet basements. The use of sump pumps is widespread. The water involved makes its way through backyards and side yards to the sidewalk and street gutter. Persistent wet sidewalks and gutters cause the growth of algae in the summer and dangerous ice slicks in the winter, causing the residents to voice safety concerns. Previously, French drains had been installed but they
This neckdown included colored concrete behind the rolled curbs to preserve on-street parking while providing a strong visual cue.
The designed solution was a publicprivate partnership to install a new public storm sewer under the street and yard drains at the property line of each parcel. The yard drains provided location to drain sump pumps and a perforated pipe to collect ground water. The project bid documents included pay items for the City’s contractor to make the sump pump connection, but most residents chose to hire their own plumber.
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Pandemic Schedule By March of 2020, the project had been designed and public feedback incorporated. Although ready to bid, the project was delayed a year due to the potential impact of COVID-19 on City revenues. The project was advertised for bids early in 2021, and the contractor was given five months for completion, with work starting immediately after Memorial Day. The first phase of the project consisted of installing the new storm sewer and drains to accommodate the groundwater seepage. The stormwater subcontractor completed work in three weeks, but a labor shortage delayed street work for more than a month. This delay created concern that the work may
not be completed within the schedule. However, with the help of their concrete supplier, E. Meier Contracting used a modified early-strength concrete to accelerate the paving schedule and open the street to traffic on time. Safety During Construction To minimize traffic hazards for workers and motorists, the City installed temporary traffic zone signage, increased speeding fines ($250), and added police patrols. The City used electronic message boards at both ends of the project. Typical messages included “ROAD WORK AHEAD ... DRIVE SLOW” and “CONCRETE POUR AHEAD ... EXPECT DELAYS.” Unique Phasing The City required a unique phasing plan for the work. Closing the street and replacing the pavement from one end to the other would have been more efficient, but would have created significant disruption and hardship for the residents. Therefore, the paving was split into 16 phases. Each phase typically included four homes and sequential phases were intentionally not adjacent to one another. This phasing plan allowed nearby on-street parking for residents whose driveways were temporarily unusable. Public Involvement The first project open house occurred in August 2019. It focused on the groundwater problems. Invitations were mailed to that subset of residents. A second open house occurred February 2020, and invitations were sent to all residents adjacent to the project. The second meeting focused on reducing the speeding and project phasing. Feedback was obtained and incorporated into the final design. Communication A presentation on the project and its phasing was delivered to the Board of Aldermen on January 2021, before bidding. The project was also featured in the City’s April, May and June newsletters. Notification letters were sent to residents in May 2021 advising that the project was to start. When the project was delayed by material and labor shortages, the City sent a followup notice in July 2021 that work was restarting.
Successful Completion Throughout construction, the City maintained a project website that was updated several times each week. The website indicated construction progress: which phases had been reopened, which were currently under construction, and which were curing. Residents knew that while there may be delays based upon weather, breakdowns, or manpower shortages, the project would proceed from Phase A through Phase P. They could watch the progress of the project as it approached their home. Throughout the project, we were overwhelmed with the positive feedback from residents. While we are all used to hearing from unhappy residents, the positive comments outweighed the negative by a 5-1 ratio. Residents appreciated the execution of the plan as it had been communicated to them.
The Fairoyal Drive Reconstruction Project was ultimately completed under budget and ahead of schedule, providing a long-lasting benefit to the community. Through creative problem-solving by the City, the residents, the engineering consultant and the contractor, multiple long-standing problems were addressed through one project. The Fairoyal Drive project was recently recognized by the MO/KS Chapter of the American Concrete Pavement Association as the top municipal street project (<30,000 SY) in the state of Missouri for 2021. Steve Meyer, PE, has served as director of public works and city engineer for the city of Des Peres since 2014. He can be reached at smeyer@desperesmo.org. Stephen Stumpf, PE, CFM is a water resources engineer for HR Green, Inc. He has more than seven years of experience working with communities and utilities on stormwater drainage. He can be reached at sstumpf@ hrgreen.com.
The areas of work for paving was split into 16 phases, and intentionally not adjacent to one another, in order to provide nearby parking areas for residents when their driveways were not accessible.
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FEATURE Review by Scott Meyer, P.E.
Measuring And Managing CIP Performance A city’s C apit al Improvement and timeframe; doing so can save Program (CIP) represents a significant municipalities a significant amount of The axiom, investment of resources that contributes money. “What gets measured to the fabric of the community. When The reason on-time delivery is crucial I became city manager of the city of is both simple and subtle. The simple is what gets done,” Cape Girardeau, over several years I reason is construction cost escalation moved the CIP to a five-year, fiscally is apt here. Put a that is almost always present in the constrained program that associated economy, although the spotlight on performance, construction a cost with each project, prioritized amounts vary based on the state of the certain projects as a way of ensuring and chances are high that overall economy and specific factors they received sufficient resources, in the construction industry. In the and emphasized maintenance and project delivery last several years construction cost preservation as important components increases have averaged between 2% will improve. of the program. Administering a CIP and 4% per year, but are forecast to be carefully and responsibly engenders between 5% and 6% in 2022. A consensus trust and accountability with residents. forecast recently projected infrastructure Delays and cost overruns cost a city both financially and in construction costs will rise to about 5% per year through 2025. terms of public trust. The subtle factor affecting municipal CIP delay cost In addition to designing and building capital projects increases is negative leverage. Many local government CIP successfully, it is important that projects meet budgets and projects are substantially funded via state and federal grant schedules and performance metrics on projects are tracked. funding, that are almost always made on a “not to exceed” An assessment of a city’s CIP function can identify whether it or capped basis. In other words, a grantor will agree to fund is operating in an efficient and effective manner and relying on some percentage of costs but cap its share based on a point best practices to deliver projects that benefit the community. in time. When a project is delayed beyond the point-in-time It also can save a lot of money. estimate, a local government may incur all the additional Performance metrics and data that show what a project costs in the local match. Although state and federal sources actually costs to deliver are essential components to managing may constitute a majority of anticipated project funding, any capital project. Close attention to the execution of the changes to the local match can sometimes make a project capital improvement program including tight, rigorous untenable. Delayed public benefits of safety, efficiency, and management oversight, produces measurable improvements additional revenue from the project constitute additional in performance and cost savings. The axiom, “What gets negative effects. measured is what gets done,” is apt here. Put a spotlight on performance, and chances are high that project delivery will Example Of Typical City Delay And Associated improve.
Costs
The Costs Of Delays Delivering a capital project on time and on budget is a fundamental goal of any CIP. Planning and scoping projects are critical to delivering them within the estimated budget
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Management Partners will typically work with a city to ascertain the types of delays being incurred and the degree to which they could or could not have been controlled by early intervention and active management. The table on page 12 shows the results of a random sample of actual projects in a medium-sized city.
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Number 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 TOTAL AVERAGE
Project Type Park improvements Streets Traffic signal Bridge Streets Streets Streets Building Building Sewer
Schedule Adherence +/in Months 9+ 21 + 21 + 69 + 81 + 219 + 31 + 132 + 28.2
Of the projects sampled, most experienced a delay relative to the original engineer estimate and a cost increase relative to the original projected amount. The data indicate that costs increased by approximately 1.9% for every month of delay, which indicates some cost increases resulted from factors other than cost inflation, since the projects took place from 2016 to 2019. We worked with the teams involved in these projects and determined an average of about 16 months of delays per project could have been avoided by more active management or application of resources. This is a conservative estimate, as some of the delays considered unavoidable (usually regulatory
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Original Projected Construction Cost $140,000 $1,260,000 $175,000 $6,700,000 $1,900,000 $3,230,700 $345,000 $510,000 $250,000 $600,000 $15,110,700
Revised Estimated Construction Cost $500,000 $2,360,000 $231,000 $8,342,900 $4,653,700 $2,900,000 $595,894 $1,195,000 $200,000 $2,318,535 $23,297,029
Cost Increase/ (Decrease) $360,000 $1,100,000 $56,000 $1,642,900 $2,753,700 ($330,700) $250,894 $685,000 ($50,000) $1,718,535 $8,186,329 $818,633
delay or scope changes) may arguably have been expedited. Additionally, we estimated at least 0.4% of the monthly cost increases experienced could be attributed to straight cost inflation, or a little over $2 million for the year analyzed. To staunch this cost, the city decided to invest between $500,000 and $1,000,000 per year into efforts to better resource and manage the CIP, such as those discussed below.
