Department of Transportation & Public Works

Stephanie Leon Streeter, P.E., Acting Director

ADOPTED FY23 BUDGET

$108,421,999

Department Mission

FULL TIME EQUIVALENTS 713.8

To promote the health, safety, and well‐being of St. Louis County residents by providing a transportation system that supports multi‐modes and encourages regional growth and opportunity; enforce internationally accepted building and property maintenance codes reasonably and judiciously for public health, safety and protection; provide customer friendly building spaces in which to conduct county business; and support innovative problem solving that enhances public service.

Budget Overview

The 2023 adopted budget for the department of Transportation & Public Works is $108,421,999, an increase of $4,446,276 or 4.3 percent from the 2022 adjusted budget of $103,975,724. Personnel costs comprise 53.7 percent of the budget for 724 positions (713.8 full time equivalents). Operating expenses account for the 41.8 percent and capital expenses account for 4.5 percent of the budget.

Significant Changes

The 2023 adopted budget includes $900,000 to support on‐call maintenance services for County properties and $500,000 for on‐call civil plan review services.

The County Council reduced the Department of Transportation and Public Works budget by $2,945,717 (2.6%) compared to the County Executive’s recommendation to remove the value of 75% of vacant positions and eliminate funding for an expansion of neighborhood services and electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

Core Business Functions

The Department of Transportation & Public Works is responsible for the management of:

→ Planning, design, construction, inspection, operation, and maintenance of 3,169 lane‐miles of road

→ 220 vehicle and pedestrian bridges

→ 1000+ crossroad culverts

→ 1,300 miles of sidewalks

→ 47 miles of dedicated on‐street bicycle lanes

→ 12.8 miles of signed bicycle routes

→ 674 signals and beacons

→ 250,000 signs

→ 35 owned buildings (2.9M gross ft2)

→ 18 building leases (0.3M gross ft2)

→ Review of 12,000 plan sets

→ Issuance of 57,000 permits

→ 137,000 construction inspections

→ 14,800 re‐occupancy inspections

→ 9,300 property maintenance inspections

Program Descriptions

Project Development

→ Monitoring of over 1,800 vacant nuisance properties

→ Mowing of 3,300 vacant lots

→ Capital and operating budget development and oversight

→ Supply acquisition and safety training

→ Maintenance of 3,628 vehicles, trucks, and engine‐powered equipment

→ Maintenance of 2 county‐owned parking garages

→ Fuel supply for county vehicles/equipment and municipal fleets by contract

→ Contract management of water service line repairs on qualifying residential lines within St. Louis County

→ Contract management of sewer lateral line repairs in unincorporated St Louis County and within municipalities by contract

In 2020, the Division of Project Development was formed by the merge of the Planning & Programming and Design divisions. The merger offers streamlined project delivery service from project inception to bidding. The division compiles road, traffic signal, intersection, bridge, bicycle, sidewalk, ADA and rehabilitation needs and performs needed analysis to develop a fiscally responsible five‐year Transportation Capital Construction Program. Utilizing both in‐house staff and contracted professional services, the division will plan and design both capital improvement and maintenance projects. The division applies current federal, state and county standards as well as context sensitive design methodology to plan and design future projects. The division coordinates with the Minority and Women Business Enterprise (M/WBE) Program on participation goals for professional service and construction contracts and oversees the contract procurement process for contracted services. Frequently, the division secures alternative funding from innovative finance sources, federal and state programs and partnerships with key stakeholders to advance projects and programs. The division also acquires right‐of‐way and handles real estate transactions to accommodate project buildout utilizing both staff and contracted services. Public input is important in the project process, so this division also holds public forums/informational open houses and uses area engineers as liaisons between the department, St. Louis County residents and other agencies to understand and address community issues. In addition to traditional project development services, the division’s bridge inspection team performs approximately 400 bridge inspections and 150 culvert inspections annually.

