Supervisors approve new assistant project manager job to bolster bridge inspections

Pottawattamie County supervisors approved revised job descriptions and the addition of an assistant project manager position in the Secondary Roads department to increase capacity for bridge inspections and oversight of contractor work.

John Rasperson (Engineer) told the board the county has struggled to fill a bridge foreman role and that combining inspection duties into a new assistant project manager position would create a training pathway and retention incentive. “So there'll be some training there. Take about 5 years to get them up to speed,” he said, explaining the certification timeline for bridge inspection duties.

Rasperson said the assistant project manager will focus on bridge inspections and provide a second set of eyes for auditing bridge reports; the role would also inspect contractor work when needed. The job will be posted internally first; if not filled internally, the county will recruit externally. The county expects the new position to be reallocated from an existing budgeted bridge foreman position and to be at a lower pay grade than the current foreman.

Supervisors asked about the effect on professional services spending, whether the job would reduce consultant costs, and how the position fits into the current structure of two project managers. Rasperson said the number of full-time equivalents will not increase significantly and that the change is intended to provide overlap in training ahead of an upcoming retirement on the technical team.

A motion to approve the job descriptions and create the assistant project manager position carried by voice vote.