The Risks Of Not Tracking CIP Performance For accountability and transparency, a city’s CIP needs to have a system in place that tracks specific measures for each project and tracks the execution of the overall capital improvement program. Many cities have no clear, simple management tool for measuring or tracking the execution of a capital improvement program. Although high-visibility projects often get a lot of attention, the majority of day-to-day projects do not. Often the result is that a large number of projects are carried over from one fiscal year to the next because they did not get done. Many jurisdictions use project management software to manage their capital projects. However, this software is used for individual projects rather than for the capital improvement program in the aggregate. When there is no management system for tracking the quality of the execution of the capital program as a whole, it is not possible to answer the question of whether the CIP was executed efficiently and timely compared to prior year(s). How well the projects are executed against the planned budget and planned
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schedule are the primary variables that management can and should be managing.
Toward Performance Management Reducing delays and cost overruns begins by taking steps to track relevant metrics, then using metrics to manage the program by fostering accountability and investing in people and tools to increase productivity. Some questions to consider when considering how performance management can help a city’s CIP: • Is there data that reveals whether CIP projects are being delivered on time and within budget? • Do current CIP planning (scoping) and budgeting practices result in realistic schedules and reasonable cost projections, or are schedules and cost projections unrealistic and understated? • Do capital project budgets include staff costs? If excluded, does that compromise accountability and performance and understate the true cost of delivering a project? • Is there sufficient quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) review of project plans? Are in-field changes increasing costs? • Do CIP reports provide good information on the status of capital improvement projects? Could they be expanded and presented to the city council and public? Implementation of a comprehensive capital improvement program management system can be the basis for evaluating the management of two key elements of the CIP—time and project budgets. The major elements include: Cost • Estimated design cost vs. actual design cost • Engineer’s estimated contract amount vs. contract award • Total project cost • Budget estimate vs. actual project cost • Revised estimate vs. actual project cost • Construction cost: revised estimate vs. actual cost Schedule • Planned design time vs. actual design time • Planned bid opening date vs. actual bid opening date
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YEARS OF SERVICE
• Planned notice to proceed date vs. actual notice to proceed date • Revised estimated construction completion vs. actual construction (Consider incentive/disincentive bidding) • Planned project completion date vs. actual completion date Use of these metrics will assist city managers in gauging the specific indicators for each project, as well as the effectiveness of the management of the CIP overall. They will also build a culture that expects projects to be completed on time and on budget that will drive innovation and pragmatic solutions.
The Benefits Of CIP Performance Management An in-depth review of current capital improvement projects with respect to scope and delivery schedules, the use of performance metrics, and consideration of all project costs will give city leaders and others a more realistic estimate of the cost of project delivery and more accurate projections on how long it takes to deliver projects. When a project is approved in the CIP, the budget and schedule should be seen as a commitment to the city council and the community. In that regard, cultivating an “on-time and on-budget” culture for capital projects will improve performance and public trust. Use of performance metrics, accurate reporting on the status of capital projects, and proper use of management and information systems are essential to the execution of the capital improvement program. Tighter, more rigorous management will likely produce measurable improvements in CIP performance. Quarterly reporting of each capital tax fund of project costs, as well as annual reporting of the CIP projects during the CIP approval process, give a high level of accountability, while monthly reporting and follow-up discussions allow officials to adjust projects before they become public issues. Scott Meyer is a special advisor with the local government consulting firm Management Partners, is the former city manager of Cape Girardeau, where he oversaw a $30 million capital budget. He also served as director of facilities management for Southeast Missouri State University and as district engineer for the Missouri Department of Transportation. Scott can be reached at smeyer@ managementpartners.com or at (573) 450-5688. For more information, visit Management Partners at www.managementpartners.com.
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FEATURE Review by Skip Descant
Survey Paints Clear Picture Of Tomorrow's Infrastructure Needs A survey of several hundred public officials at all levels of government was taken to gather thoughts on artificial intelligence, resiliency, climate change and more when thinking on the infrastructure needs of tomorrow. Better broadband, more multimodal transportation options and an increasing awareness around cybersecurity and artificial i nt e l l i g e n c e a r e s o m e o f w h at government-sector officials note when asked about the evolution of infrastructure in the U.S.
A recent survey — conducted by Deloitte in September 2021 and released recently — called on 300 public officials across all levels of government to weigh in on these topics. “I do think that the trick is going to be resilient, flexible, customizable infrastructure. When that’s developed, I think we’ll start to see some very interesting outcomes from that,” said Avi Schwartz, a risk and financial advisory principal with Deloitte Transactions and Business Analytics. Infrastructure is, of course, top of mind among countless public- and private-
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sector thought leaders given the recently passed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, that, over the next five years, will send some $1.2 trillion toward refurbishing, updating and repairing standard pieces of infrastructure like roads and bridges. But the legislation also charts new courses in areas like the electrification of transportation or greatly expanding access to broadband. Some 42% of survey respondents listed increased demand for broadband and internet access as one of the lasting impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the highest of any other impact. The infrastructure package is also public policy drafted in the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic, that revealed societal shortfalls in areas like social and environmental equity and the general resilience of cities. As states and local jurisdictions plan for the future through infrastructure investments, the most successful regions will be those that build resiliency and flexibility into their projects, said Schwartz. “The developers and agencies that figure out how to do that are going to have a tremendous advantage for whatever the next unforeseen pandemic or tragedy is. And that, I think, is something that I hope we see a lot more innovation around,” said Schwartz. “And I think the places that do that, whether they’re urban or suburban, I think will be attracting more people to live in them. They’re more attractive places to be,” he added.
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Now is the time to build. Missouri’s municipalities and utilities are reevaluating capital improvement plans to advance critical infrastructure projects. Combining today’s financial backing with design‑build delivery makes now an opportune time to pursue your projects. To learn how to capitalize on the opportunities, listen to our webinar at burnsmcd.com/MML22022.
