City engineering outlines staffing gaps, permit workload and development limits

City Engineer Chris Beatty told the Newport City Council at a March work session that the engineering department is juggling private development reviews, capital improvement projects and a rising workload while operating five staff members of an eight-person complement.

The overview came as Beatty and staff described core duties — plan review, design standards, right-of-way permitting, construction oversight and grant support — and outlined limits on how quickly complex projects can be completed. "We are the engineering department," Beatty said. "We are responsible for planning, designing, constructing, and protecting the city's infrastructure." He later cautioned that statewide deadlines for plan review could risk mistakes: "The faster we review, the more likely it is we are to make a mistake."

The comment followed council questions about a proposed piece of state legislation that would set short, fixed review periods for private development plans. Beatty told the council that routine right-of-way permits — such as driveway or service connections — are processed quickly and can be expedited for a fee; by contrast, larger private developments and complex capital projects often require iterative design fixes, stakeholder coordination and engineering analysis that make a 45-day statutory deadline unrealistic for some submittals.

Beatty and team detailed specific workloads and resources. Engineering said it currently has five staff members on duty out of an authorized eight. The department reported roughly 50 active right-of-way permits at the time of the meeting and an annual throughput of about 200 such permits; staff estimated right-of-way work alone consumes the equivalent of roughly 24–30 staff hours per week. The department also oversees master plans for water, sewer and stormwater, a pavement management plan, traffic study work and procurement for capital improvement projects.

Assistant City Engineer Todd Drage, engineering technician Melissa Romann and administrative project support Brian Crawford were listed on the presentation; Ron Welsh was described as a junior project manager recently promoted. Beatty said some positions are cross-trained to move between private development plan review and capital improvement projects.

Beatty described the municipal design standard that designers use a 25-year storm when sizing drainage systems and summarized typical pipe-separation rules discussed in plan review: parallel potable and untreated pipes must be separated by 13 feet, or a minimum of 18 inches when perpendicular, to avoid cross-contamination and constructability issues. He said those code and design standards, plus municipal code interpretations, shape many of the department's review decisions.

On current projects, Beatty listed several capital and private-development items, including the West Olive ADA and street improvement design, Safe Routes to School design at the Harney intersection, the recreation center roof replacement, South Beach undergrounding phase 3 (bids due this week) and multiple private developments including the Northwest Big Street Samaritan Stars facility and Wilder Phase 4. He also noted the Big Creek Dam project as one of the city's largest infrastructure undertakings, with multiple components including water rights, access roads and public outreach.

Councilors pressed about recruitment and salaries. Beatty said the senior project manager and project manager positions were vacant and that the senior project manager posting has been active; the council was told an offer was expected after recent interviews. The council also heard that a citywide salary study last year had adjusted pay ranges and that some positions (for example senior project engineer) were discussed for future adjustments to remain competitive.

Beatty closed by describing the department's role in stakeholder communications during projects and the limits of local control when design issues require resubmitted plans from private developers. "If we design it, then we take responsibility for it. And so we go, no," he said, explaining why staff sometimes must return plans to applicants for correction rather than re-designing developer submittals.

The presentation transitioned to a public works update after council questions about recruitment and service expectations.