Note: Site/construction plans, Special Use Permits and flood plain studies pertaining to work in unincorporated St. Louis County or that involves St. Louis County right‐of‐way within municipal boundaries, are reviewed by Civil Plan Review in the Division of Code Enforcement.

Strategic Priorities and Performance Metrics:

 Priority 1 (TP1.1): Maintain infrastructure in fair or better condition (Pavement Condition Rating [PCR] 5‐10) (GG – Efficient and Responsible)

 Priority 2 (TP1.2): Improve transportation infrastructure through the design and implementation of capital improvement projects (GG – Efficient and Responsible)

 Priority 3 (TP1.3): Secure alternative funding (O – Improve Quality of Life)

Note: an “x” included in a performance metric data field means that data has not historically been reported. The 2023 Business Plan includes many new performance metrics where the department will capture and report data going forward.

Construction

The Construction Division inspects and oversees contract construction and preservation work performed within St. Louis County right‐of‐way and right‐of‐way improvements performed by subdivision and commercial developers. The division performs field surveys and operates a Materials Testing Laboratory accredited by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) to ensure that the expenditure of public monies on new construction projects and the rehabilitation of existing county‐maintained roads results in a quality transportation system. The division performs research, testing and analysis of materials incorporated into roadway construction contracts and right‐of‐way improvements, and provides materials testing services to other divisions, departments, and municipalities. Construction staff also works with the M/WBE Program Office to assure contract provisions are being met. The division performs project survey layout work, benchmark and right‐of‐way monument preservation and provides survey work for other county departments. The Construction Division also enforces St. Louis County’s Land Disturbance Code for residential properties.

Strategic Priorities and Performance Metrics:

 Priority 1 (TP2.1): Administer quality road and bridge construction with a delivery emphasizing overall value and safety for the customers (GG ‐ Efficient and Responsible)

Operations

The Operations Division lays asphalt, pours concrete, replaces culverts, fills potholes, mows grass, plows snow, spreads salt, removes pavement debris, repairs sidewalks and driveway approaches, repairs bridge decks, sweeps roads, removes trees and tree branches, cleans up litter, removes dead animals from the road and right‐of‐way, and performs many other tasks directly related to providing a safe, obstruction and hazard free road system. The division manufactures and installs street signs, maintains traffic signals, stripes pavement, conducts traffic studies and runs state‐of‐the‐art traffic operations from the Traffic Operations Building (TOB) featuring a traffic signal control room, enabling signal system integration with MoDOT’s system, remote signal control in real‐time and traffic monitoring.

Strategic Priorities and Performance Metrics:

 Priority 1 (TP3.1): Maintain public safety and mobility through active snow removal activities (GG ‐ Efficient and Responsible)

 Priority 2 (TP3.2): Actively resolve citizen service requests in a timely manner (GG ‐ Constituent Experience)

Performance Metric:

TP3.2: Customer Survey results x x x x

Fleet Management/Garage

The Fleet Management/Parking Garage Division provides cradle‐to‐grave services for 3,628 motor vehicles and other engine‐powered machinery owned by St. Louis County, including acquisition, vehicle registration, preventative maintenance, repair service, emissions testing, fueling, and disposal via public auctions. The division operates two county‐owned parking facilities in the City of Clayton providing 2,254 parking spaces for both employees and the public as well as parking by lease contract. Division staff operate the county’s vehicle pool, dispenses 1.3 million gallons of fuel annually from 8 fuel sites located throughout the county and provides mechanic and fuel services under contract to municipalities.

Strategic Priorities and Performance Metrics:

 Priority 1 (TP4.1): Complete all preventative fleet maintenance actions on schedule (GG ‐ Efficient and Responsible)

Performance Metric:

Administrative Services

The Administrative Services Division provides administrative, fiscal and personnel services. The division maintains department records, manages payroll and benefits, recruitment, and job classification evaluation, assists in disaster recovery coordination, oversees supply issuance, and manages the department’s safety program. Division staff also oversees the county’s Water Service and Sewer Lateral Line Repair programs through which approximately 650 residential water service line repairs are performed annually throughout the county, and approximately 1,200 sewer lateral repairs are performed annually in unincorporated St. Louis County and in 12 contract municipalities.