In terms of how new infrastructure — and the design, the planning and the deployment of the infrastructure — may look different from years past, watch for more merging of the “bricks-and-mortar and digital,” said Schwartz. As an example, departments of transportation may have no shortage of civil engineers but will need to think about adding data and cyber engineers to their staffs. “And other kinds of engineers,” said Schwartz. “Not just your typical civil engineers, because when you install pavement, there’s now sensors in it.” Sur vey responses indicate that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one of the biggest growth areas for government infrastructure, with 61% of respondents saying AI and machine learning will have the biggest impact on infrastructure projects. “How does that change the way that government has to plan for infrastructure projects?” said Schwartz. “I think there 16
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is the potential for the public to interact with physical infrastructure differently because now physical infrastructure and digital infrastructure are more closely aligned.” Watch for more public and private partnerships, in part, as a mechanism to get more mileage out of the government funds. “I think there’s an opportunity for these federal dollars to de-risk projects in a way that will make private capital more excited, and interested, and able to participate,” said Schwartz. “Now, it may not go that way. But it is sort of up to our government leaders to decide.” Chris Bast, director of EV infrastructure investments for the Electrification Coalition, echoed a similar point on a recent panel discussion around the build-out of a national electric vehicle charging network. The infrastructure law has earmarked $7.5 billion for the project; however, the success will be in how well
this money is leveraged to encourage much more in private investment, said Bast. Other officials, like Michael Berube, deputy assistant secretary for sustainable transportation at the U.S. Department of Energy and the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, made similar statements. “Private-sector investment, separate from the federal dollars, will be critical,” said Berube on a panel discussion in January at the National EV Charging Summit, organized by the EV Charging Initiative. “We anticipate ongoing private investment and opportunities, quite honestly,” he added. “We could go out and build EV [charging] stations with however much the $7.5 billion will allow,” Schwartz offered. “Or, do maybe take a little bit more risk, a little bit more effort, a little bit more planning, and leverage those
dollars to get $10 billion or $20 billion worth of EV stations built.” Schwartz noted that for this approach to work state and local governments have to have legislation that allows the publicprivate partnerships. Climate change also seemed to be more top-of-mind among federal government survey respondents than state and local officials. The new law is seen as perhaps the nation’s most sizable step to date to take meaningful steps to address climate change, and respondents largely believe governments will increase incentives to encourage the use of renewable energy. A scant 2% of survey respondents “believe that there will be fewer people living in cities, and only 13% believe that there will be more demand for larger residential units.” This seems to fly in the face of pandemic-fueled migration trends as urban dwellers departed cities like San Francisco for other areas, driven, in part, by increased work-from-
anywhere arrangements. Considering that the survey was polling government workers, this could reflect a bit of “wishful thinking,” said Schwartz. “To me it just speaks to the requirement to build infrastructure with resilience, and flexibility,” he added. “But I don’t think anybody is going to count cities out. Cities generally are resilient, and they’re fun, and they’re energetic.” This article is reprinted with permission by govtech.com. It was posted on govtech.com on March 7, 2022, written by Skip Descant. Find the article, with a link to the full survey results, at https://www.govtech.com/fs/ survey-paints-clear-picture-of-tomorrowsinfrastructure-needs.
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FAQ: Local Government Employee Retention This FAQ is reprinted, with some edits, with permission from a post on GovPilot. Find the link to the full article at https://www.govpilot.com/blog/local-government-employeeretention-the-ultimate-guide. As Americans quit their jobs at unprecedented rates and organizations struggle to fill open roles, it is critical to recognize the value in retaining high-quality government employees. Unfortunately, for many municipalities, employee retention is mediocre at best, and many of the staff members that do stick around are unengaged and unmotivated. But why is it so difficult for local governments to find employees that not only want to stick around, but find meaning in their work and want to give it their all? What could your local government be doing better? In this article, we will acknowledge the challenges that have led to poor employee retention in local governments nationwide and provide a set of best practices to reduce employee turnover at your municipality.
Why Is Retaining Government Employees So Difficult?
There are many challenges that make it difficult to keep employees inspired to stick around in local government jobs. This includes but is not limited to: • The private sector offers increasingly more competitive salaries at a rate that the public sector cannot compete. • Bureaucratic red tape makes even simple tasks take extended periods of time; a frustrating reality for the many that join public entities with the goal of making a difference in their community.
• Antiquated workflows leave many employees doing mindless administrative tasks, often with physical paper. • Regardless of which particular issue pertains to your government workers that are leaving, all of these issues need to be addressed for the long term stability of your municipality when it comes to hiring and keeping qualified government employees.
Why Is Employee Retention More Important Than Ever?
Keeping employees happy and motivated to work towards common goals seems like a no brainer. Why get stuck focusing time and resources towards constantly hiring new employees when you can have an experienced office veteran accomplish daily tasks with ease? That being said, right now it is especially important to keep your employees on board for as long as possible. As a major reckoning occurs in the U.S. labor market and Americans leave jobs where they are unhappy, it is clear employee loyalty is declining. To make matters worse for municipalities, many private-sector businesses are raising company-wide salaries at a rate the public sector cannot match. That means even a happy employee might put in their two week’s notice knowing the benefits and salary will be better in corporate America.
What Are The Best Practices For Retaining Municipal Workers? Retaining government employees is not all that different from retaining an employee at any organization or business. That being said, limitations in funding, resources and time can hinder the ability of municipalities to compete with the private sector. Here are some of the best ways to retain government employees and to keep them motivated to perform their very best:
d? nfiel w o r B d inate m a t Con ite? S ed ndon Aba erty? Prop ent opm l e v e Red tential? Po
1. Utilize ARPA funds to bolster salaries and make new hires. Having fully staffed departments and satisfied, well compensated employees is critical to the operations of an effective local government. The American Rescue Plan Act enables local governments to make necessary hires and to provide pay increases to staff and workers in the following ways:
...
If so
• Hire back employees who may have been furloughed during the pandemic to reestablish prepandemic staffing numbers.
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• Provide worker retention incentives, including reasonable increases in compensation to persuade employees to remain with the
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3. Embrace a true sense of work culture. A sense of community in the workplace goes a long way. Government leadership should encourage social interaction amongst employees, remind them of the important task of public service and the noble goal of improving communities and creating positive experiences for everyone.
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Infrastructure Investment Updating treatment plants, smart metering and process improvements can improve long-term utility operations within your city.
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employer as compared to other employment options. Retention incentives must be entirely additive to an employee’s regular compensation, narrowly tailored to need, and should not exceed incentives traditionally offered by the recipient or compensation that alternative employers may offer to compete for the employees. 2. Recognize and encourage employees. If you have ever been a hard-working employee, you know how amazing it feels when your hard effort gets recognized by your boss. On the flip side, if you have been in a situation where your boss failed to recognize your hard work, you understand how frustrating it is to have your actions go seemingly unnoticed. Put yourself in your municipal workers’ shoes. They are working at a slow-moving bureaucratic pace for less pay than their private-sector counterparts, while actively working to make their community a better place during an unprecedented public health emergency. Municipal leadership should regularly let their employees know that they appreciate them and all of their hard work.
4. Offer a hybrid work schedule. As the pandemic shifted work norms, many Americans grew accustomed to working from the comfort of their home while others yearned for a return to the office. A hybrid work culture is an enticing offer that makes for the best of both worlds. With a unified, cloud-based government management platform employees can do their work from anywhere at any time.
5. Obtain honest feedback from exit interviews. With high turnover in local governments, even your best efforts will not prevent people from retiring or switching jobs quite regularly. When an employee informs your locality that they plan to leave, ask for honest feedback of their overall experience working at your municipality and thoughts on the workflows of their department. 6. Provide ongoing training and mentorship. Employees gravitate towards leadership that is eager to help them learn. Government leadership should make an active effort to lend a guiding hand to employees in need of help. To take things a step further, your municipality should offer training sessions that provide education on meaningful departmental subject matter on a regular basis. With mentorship and educational training, the hardestworking employees that are eager to learn will feel motivated to stay working for your municipality. 7. Offer constructive feedback. A core aspect of being a good mentor is providing honest feedback. Good employees want to do the best job possible, and your feedback will not only make them better at their jobs, but more loyal to you and your municipality.
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! e t a D e Sept. 11-14, 2022 Save th
MML 88TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE LAKE OF THE OZARKS • OSAGE BEACH, MISSOURI
Featuring Keynote Presentation: FROM CONFLICT TO CONVERSATION Presenter: MATT LEHRMAN, Social Prosperity Partners How can leaders tackle complex and sensitive community issues in ways that make people feel heard, respected, and empowered? This session explores pragmatic approaches for city and town leaders to conduct collaborative and courageous conversations. Matt Lehrman is co-founder of Social Prosperity Partners, an Arizona-based firm that works nationally to help leaders and people in their communities achieve consensus around important decisions.
Learn more at: www.mocities.com
Pro Tip: Remember, the importance here is on constructive feedback. Make sure you are approaching feedback with a positive atmosphere, as someone feeling belittled will be more inclined to go elsewhere.
keep communication clear about what infrastructure projects are coming to your community and provide regular updates on progress being made and the tasks needed from each department as infrastructure projects take place.
8. Eliminate repetitive, manual tasks with automation. Many municipal departments spend their days dealing with repetitive administrative tasks like filing paperwork or passing along documents to relevant government officials. Employees stuck doing mindless tasks are often more inclined to find work opportunities that feel more rewarding.
