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Public Works & Utilities outlines 2025 priorities: asset management, staffing and $42M in capital projects
Summary
Director Paul Knippel presented the department’s 2025 priorities: asset-management work, process self-assessments, workload analysis and communications. The department outlined staffing, technical skill shortages and a capital pipeline of more than $42 million across funds for 2025.
Public Works & Utilities Director Paul Knippel presented the department’s 2025 overview to the council on Feb. 10, laying out reorganization outcomes, priority workstreams and an extensive capital and maintenance program.
Knippel told council the department consolidated several functions in a February 2023 reorganization and now includes engineering, utilities operations, fleet and facilities maintenance and GIS. He outlined four department-wide priorities for 2025: formalizing asset management data and a first-generation gap report; a self-assessment of processes using American Public Works Association frameworks; a department-wide workload analysis; and a public engagement effort to document and share the department’s activities.
Knippel and division managers described operational metrics and staffing needs. The operations group aims for 95% fleet availability and an 80% preventive-to-reactive maintenance ratio. Utilities division staffing includes about 98 full-time equivalents; the operations grouping reported roughly 45 FTEs and an operations budget cited in the presentation of just over $17 million. Knippel highlighted three technical roles that are difficult to recruit and retain: traffic signal technicians (on-call coverage), emergency vehicle technicians for fire apparatus maintenance, and SCADA (supervisory control) technicians.
Knippel detailed capital priorities and maintenance programs: planned water-main replacements in neighborhoods with recurring breaks, reconstruction and traffic-safety work (28 signal/intersection upgrades), continued build-out of the reclaimed-water distribution system, and upgrades at the Big Dry wastewater treatment plant. Across all funds he said the department anticipates more than $42 million in capital projects for 2025, spread across more than 70 projects in design or construction.
Councilors asked for more transparency and data during the upcoming budget process. They requested PQI (pavement quality index) and prioritized lists for water-main replacement to inform budget tradeoffs. Knippel said the department is working with finance on a cost-of-service study for utilities this year and will provide capital load data to inform rate and budget discussions.
Knippel also noted operational details: the city’s four major facilities are powered using solar garden electricity purchases, City Hall uses geothermal systems in some areas, and the department is pursuing telematics to improve fleet decision-making.
Councilors praised the emphasis on asset management and asked staff to bring specific prioritized project lists and cost data for the 2026 budget cycle. Knippel said staff will return with deliverables and a work plan for the council to review.
The council later entered executive session on facility security measures (not covered here).