Strategic Priorities and Performance Metrics:

 Priority 1 (TP7.1): Improve staff recruitment and retention (GG ‐ Efficient and Responsible)

 Priority 2 (TP7.2): Provide responsive sewer lateral and water service program support to customers (GG ‐ Efficient and Responsible)

Code Enforcement

The Code Enforcement Division reviews plans, issues permits, and conducts inspections related to the enforcement of land disturbance, building, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, commercial and residential property maintenance, zoning, and public safety‐related codes throughout unincorporated St. Louis County and for municipalities that contract with St. Louis County. The division handles licensing of the mechanical, electrical and plumbing disciplines. Re‐occupancy inspections occur on single‐family homes and apartments (in unincorporated St. Louis County and in 10 municipalities by contract) every year. The division also issues permits for work being completed on St. Louis County’s Transportation System. The Business Assistance Center (BAC) within the Code Enforcement Division assists new and expanding businesses in navigating St. Louis County’s plan review, permitting, inspection and licensing processes, identifies and addresses potential pitfalls beforehand through pre‐design project meetings and acts as a liaison between county departments and business owners throughout their project’s life.

Strategic Priorities and Performance Metrics:

 Priority 1 (TP6.1): Actively investigate and respond to property maintenance complaints (GG ‐ Improve Effectiveness) investigate and respond to property maintenance complaints – Target: 10 working days

Facilities Management

The Facilities Management Division prepares the five‐year Capital Improvement Program for facility assets. The division identifies short‐term and long‐term needs and priorities related to buildings and systems. Both basic facilities capital and maintenance projects as well as complex building projects are designed within this Division. Complex building project construction is performed by contractors while maintenance projects are completed by in‐house staff. Staff works with the county’s Procurement section to bid out work or select winning proposals that also follow County diversity requirements to complete projects to be performed by private contractors.

The division operates and maintains 53 buildings/facilities owned or leased by St. Louis County. Encompassing 3.2 million gross square feet, these facilities are located throughout the county and include office buildings, the County Justice Center, the County Courthouse, public health clinics, police precincts, parking garages, and a morgue. The division performs maintenance, repair and minor construction including heating, ventilation and air conditioning, electrical, plumbing, carpentry and sheet metal work. Specialty service contractors are used to assist in troubleshooting and repairing major systems and equipment. Janitorial work is accomplished primarily through service contracts.

Strategic Priorities and Performance Metrics:

 Priority 1 (TP5.1): Maintain average facility condition across all owned facilities at fair or better rating (GG ‐

Efficient and Responsible)

 Priority 2 (TP5.2): Support the use of alternative power and efficiency options (GG ‐ Efficient and Responsible)

 Priority 3 (TP5.3): Maintain fair or better occupant ratings of facility cleanliness and thermal comfort (GG ‐

Efficient and Responsible)

Organizational Chart

St. Louis County Executive

Chief Administrative Officer

Director of Transportation & Public Works

Deputy Director of Transportation & Public Works

Fleet

Administration

Garage Operations

Fiscal Services

Fleet Operations

Safety Administration

Project Development

Transportation Planning

Estimating and Design

Code Enforcement

Building/MEP Permit/Plan Review/ Inspections

Property Maintenance & Re‐Occupancy

Personnel

Public Information

Telephone/Mail Room/Central File/Microfilm

Water Service & Sewer Lateral Repair Program

Property Acquisition

Transportation (SUP) Permitting & Plan Review

Bridge Inspection

Flood Plain & Land Disturbance

Facilities Management

Building Maintenance

Building/System Planning, Design & Construction

Facility Leases

Construction

Operations

Construction Inspection Materials Lab

Transportation System Maintenance

Traffic Operations

Surveying

Traffic Studies

Signs, Signals, & Striping

Budget Summary