If you are leveraging infrastructure funds to move your government to a digital, cloud-based infrastructure, keep in mind that training government workers is straightforward. Tasks like electronically filing permits and licenses, document requests and inspection requests can be integrated in no time, with a GovPilot digital transformation case study finding that it took municipal workers just one day to feel comfortable and trained on using government management software.
! e t a D e Sept. 11-14, 2022 Save th
MML 88TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE
With government software, technology known as robotic process automation automates simple administrative tasks, saving clerks and other administrative professionals hours Conclusion: a day to spend on more important tasks. Giving municipal In order to retain your top talent in coming years, recent trends workers more meaningful tasks will keep them inspired and will to drastically L A K E O F T H Eshow O Z A that R K S municipal • O S A G E Bgovernments EACH, MISSO U R need I more inclined to stick around. step up their game. With budgeting limits the amount that your government can offer in terms of salary, your community How Can Our City Bring On Big Changes Without will need to focus on having a positive work culture, offering Discouraging Employees? guidance to municipal workers through mentorship and With the recent passage of the infrastructure bill and the training, and giving people purpose by reducing time spent on American Rescue Plan Act, trillionsHow are being allocated towards tasks.community issues in ways that make people can leaders tackle complex mindless and sensitive improving digital and physical infrastructure nationwide. While feel heard, respected, and empowered? explores approaches for By makingThis yoursession workflows betterpragmatic and more communitythis has most government officialscity optimistic about the future, and town leaders to conduct collaborative andlevels courageous oriented, happiness will riseconversations. at your municipality and many municipal workers feel anxious about the sea of changes will be more inclined stick around. firm that Matt Lehrman is co-founder ofemployees Social Prosperity Partners, antoArizona-based that will come in terms of construction, urban development, works nationally to help leaders and people in their communities achieve consensus and moving towards cloud-based infrastructure.
Featuring Keynote Presentation: FROM CONFLICT TO CONVERSATION Presenter: MATT LEHRMAN, Social Prosperity Partners
around important decisions.
The key to addressing these changes will be full transparency and proper training. Government leadership will need to
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FEATURE Review by Tonya Bronleewe
Invest In Recruitment To Support The Water Workforce As director of the Environmental Finance Center (EFC) at Wichita State University (WSU), if I did not show up and do my job for a few days in a row, only a handful of my coworkers would be negatively impacted. The work we do for communities is important and valuable, but my absence would not cause ripples through the community that negatively impact schools, households, hospitals, businesses, industries, veterinary clinics and on and on. However, if our community water and wastewater operators decided to stop showing up for work, there would be some pretty big ripples that would disrupt all aspects of our community for days and possibly weeks! In today’s utility workforce, there are a number of factors – retirements, job transitions, infrastructure growth and investment, and new technical and scientific skill requirements – that leave more open positions than there are job seekers. These vacancies have the potential to risk the safety and reliability of our most important daily requirement: water. Therefore, we need to do all that we can to build a strong water workforce for the future. Current high school students and veterans are two groups that, with a little investment of time and effort for outreach and recruitment, could help us fill our water workforce vacancies and create a pipeline of talent that benefits water service in our communities for years to come.
High School Students Want to find the next generation of your utility’s workforce? Look no further than your local high school. Today’s young people are looking for jobs that are meaningful and provide good-paying, stable employment with the opportunity to advance and continually learn new things. Reach out to your high school’s career counselor to connect with students who have the right skills and attitude to be a public servant for the community. Counselors can direct you to students that might be good fits for internships or summer staff. You can use these temporary positions to get to know young people and see how they can help meet future staffing
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theReview May/June 2022
Amanda Curry, Garden City High School Work in Water Summer Intern at the city of Garden City Public Utilities-Kansas.
needs in your utility. Maybe some students are ready to transition from high school straight into a career in water. You can also start your own water utility outreach program to show high school students what water utility jobs are like and how they can develop a life-long career in the industry. An outreach program can provide your utility with the opportunity to get young people interested in a career in water. Check out all the great, free resources that can help you connect to local high school students at www.wichita. edu/workinwater. Do not hesitate to contact us to help you start your own Work in Water program. Another opportunity on the horizon to engage high school students is WaterCorps. The WSU EFC recently received one of 10 EPA Innovative Water Infrastructure Workforce Development Grants. The aim of this project is to build the water workforce by developing a nationwide network of high school and post-secondary students who will receive internship experiences, educational resources, guidance from professionals in the field, and facility tours.
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The Environmental Finance Centers at the University of New Mexico and Syracuse University will join Wichita State University on the project. If you would like to provide your experience and expertise to help build the new WaterCorps program, please reach out to the WSU EFC at efc@wichita. edu. We are seeking mentors, advisory board members, and resources that are already successful. Join us in creating and sharing a great water workforce pipeline for the next generation.
Veterans U.S. veterans are a highly skilled and motivated, but often underutilized, pool of candidates. Veterans often have technical and leadership skills that they can bring into the civilian workforce. Individuals that have served in the military are able to perform under pressure, are accustomed to nontraditional work schedules and environments, and can provide unique insight into the operations of a utility. Veterans are also familiar with work environments where procedures and regulations are essential, are effective problem solvers, good team members, and have a community mindset. All these traits align with the attributes of our water utility workforce. There is a strong business case for hiring veterans: A study by Syracuse University shows that the “strong sense of mission that comes from military service are characteristics that are highly valued.” Use the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Career One Stop to easily connect with veterans who are job searching in your area. Learn more about hiring a veteran with the DOL’s Employer Guide to Hiring Veterans. The American Water Works Association also has resources for recruiting, hiring, and retaining veterans.
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theReview May/June 2022
Invest In Recruitment With all the demands on the technical and regulatory tasks at your water/wastewater utility, developing and implementing an outreach and recruitment plan can easily get pushed to the bottom of the list. However, there are dollars and time lost during the hiring process when there are long job vacancies. Additionally, those losses are compounded when an employee is hired that is not a good fit for the position. Take the time to do outreach. Share with the community and potential employees about the job of a water and wastewater operator. What are the duties, expectations, and highs and lows of the job? Talk about how meaningful the work is and about specific times when you were able to solve a problem to benefit the community. This will help increase appreciation and awareness of the water and wastewater utility service in the community. It will also help avoid false expectations of the job for potential job seekers, while allowing others to identify how they might enjoy the job.
Take time to strategically recruit. Be where your next great employee might be today. It could be the local high school, on a veteran job board, a community college job fair, community event, social media, etc. Train everyone at your utility, from board members to managers to clerks to technical staff to talk about how their jobs positively impact the community, where potential job openings may occur next, the skills and abilities of the next potential staff member, and how folks can apply for careers with your utility. Word of mouth is where most people find their jobs. Investing time and energy into outreach and recruitment pays off when filling vacancies with great employees is quick and seamless. Take the time today and avoid ripples of disruption tomorrow. Tonya Bronleewe is the director of the Wichita State University Environmental Finance Center. Learn more at https://www.wichita. edu/academics/fairmount_college_of_liberal_ arts_and_sciences/hugowall/efc/ .
