Redmond Public Works launches asset-performance management program to track condition, costs and service levels

Redmond Public Works told City Council Tuesday it has launched a formal asset-performance management (APM) program to improve how the city inventories, maintains and budgets for infrastructure, with the aim of aligning planning and operational decisions across the enterprise.

Vanjie Garcia, public-works deputy director, introduced the item and said Brandon Buehler has led the APM formation. “Over the past year, Brandon has led the formation of the APM team, with initiatives that maximize the value the community receives from its public assets,” Garcia said.

Brandon Buehler, public-works asset manager, said the program follows ISO 55000 principles and focuses on four core questions: what the city owns (an asset registry); the condition of those assets (condition assessments); what the assets need to do (levels of service); and how to manage them over time within budget. “When we can answer them in-depth from our frontline technicians up to the council level, it’s transformative,” Buehler said.

Program elements: Public Works said it has started with four functional asset plans — water, wastewater, stormwater and transportation — and is auditing critical-asset inventories (pavement, signals, pump stations, wells) and GIS records to reduce data defects and improve the accuracy of the asset registry. The department plans to integrate its computerized maintenance-management system with asset data and to develop financial models that translate replacement needs into feet or units per budget dollar.

Risks and benefits: Buehler said improved asset data reduces the risk of service outages and reputational damage, helps prioritize limited capital funds, and supports continuity of operations amid staff turnover. He highlighted pavement as an example where timely intervention significantly reduces lifecycle costs and called predictive-maintenance tools — including CCTV inspection and AI-enabled image recognition — a midterm priority.

Accountability and public reporting: Public Works told council it intends to provide an annual “state of the assets” or infrastructure scorecard as part of each budget cycle so the council and public can see inventory, condition and funding gaps, and to make scorecard data publicly available through GIS-based tools.

Scaling and enterprise adoption: Staff said a municipal asset-management policy would provide direction to apply the approach across departments (parks, facilities and other asset-holding units) and support the city’s pursuit of American Public Works Association accreditation.

Timeline: The program began in 2024; the department expects to finalize the municipal policy and operationalize the four functional asset plans in the coming 12–18 months. Staff requested continued support for data improvement, financial modeling and investments in inspection and predictive tools.

Ending: Council members welcomed the infrastructure-scorecard concept and asked staff to benchmark performance with national standards. Public Works said it has started benchmarking with industry associations (for example, the American Water Works Association) and will continue integrating comparative KPIs.