NEWS FROM THE BENCH by Paul Martin
Cities And Ballot Propositions: Speaking Your Truth, At Least Mostly
Missouri cities and their elected and appointed officials have struggled mightily with Section 115.646 RSMo. The statute prohibits the use of public funds to “advocate, support, or oppose” a ballot measure. (It does the same for candidates, but that is beyond the scope of this note.) The statute’s violation can be enforced by the Missouri Ethics Commission, or by a prosecuting attorney, which can lead to fines, and in extreme cases, imprisonment. Either way, the accused is subject to public criticism, embarrassment, and the costs of defense, in addition to the possible punishment. To avoid those risks, cities and their officials have tried to walk a fine line in using taxpayer funds to promote local tax and bond measures. They have based their campaigns on the uncertain, sometimes elusive, distinction between “educating” the public with “purely factual information” and “persuading” the public by using descriptive terms, or a surfeit of mostly favorable facts, or a focus on expected benefits rather than predictable costs. Still, in an effort to get a new tax passed or a bond issue approved, local governments have been
confronted often with the question of “how far can we go?” before risking a complaint. Recently, the Missouri Supreme Court rejected a local government challenge to the constitutionality of Section 115.646, but in doing so the Court clarified the scope of the speech that the statute prohibits. The case is City of Maryland Heights et al. v. State of Missouri, No. SC99098 (Feb. 15, 2022), the “et al.” being the cities of Olivette, Rock Hill, and Winchester. The plaintiffs’ argued, in part, that the statute’s language, specifically what it means to “advocate, support, or oppose” a ballot measure, was so vague that it violated the public officials’ rights to due process under the Fourteenth Amendment. While the Court rejected the claim, it clarified that the quoted language was “result-oriented.” That is, it prohibited “express advocacy of election or defeat.” In a footnote, the Court cited a United States Supreme Court decision that identified examples of “express advocacy,” such as “vote for,” “support,” “cast your ballot for,” “vote against,” “reject,” and “defeat.” The Court
also observed that “it will be difficult to show intent to violate the statute [unless] the communication is susceptible of no reasonable interpretation other than as an appeal to vote for or against” a proposition (citation and quotation omitted.) If this is what it means to “advocate, support, or oppose” a ballot measure, then cities and their officials can take some comfort when promoting future ballot propositions. The language that must be avoided at all costs are words of “express advocacy,” or language so extreme that it directly calls for a specific vote. But an honest recitation of the benefits of a ballot proposition, its comparative but diminutive costs, and illustrative descriptions of the goals to be achieved appear to be fair game, even if the effect of such a recitation is persuasive in nature. For example, when educating the public about the need to finance a new fire house, a city should be able to describe the cramped quarters, deteriorating infrastructure, and obsolete layout of the existing house; its effect on the morale of current firefighters; the corresponding
Section 115.646 RSMo. Public funds expenditure by political subdivision officer or employee, prohibited — personal appearances permitted — violation, penalty. No contribution or expenditure of public funds shall be made directly by any officer, employee or agent of any political subdivision, including school districts and charter schools, to advocate, support, or oppose the passage or defeat of any ballot measure or the nomination or election of any candidate for public office, or to direct any public funds to, or pay any debts or obligations of, any committee supporting or opposing such ballot measures or candidates. This section shall not be construed to prohibit any public official of a political subdivision, including school districts and charter schools, from making public appearances or from issuing press releases concerning any such ballot measure. Any purposeful violation of this section shall be punished as a class four election offense.
www.mocities.com
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www.ellicksonresearch.com Community Surveys difficulty of hiring new firefighters; and the possible effect on service delivery. A city should also be able to show how these existing circumstances can be expected to change with a minimal property tax increase. While such a campaign obviously “supports” a voter’s favorable action on the proposition, there is no “express advocacy” that violates the statute. O f c o u r s e , a l w ay s r u n y o u r promotional materials by your city attorney for a legal assessment, but the Missouri Supreme Court’s opinion offers us all some breathing room when it comes to promoting ballot propositions. Paul Martin has represented local governments, including cities, counties, fire districts, and other special districts, in the St. Louis metropolitan area for the past 35 years. He is a frequent litigator, writer, and speaker on local government matters. He can be contacted at his new firm, Kistner, Hamilton, Elam, & Martin LLC, at 1406 N. Broadway, St. Louis, MO 63102, at paul@law-fort.com, or at 314.805.8800. 26
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FEATURE Review
Getting To Know You. . . ANNE LAMITOLA Public Works Director City of Ladue What sparked your interest in serving in local government?
How has COVID-19 impacted your work as a public works professional?
When I was in college, I interned one summer for the construction engineering department of the Board of Public Service with the city of St. Louis where I was able to learn about a variety of different public works projects. Every day was different — there were problems to solve, and many things to learn. At the time of college grading, I had a job offer with an engineering consulting firm, and a construction contractor, but found myself drawn to the local government opportunities for their own unique sets of circumstances. After graduating college, I went to work fulltime for the city of St. Louis and subsequently have worked for the city of Sunset Hills, and now the city of Ladue. Each day is different and there is never a dull moment!
The public engagement aspect of collaborating with residents, stakeholders and elected officials has certainly changed. In addition to holding virtual meetings, we have found that holding outdoor in-person meetings at proposed project locations has been an effective method to increase attendance to meetings where input from impacted residents is essential.
What has been the toughest lesson you have learned during your career in local government? When a resident or stakeholder is upset, it is particularly important to listen. Often times, the resident just wants to be heard and engaging in a debate is not going to help the situation. Listen first! In your opinion, what are the most important issues facing local government in Missouri, and/or facing the public works profession? Currently, public works departments are dealing with the rising costs of construction that are impacting bid results for public projects. Public works leaders, as well as elected officials, are having to make tough decisions on the prioritization of projects, weighing needs over wants.
How would you describe your City to someone who had never visited? Ladue is recognized as a premier residential community located in St. Louis County, with high-quality homes and a scenic countryside character within a suburban context. Ladue has excellent public and private schools, picturesque homes and private clubs, and charming commercial areas.
What are your interests outside of local government? Outside of working for the city of Ladue, I enjoy spending time with my husband and twin teenage daughters, traveling, cooking and hiking.
Where would you most like to travel, and why? England and Northern Wales, where fortunately I will be visiting this summer with my family! We are looking forward to experiencing the culture, exploring historic sites, enjoying English tea, and attempting to drive through the countryside.
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FEATURE Review
Getting To Know You. . . JOSE LEON
Public Works Director City of Raytown What sparked your interest in serving in local government? My parents showed me the value of serving people who needed help when I was growing up. The opportunity to serve the public has always intrigued me. I enjoy working with people to solve problems in and around their community to maintain or improve their life. Fortunately, I found local government through my engineering technician background, and it did not take long for me to know local government was a true passion of mine once I got started.
What has been the toughest lesson you have learned during your career in local government? The toughest lesson I have learned is not all organizations function with the same integrity and in the best interest of the public they serve. Depending on your circumstance within that organization, it could jeopardize your career aspirations if you are not careful. Should anyone find themselves in this type of situation, where it makes you question decisions being made around you, I recommend doing what you believe is right. At the end of the day, you have to look yourself in the mirror knowing you did the right thing.
In your opinion, what are the most important issues facing local government in Missouri, and/ or facing the public works profession? Recruiting and employing the blue-collar workforce is a huge challenge for public works and many other departments right now. Local governments are challenged by the competing private sector wages and benefits more and more. The impacts this issue has on the public sector have come to realization for many communities across Missouri and the United States. Service levels are suffering — that means potholes are not being filled, snowplow drivers are not available, grass is not being mowed, or trash is not being picked up. In my opinion, staffing issues will remain a common challenge for the foreseeable future.
How has COVID-19 impacted your work as a public works professional? The COVID-19 pandemic exponentiated the staffing shortages we are facing in our blue-collar positions. Although many of our positions were considered essential because of the service we provide in local government, people have decided our maintenance positions are not what they want to do. Nearly every community I have spoken with has explained to me they are struggling to fill vacancies. Even getting individuals to show up for interviews is a challenge. Many, including Raytown, have increased pay or provided bonuses to help with recruitment. These strategies do not seem to be working as well as we have hoped.
What advice would you offer to someone considering service in the public works profession? I believe our profession is best served by individuals who believe public service to be a calling as a career field. There are so many great aspects of public works you will work around. Public works is filled with dedicated people who respond to the smallest and largest challenges communities face. We need people who understand the value of serving the public. We need people who believe in community and teamwork. If you want to help make a tangible difference in a community every day, then public works is right here waiting for you! This is a great field to start your local government career!
What are your interests outside of local government? I am involved in my church parish. My family keeps me busy with sports and school activities. I am also the new vice president of professional development for the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers – Kansas City Chapter. Helping this generation and the next generation of Latino/ Hispanic STEM professionals reach their career aspirations is something I care deeply about. I really love a great game of chess when I can find someone to play with!
Where would you most like to travel, and why? I would love to travel to Rome, Italy. I love history and there is some great history around Rome. www.mocities.com
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theReview May/June 2022
LOCAL GOVERNMENT Review by Wendee Seaton
City Of Clinton Completes All Inclusive Playground
As the mother of a young child, I spend a lot of time at playgrounds, I would see some caregivers struggle. I realized we needed a more accessible playground here in Clinton. We sent a survey out to the community and accessibility was listed as a challenge in our City. I began researching ADA playgrounds in 2016. While researching, I discovered inclusive playgrounds that provide a place where children with physical, social-emotional, sensory, cognitive and communicative disabilities can play along-side able-bodied children, with all benefiting from the health and socialization aspects of a playground. I knew a parent of a child with autism and discovered they could not take their child to the playgrounds because they
were not fenced and did not have a “quiet space”’ for them to desensitize when they became overwhelmed. During my research, I discovered the growing number of grandparents who were raising their grandchildren. Accessibility kept many from visiting playgrounds with their grandchildren and promoted obesity among those who were not active. Children with disabilities are also at higher risk of social isolation. Studies have found that children with disabilities are excluded from play significantly more often than their peers without disabilities. These children experience less diversity of activities and less social engagements than their peers without disabilities, spending more time in
isolated activities such as watching television and using the computer. Typically, children with disabilities carry out leisure activities on their own or with parents rather than with friends. When play with peers is limited, the ability to learn and develop the skills and attitudes of accomplishment associated with play are also restricted. The City formed an Inclusive Playground Committee and we toured playgrounds around the Kansas City area. I also toured inclusive playgrounds around Columbia and St. Louis. The City applied for a Land and Water Conservation Fund Grant from Missouri State Parks and I began contacting playground manufacturers and researching inclusive playground equipment. I spoke with many other www.mocities.com
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cities who had already built one of these playgrounds and learned of the incredible benefit it had provided their communities. Many parents of children with disabilities and therapy groups traveled great distances to visit these playgrounds. During this process, I applied for more than 75 grants. Some grants were denied the first time but we were successful on the second attempt. Persistence pays off! Fundraising was started, and then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The project came to a halt for almost a year and many were ready to just let it go. I was not. I kept applying for grant extensions and pushing this project through. In August of 2021, the playground was opened to the public … five years after beginning the process! Seeing children with disabilities using this playground and playing alongside other children is a dream come true. The sound of children’s laughter is a beautiful thing. This playground is always full of families even during the winter months. The project budget was $600,000 and was paid for 100% from grants and donations. No City tax dollars were used. Wendee Seaton is the city clerk/finance officer for the city of Clinton. Learn more at https://clintonmo.com.
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Future Plans: • The City is currently taking bids to put a shelter house at the playground. The Rotary Club has donated two picnic tables and we plan to obtain two more. We hope to obtain more shelter houses on the north side of the playground as well. • As the next step in becoming more accessible, the City has applied for a Recreational Trails Grant to pave the 1-mile Artesian Park Walking Trail, with fitness stations along the trail and an inner ADA loop with improved parking.
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LOCAL GOVERNMENT Review
CITY OF ARNOLD
Updated ADA Compliance and Bike-Walk Plan Arnold Public Works Director Judy Wagner, P.E., is launching new tactics to remove or modify barriers at city facilities to enable more fully convenient access for all residents and visitors, including people who are disabled, based on Universal Design concepts. With the Oates Associates consulting firm of St. Louis, Wagner developed an updated ADA compliance plan, plus a new bike-hike-walk surface plan to upgrade the City’s infrastructure, complementing improvements of recent years. The city engaged Oates Associates to develop the two plans for a fee not to exceed $185,000, Wagner said. She recently applied for three grants from the East-West Gateway Council totaling nearly $5 million to begin funding some of the new Arnold projects. She hopes to receive funding approvals by this fall. “We are creating an environment very different than Arnold residents may remember from years ago,” Wagner said. “Universal Design concepts that we are embracing will accommodate more people with different needs.” With a population of about 22,000, Arnold is 25 miles from St. Louis and the biggest city in Jefferson County. Arnold citizens have requested expansions and improvements to the pedestrian infrastructure in recent years. See the plan on the City’s website at https://www.arnoldmo.org/download/arnold-bicycle-and-pedestrian-master-plan-2022/.
CITY OF BRENTWOOD
Walking Trail Improvements Project What happens when the pavement of a trail deteriorates due to weathering and tree root growth? Do you remove the mature trees, work around them, or find an alternate solution? In 2021, Brentwood public works staff tackled replacement of obsolete asphalt with installation of new concrete in areas of a trail without trees, and installation of Rubberway – a porous, flexible pavement material – around the areas near mature trees. Rubberway looks like concrete but accommodates tree root growth and allows water to flow through its structure. Before the project could begin, staff needed survey services to determine ownership and possible encroachments along the right of way of a trail connection between the dead-ends of White Avenue and Bridgeport Avenue. The survey revealed that some existing fences encroached on city-owned property. Fence relocation provided a wider section to curve the proposed trail improvements around the mature trees. The Brentwood Parks Department provided a special fill material adjacent to the trees. This trail serves as a shortcut for residents to walk to nearby parks and an elementary school. The new, 5-foot-wide sidewalk and trail are ADA compliant. 34
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GRANDVIEW
1-49 Outer Roads In August of 2021, Grandview broke ground on one of the biggest infrastructure projects in City history: converting the I-49 Outer Roads from one-way traffic to two-way traffic. This $15 million economic development project has been years in the making and was possible thanks to nearly $12 million in federal and state grants. Grandview is a city divided by an interstate and the conversion will improve access for the estimated 90,000 drivers who travel I-49 every day. By converting the outer roads to two-way traffic, drivers can easily enter and exit businesses along the outer roads and get back onto I-49. The two-way traffic is expected to renew the I-49 corridor and is already drawing interest from businesses wanting to leverage Grandview’s strategic location to the Kansas City metropolitan area. Phase I construction is already making an impact. Crews have nearly finished a roundabout along the West Outer Road and have added one mile of new sidewalk. Walkers now have a safe path instead of having to use the shoulder as traffic whizzes by. Additional sidewalks are also slated for the second, third and fourth phases of the project along both outer roads. The second phase of construction is now underway. The conversion is expected to be complete by the end of 2022.
JOPLIN
Capital Improvements Program Provides Funding Solutions for Joplin Work continues along West 32nd Street in Joplin to widen two miles of this east/west corridor to a three-lane roadway with curb and gutter. A dualuse sidewalk/bike path will be added to the north side of the roadway. This project will greatly improve safety but does have some real highs and lows. One area involves cutting the centerline 13-feet lower than existing conditions, while another involves filling the centerline nearly 20-feet. Olsson completed the design and right-of-way negotiations. Emery Sapp & Sons, Inc., is the construction contractor for the $8.2 million project set for completion in summer 2023. It is funded by the Capital Improvements Program (CIP) initially passed in 2004 and renewed in 2014 to improve transportation and mobility throughout Joplin. A citizens committee reviews and prioritizes projects to submit to the City Council for consideration in the program. Joplin’s CIP funded the construction of a railroad bridge over a major arterial and widened the roadway as one of the first projects, while other improvements focus on arterials, major roadways and issues affecting safety in neighborhood areas. Most recently, the City partnered with the Missouri Department of Transportation and the U.S. Department of Transportation to complete road widening and bridge reconstruction across I-44. www.mocities.com
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KANSAS CITY
Wastewater Plant Upgrade Kansas City Water recently completed a major upgrade to its Westside Wastewater Treatment Plant that will nearly double capacity, eliminate major maintenance problems, and reduce sewage overflows into streams and rivers. Located near the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri rivers, the improvement includes a new disinfection basin, secondary clarifier, and disinfection building; upgrades or replacement of 1970s-era electrical equipment, and new internal pump systems. The improvements increase the plant’s capacity from 40 million to 70 million gallons per day while eliminating vertical turbine pumps susceptible to clogging. Improvements also eliminate submerged butterfly valves that required partial plant shutdowns to maintain. Most processes will be automated, easing staffing pressures. Reduced overflows from combined and sanitary separate wastewater systems will be treated to the plant’s discharge limits instead of overflowing to Turkey Creek, Line Creek, and the Kansas and Missouri rivers, resulting in improved water quality for area residents and the region. KC Water completed the $39-million project in partnership with Carollo Engineers and Goodwin Brothers Construction Co.
O’FALLON
New Wastewater Treatment Plant As O’Fallon’s leaders looked at the future of the City’s nearly 40-yearold wastewater treatment plant, they evaluated a variety of options for meeting more restrictive guidelines from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MoDNR) and the ever-changing needs of the growing community. Taking advantage of the construction market during the COVID-19 shutdown, city staff obtained bids for a comprehensive upgrade of the entire plant and found that the project could be done for $25.2 million, nearly $6 million below previous estimates. The City Council approved the project in May 2020, and construction started later that year. Today, the fully-upgraded plant is close to completion and the City’s wastewater treatment process already is seeing the benefits. When complete, the new plant will expand capacity during rain events from a stated capacity of 11.25 MGD to 16.5 MGD. Additionally, plant operations will be simplified with the new process far exceeding effluent permit requirements and current ammonia limits. The plant’s improved functionality also will allow the City to adjust should more stringent limits be implemented in the future. Improved electrical systems, more efficient flow and reduced odors are other benefits of the upgrades. 36
theReview May/June 2022
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PERRYVILLE
Wastewater Treatment Plant The construction of the first design-build wastewater treatment plant in Missouri funded by the State Revolving Fund is well underway in the city of Perryville. The continuous collaboration between the Department of Natural Resources, the design-build team, and city staff has kept the project moving at a steady pace despite the difficulty procuring building supplies in today’s market. It is easy to see how this option is becoming more common in today’s industry. There is a single point of responsibility for the project, while city staff is still able to communicate with both the design and build teams simultaneously, early and often, throughout the project. HDR and Robinson Industrial and Heavy Contracting, Inc., is the team the city of Perryville chose to embark on this project in 2020 and, with weather permitting, the staff hopes to have it in operation by January 2023.
POPLAR BLUFF
Wastewater Treatment Plant Poplar Bluff recently completed its $20-million wastewater treatment plant project in 2021. The improvements will bring it into current Environmental Protection Agency and Missouri Department of Natural Resources effluent limits. Prior to the start of the project, the City removed all sludge since the covers will last 20 years. The project consisted of adding Lemna covers to three cells. In addition to covers on the cells, the City added mixers and fine bubble diffusers. This addition also required additional air blowers. A threecell nitrification reactor was added for ammonia removal. Ultraviolet light was added for disinfectant of the effluent. Since the completion of this project, testing has shown that Poplar Bluff has successfully achieved all permit limits. The Project Engineers for this project was Smith & Company and was constructed by Robertson Construction.
RICHMOND HEIGHTS
McKnight Road Improvement Project Three governmental agencies - the city of Richmond Heights, Saint Louis County, and the Missouri Department of Transportation - collaborated to design, manage, construct, fund, and approve the McKnight Road Improvement Project. This project covers a three-fourth-mile stretch of McKnight Road between Clayton Road and Interstate 64. It is a busy but beautiful residential corridor owned and maintained by Saint Louis County, located within the city of Richmond Heights, whose residents have long requested a sidewalk. The project included adding 6-foot sidewalks, improving stormwater drainage, replacing the traffic signal at Clayton Road, and much-needed asphalt resurfacing for a total of $1.4 million. The City and Saint Louis County applied for federal transportation grants separately to help cover their costs. After grant approval was received in two different federal cycles, the two agencies chose to combine the projects to save time, money and community disturbance. Richmond Heights Public Works Director Chris Boyd agreed to oversee the project on behalf of both agencies to strengthen project efficiencies and resident communications. As recipients of a federal transportation grant, which covered about 80% of total costs, MoDOT approved the design plans, oversaw the contracts and administered the funding. In the end, all three organizations worked together without issue and the project turned out beautifully! 38
theReview May/June 2022
SMITHVILLE
Downtown Streetscape Main Street is the entryway from U.S. Highway 169 to Smithville’s historic downtown business district and is a primary gateway to Smithville Lake, a regional recreational amenity. For most of the corridor’s history, it was under the jurisdiction of the Missouri Department of Transportation, previously designated as Highway DD, and was overdue for revitalization and accessibility improvements. A ballot issue for the project was proposed and approved in April 2018 for an amount of $2.325 million. To provide appropriate funding and planning for the project, it was divided into three phases. Each phase includes new sidewalks, landscaping, bike sharrows, decorative street lighting, improved pedestrian crossings, curb and gutter, stormwater improvements, and mill and overlay. Phase II included a new concrete alley, drainage improvements, and a post-tension concrete basketball court. This phase also extended the newly constructed Main Street Trail, increasing connectivity and ease of access between the historic downtown corridor and Smith’s Fork Park. Streetscape Phase II was awarded the 2022 American Public Works Association Metro KC Chapter Award for Project of the Year in the small cities/rural communities – transportation category. Currently, the City is in the engineering design phase for Phase III.
ST. CHARLES
Cole Creek Flood Reduction Project In June 2011 and May 2013, the city of St. Charles was hit with two catastrophic rain events that exceeded the 100-year rainfall events. Following these strong storms the City completed a Stormwater Master Plan in 2015 to identify the top projects that could alleviate the flooding. In August 2016, voters supported the City’s efforts to address these stormwater issues with the passage of Proposition P, a one-half-cent sales tax for 15 years. The top project identified was along Cole Creek where 34 properties, as well as Elm Street, were inundated with emergency responders cut off from responding due to the flash flood event. This $6-million project focused flood reduction greatly improved conveyance of Cole Creek in this area by reconstructing two roadway bridges; one railroad bridge; linear channel widening along Cole Creek; and by creating flood benches adjacent to Cole Creek where water is able to pool without impacting developed properties. Completing this infrastructure renewal was a challenging task, tight timeframes for construction of the three bridges were needed to allow residents access to their property and to make use of a track outage window where replacement of the railroad bridge would not impact interstate goods movement. In 2021, the city of St. Charles completed this project on schedule and within budget. After construction of the project, the City conducted a survey of the area and produced a Letter of Map Revision through FEMA that removed 27 properties from the floodplain.
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ST. PETERS
Business Park Entrance Updated for All Travelers Freight haulers, local drivers, workers, bicyclists … they all travel through the 800-acre Premier 370 Business Park in St. Peters. As one of the main entrances to Premier 370, the intersection of Premier Parkway and Spencer Road needed updates to keep up with the amazing growth there. The city of St. Peters also wanted to make more connections for its system of 27+ miles of paved bicycle and pedestrian trails. More and more goods—and 10,000-plus employees—travel to and from massive logistic centers on Premier Parkway, including an 885,000-square-foot Amazon fulfillment center that has become St. Charles County’s largest employer (6,000 jobs) since opening in 2019. Premier Parkway also is home to FedEx Ground, Central States Materials, Dayton Freight LTL, Saia LTL Freight, Medline Industries, RB, Best Buy, DMI, Grove Collaborative and more on the way. A $536,000 project completed in 2021 added turn lanes, a median, new traffic signal, crosswalk, and trail connection at Premier Parkway’s T-intersection with Spencer Road. The new trail connection and crosswalk provided access from the Spencer Road Trail to the Premier Parkway bike path. The newly built intersection keeps commerce flowing and pedals spinning for a wealthier and healthier community.
WENTZVILLE
West Meyer Road Project The project that is currently under construction will include a three-lane concrete roadway with curb, gutter and storm drainage improvements. This project also includes the construction of a sedimentation basin in front of the lake at Rotary Park. A 10-foot-wide pedestrian trail will be installed on the south side of the road with a crossing into Wentzville’s 70+ acre Rotary Park.
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MEMBER News Blue Springs City Clerk Receives 2022 Outstanding City Clerk Award Blue Springs City Clerk Sheryl Morgan was presented with the prestigious Missouri City Clerks and Finance Officers Association’s (MoCCFOA) 2022 Outstanding City Clerk Award at the annual MoCCFOA Spring Institute banquet held in Columbia, Missouri on March 16, 2022. Sheryl was recognized for demonstrating outstanding service and commitment to her municipality, community and professional organization. Sheryl is a member of the Western Division of MoCCFOA. She has served as president of her division along with various state and international city clerk committees from 2002 to the present. Sheryl has earned the designation of Missouri Registered City Clerk from MoCCFOA and Certified Municipal Clerk from International Institute of Municipal Clerks. She is working on obtaining her Missouri Professional City Clerk designation. She has served with the city of Blue Springs for more than 18 years.
Reliable Public Power Providers The city of Jackson utilities and city of Rolla Municipal utilities have earned 2022 Reliable Public Power Provider (RP3) designations from the American Public Power Association (APPA) for providing reliable and safe electric service. As announced by the Association in March, the utilities were among 54 of the nation’s more than 2,000 public power utilities to earned a 2022 RP3 designation from APPA. Rolla’s 2022 designation is a new consecutive recognition, after a past RP3 designation that ran from 2018-2021. Jackson last received an RP3 designation in 2015. The RP3 designation lasts for three years, recognizing public power utilities that have demonstrated their proficiency in four key disciplines: reliability, safety, workforce development and system improvement. Earning APPA’s RP3 badge-of-honor involves a rigorous process proving a utility’s sound management practices and a utility-wide commitment to safe and reliable delivery of electricity.
Cities Honored for Historic Preservation Congratulations to the Missouri cities recognized in April at The Missouri Alliance for HistoricPreservation's Honor Awards. The awards recognize excellence in historic preservation over the past year. Pictured below are representatives from the city of Wildwood. Other cities recognized were Fulton, Kansas City, Kearney, Liberty, Maplewood and St. Louis.
(l-r) Christopher Hammond, Alan Bachert, Steve Scott, Janice Stevens, Robyn Keefe, Jim Hrubes, Dan Rowton and Joe Garritano.
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MEMBER News MDNR Cybersecurity Incident Reporting and Resources for Water and Wastewater Systems
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The Missouri Department of Natural 901 Vine St., Poplar Bluff, MO 573.785.9621 ENGINEERS Resources has set up a dedicated email WWW.SHSMITHCO.COM AN EMPLOYEE-OWNED COMPANY address and would like you to report DELIVERING QUALITY PROJECTS TO OUR CLIENTS all cybersecurity incidents at water and wastewater plants. The new address is wpp-cybersecurity@dnr.mo.gov. Email this address from a non-compromised email account as soon as possible after an incident is discovered and include the relative details. The Department encourages water and wastewater system owners and operators to be aware of cybersecurity threats and take steps to mitigate them. The most common threat LAND SURVEYING CIVIL ENGINEERING GEOTECHNICAL SERVICES is posed by current and former employees INDUSTRIAL PARKS WATER AIRPORTS SIGNALIZED INTERSECTIONS and contractors who may accidentally or ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES WASTEWATER BRIDGES ROADS intentionally disrupt normal operations. For more information, please find more resources from the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) at https://www.cisa.gov/cyber-hygiene-services. In addition, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) offers free, confidential cybersecurity assessments and technical assistance to drinking water and wastewater utilities. Learn more at https://horsleywitten.com/cybersecurity-training/.
Missouri Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP)
Missouri’s Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP), located at Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&amp;T) in Rolla, provides both in-person and online training to city and county public works departments throughout the state. Topics range from work zone safety and road maintenance to various worker safety topics. The program operates on funding provided by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) as one of 51 LTAP centers – one in each state plus Puerto Rico. In addition, Missouri’s LTAP manages a Safety Circuit Rider Program, that WWW.SGRJOBS.COM assists cities and counties in identifying funding opportunities to implement low-cost road safety improvements. Ms. Gidget Koestner, Missouri’s Safety Circuit Rider, can also provide engineering advise for smaller municipalities with limited in-house engineering services. For more information on Missouri’s LTAP or Safety Circuit Rider Program, please visit the LTAP website at www.moltap.org. Municipalities can also schedule in-person trainings to meet their employees’ safety and professional development needs. All available classes and contact information are listed on the website. www.mocities.com
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RJWor ks For MO .com
MEMBER News Governor Proclaims May 1-7, 2022, to be Missouri Local Government Week On May 2, 2022, Missouri Governor Mike Parson declared May 1-7, 2022, to be Missouri Local Government Week in Missouri. He spent time meeting with local officials from Missouri cities, counties and school boards, including three Missouri mayors, and shared how important local service is to the state. During the week, cities across the state highlighted the important work of local government by hosting community events, employee recognitions, city proclamations and posts on social media.
Missouri local officials from cities, counties and school boards met with Missouri Governor Mike Parson on May 2, 2022, to recognize Missouri Local Government Week. Left: (l-r) Moline Acres Mayor and MML Vice President Michele DeShay, Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe, Missouri Governor Mike Parson, Jefferson CIty Mayor Carrie Tergin. Right: Missouri Governor Mike Parson greets Moline Acres Mayor Michele DeShay at the Misosuri Governor's Office in Jefferson City.
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MEMBER News & Notes MML Calendar of Events May 2022 13 ����� Last Day of Missouri Legislative Session
June 2022 9-10 ����� MML Elected Officials Training Conference, Columbia, Missouri
www.facebook.com/mocities
16 ����� MML Policy Committee Meetings, Columbia, Missouri 23 ����� MML Southeast Regional Meeting, Perryville, Missouri
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July 2022 15-17 ����� MMAA Summer Seminar, Osage Beach, Missouri 28 ����� MML West Gate Regional Meeting, Civic Leadership Awards Banquet, Blue Springs, Missouri
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August 2022 2 ����� Primary Election Day 4 ����� MML Resolutions Committee Policy Meeting, Jefferson City, Missouri
September 2022
Scan the QR code with your smartphone or visit
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11-14 ����� MML Annual Conference, Osage Beach, Missouri
for links to each page!
17-21 ����� ICMA Annual Conference, Columbus, Ohio
November 2022 17-19 ����� National League of Cities' City Summit, Kansas City, Missouri
Find more events and details on www.mocities.com and in the MML monthly e-newsletter.
EXPAND YOUR HORIZON MML’s Municipal Governance Institute rewards your commitment to learning new skills and abilities in the local government field. Learn how to become a
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NEW! An Advanced MGI program is now available, offering custom-crafted modules with increased challenges and rewards.
Use Tax Campaign Toolkit: Proposition U MML and the Municipal League of Metro St. Louis have produced a Use Tax Campaign Toolkit for cities seeking to put the Use Tax on an upcoming ballot. The information is designed to assist municipal officials and community groups in their effort in passing a local use tax.
Learn more about materials for Prop. U:
www.mocities.com
Zero. Zip. Zilch. Nada. (What the competition has over us)
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We actually answer the phone. Missouri Rural Services Corp. Missouri Rural Services Workers’ Compensation Insurance Trust P.O. Box 104268, Jefferson City, MO 65110-4268 800-726-9304. www.missouriruralservices.com Public Entity and NonproÞt Insurance
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